Mike Gesicki – September 19, 2022
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Monday, September 19, 2022
TE Mike Gesicki
(How much have you come down from everything from yesterday?) – “I mean, I try to stay right here all the time. Never too high, never too low. So, obviously an exciting day, but it’s a new one. A new day. Ready to keep rolling.”
(So you’ve been obviously a pro and handling a different role – fewer targets up until yesterday. How have you been able to do it? Are you just patient and calm by nature?) – “That’s pretty much all I know. I know that we’ve got two all-world receivers out there in Jaylen (Waddle) and Tyreek (Hill). Yesterday, I think Jaylen had 19 targets and Tyreek got like 13. So I mean, those guys are spectacular players. We get those guys the ball and they make plays. My biggest thing is when my opportunities present themselves, I’ve got to make the most of them. So that’s what I try to do and that’s pretty much all I know how to do.”
(The first week, we talked a lot about defense. Yesterday, it was offense that basically carried the Dolphins. Can you talk a little bit about that familiarity of ‘okay, the defense is not having a good day, but it’s time for us to step up like they did last week?’) – “Yeah, I think that just goes back to kind of what we preach. We talk about complementary football. So when the defense is playing great, they’ve got our backs, and vice versa, we’ve got theirs – special teams, all that kind of stuff. It’s a three-phase game. There’s a lot that goes into it. The coaches do a great job preparing us and then it’s our job to go out on Sundays, and like I said, make the most of our opportunities. So whether it is a defensive-sided game, or an offensive-sided game, we just got to be able to pick each other up no matter what the situation is.”
(Head Coach Mike McDaniel told us last week that obviously he intended to get the ball more than just once in the opener. He seems like a good communicator with players to. Did he share that with you that, ‘look, be patient, we’re going to get you targets that you can get typically?’) – “No, not really. I mean, he pulled me aside before the game and told me that the first third down, I was going to have an opportunity. But that’s pretty much all it is. I think you kind of go in to the game and you kind of know what plays are up. You don’t know the flow of the game or how it’s going to go. That’s pretty much all it is.”
(Is it still fun for you? Obviously winning is a lot of fun. Is it fun for you with a different role? As fun as past years?) – “I have fun playing this game. We play a kids game for our profession and we get paid a lot of money to do it. So it’s definitely something that I don’t take for granted.”
(Speaking of fun, what are the responses to the griddy?) – “Well, pretty much all of training camp.. – Durham (Smythe) was living with me during training camp and I would like joke around, like walk to the garbage can and like griddy to the garbage can. The first time I did it, he like started cracking up. So it was just kind of a joke. It obviously still is a joke. And I said to him, I was like if I score a touchdown, like I’m just going to do it. I’m going to be trending on all social media for doing it in such a hilarious fashion. And the opportunity presented itself, like I say, and I don’t know if I made the most of that opportunity, but it was funny. (laughter) I was too excited. I hit it in about fast forward. So maybe (I should) slow it down. But that’s what I do. I have fun. I enjoy myself. I had an opportunity to make a play, made the play and then was able to celebrate it.”
(Did you go practice in the mirror last night?) – “I’ll be practicing until my next opportunity.”
(Do you have any teammates that can help you out with that?) – “I’m sure there are. I’m sure there’s a lot of guys that have a lot more rhythm and a lot better dance moves than myself. But I think I take pride in just letting it all out yesterday. I don’t think anybody was expecting Mike Gesicki to attempt to hit the griddy. I feel like I owe Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase an apology, if anything. But that’s pretty much it.”
(Is patience going to be very important this year, because of what you talked about the targets? You never know which game you’re going to have a lot of targets for the game. Other games you might not.) – “Yeah, I mean, it’s not about me. I think that’s the biggest thing you’ve got to understand. This thing isn’t about me; it’s about the team. And like I said, we’ve got two all-world receivers out there. To this point, it hasn’t drawn the attention from defenses that you would anticipate. So those guys are going to make their plays. And when I have an opportunity, and my number’s called, I’ve got to make the most of mine.”
(I think you were four-for-four in the red zone yesterday. But what did you learn about the red zone offense? Because I think against New England, you had two opportunities, one in which you were trying to run out the clock at the end of the game, but you were a red zone target. What did you guys learn about the red zone on offense?) – “Yeah, I mean, we obviously, put in our game plan for the red zone on Fridays. We go out and execute it. And then it’s all about getting down there, honestly. So you have a bunch of plays that you practice, but if you don’t get down inside the 20 and have an opportunity to run those plays, then there’s some opportunities right there. So I mean, we got playmakers. We got guys all over the field that can make plays and we got a quarterback willing to (throw) the ball to the open guy.”
(You seem to take as much joy into QB Tua Tagovailoa doing well as anyone on the team. Obviously, you’ve had a relationship for a couple of years. Why is that so, beyond just wanting your quarterback to do well, obviously?) – “Because he’s – I mean, I’ve said it. I feel like I’ve answered this question 100 times, but he’s dealt with so much criticism and outside noise from people that aren’t in the building, people that aren’t aware of the situation, people that don’t know the play call, people that don’t know the situation. But they’re still going to say and do anything they want because it draws attention to a negative situation. Unfortunately, that’s the world we live in. People want to be negative. Rather than understand that he’s a young quarterback and he’s only getting better and he’s made plays for this organization for the third year now. And now this year, people want to hop on the bandwagon, hop on the train, and if I was him, I wouldn’t let him.”
(I don’t know if you’re a big soccer fan, but there’s a pretty huge event happening at the stadium on Friday. Argentina and Leo Messi are here. Do you know anything about?) – “If they want me to come over and hit the griddy for them, I’ll give him my best effort. (laughter) So if you guys can get me over there to meet some of the guys, sure I’ll be there.”
(You got the Bills on Sunday. Right now, they’re really the class of the NFL. What excites you most about going up against the best?) – “Yeah, I mean, they’re obviously one of the teams to beat. They’re playing exceptional ball. They’ve got a game tonight that I’m sure we’ll be we’ll be tuned into. But they’ve got playmakers all over the field in all three phases. They’re extremely well coached. And like you said, they’re at the top right now. So it’s going to be a fun challenge and something that I’m sure everybody in the locker room is looking forward to.”
