Mike Gesicki – December 1, 2021
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Wednesday, December 1, 2021
TE Mike Gesicki
(For all of the good-natured kidding with your buddy TE Durham Smythe, he really has become a more significant part of the passing game than ever before in these last couple of weeks. What do you think has led to that, knowing him as well as you do and knowing how Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends George Godsey thinks? Is it strictly matchups? Is it an evolution of his skills?) – “I’d love to say he has me to thank for that but I played zero role in that. Durham is just a hell of a football player. If you want him to block, he’s going to do it. If you want him to escape out in the flat and break a tackle, he’ll do it. If you want him on special teams on punt, he’ll do it. If you want him to lead, he’ll do it. Whatever you ask him to do, he’s going to do it and do it to the best of his ability, and that’s a pretty good ability.”
(Did he talk any trash for getting the nod for the QB sneak, that he was the one that got to do it?) – “No. That was an interesting package. We’ve had that in for about three weeks now, actually. Initially I was like, ‘Listen man, you don’t want to call that. You want to save that for prime time when we play on Thursday night.’ It didn’t make it out for the Thursday night game. It didn’t make it out for last week. Then we finally got it called and dialed up this week twice within like three plays. So good for him. I’m happy for him. Any time he makes a play, I’m his number one fan.”
(But you better get the next one right?) – “(laughter) I’m not lobbying for snaps under center. Although Durham now, unfortunately I tried to warn (General Manager) Chris (Grier) and everybody last week to get this man his money. Because now he can start demanding quarterback money. (laughter) So that’s now an issue in this organization – there’s not going to be enough money to go around. (laughter)”
(Regarding QB Tua Tagovailoa’s ball placement, he’s number two in the league in completion percentage. How would you describe his accuracy?) – “I mean his accuracy is great. I specifically, I don’t know why this just flashed back to me, but I remember after the Chicago preseason game, I remember talking about his accuracy back then before a lot of people were talking about it now. I remember he hit me on a third down in a preseason game and he put it low and away where only I could go get it. It’s just those kind of throws that he makes. Now you see it. I think the other day he was like 28-of-31 or something. He’s going to throw a very catchable ball and he’s going to make the job easy for his receivers. I love playing with hm and a lot of guys are making plays because of where he’s putting the ball.”
(That seems like a very situational throw. Can you work on that or is that just kind of a feel of the game in the moment?) – “It’s really in the moment because you don’t know – you assume you know how they’re going to play things and stuff but at the end of the day, once you get out there, all of that film study and all of the preparation and everything that goes into it just puts you in that position to kind of have a better understanding of what’s going to happen. But they’re allowed to do whatever they want out there. He has a great feel of where defenders are and how to throw people open and get a ball in a tight space. That’s just a credit to him and his arm.”
(You guys have been clicking very well even without WR DeVante Parker. What kind of a … [inaudible]) – “DeVante is obviously an elite receiver in this league. He can make plays downfield, can make contested catches. So to add another guy like that into the mix, I think you guys all know what DeVante is capable of so we’d love to have him back out there.”
(You’ll be reunited Sunday with your former college teammate. What was it like playing with Giants RB Saquon Barkley?) – “A great player. Unbelievable teammate. I can’t say enough good things about him on and off the field. Obviously he’s had a ton of success but he’s also fought through some injuries and things like that. I’m happy for him personally that he’s healthy and that he’s able to go. But on Sunday, we’re not college teammates anymore.”
(You chose THON for My Cause My Cleats. Can you talk about it?) – “Yeah, so it’s an organization called THON. At Penn State, they do a 46-hour dance marathon for pediatric cancer. So the kids, their families, everybody gets out there and fundraise a ton of money every year. I mean in the tens of millions of dollars to help raise awareness and help research for these kids and their families. It’s an unbelievable organization. It’s a great cause and I’m just happy to – this Sunday – raise a little bit more awareness for it.”
(What stands out to you about the Giants defense?) – “A lot of playmakers. Up front, they’re big. Really big. Then the ‘backers are good players. Then in the secondary, they’ve got (James) Bradberry, who plays very physical. I went back and watched a couple of games that he played this season. He’s made a lot of plays playing physical. (Xavier) McKinney in the back at safety. He’s made a ton of plays back there. Then one of their other DBs – Julian Love – he’s made a ton of plays as well. They’ve got guys across the board that can make plays. And also with (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator) Patrick Graham being over there, he was here in 2019 so we know overall his philosophy and how he wants to play. They’re going to be ready to play so we have to continue to prepare and be ready on Sunday.”
(Does that help at all, the fact that you do know what kind of defense Patrick Graham likes to play?) – “To an extent. But at the end of the day, there’s game-planning that goes into it. There’s a lot of stuff that can change on Sunday. You think you know what to expect but that’s what this league – a lot of guys get paid a lot of money to be creative and disguise things and he’s obviously a great coach and has made a ton of good play calls and good games that he’s had in his career. I think they’re also going to be prepared and we’ll see.”
