George Godsey – December 15, 2020
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Tuesday, December 15, 2020
Tight Ends Coach George Godsey
(What would you say you have learned about QB Tua Tagovailoa in the time that you guys have talked on the sideline during games?) – “There’s a lot for him to learn as a rookie and I think each day, each play, each situation that comes up – it was a unique situation at the end of the game last week – I would say there’s a lot. I think there’s good conversations that happen when we come off the field. There’s good conversations obviously prepping for the series and a lot of that information is coming from up top with (Offensive Coordinator) Chan (Gailey), so there’s really a lot to dive in on that question.”
(If TE Mike Gesicki is out for a while, how do you see that impacting the position and the team in general for that matter?) – “As far as the position goes, I think that’s really where the offseason, training camp, making sure that everybody knows the rules can change, especially this year. I think going into the season, that was kind of a priority, not only just with Brian (Flores) as the head coach, but just each position and just making sure that everybody was ready in case of something from medical standpoint. Obviously we know in this league that injuries are a part of the game, so depending on Mike’s status; if he’s there, great. He’s actually improving each week like we expected him to. And if he’s not, it’s the next guy up. We’ve had that issue at other positions and guys have stepped up so I think just from an offensive perspective, our guys are ready to step into a role if their number is called.”
(I want to ask you more about that situation and obviously it’s the reality that it is the next guy up, but TE Mike Gesicki does some special things that very few people on the planet can. We see him make these acrobatic catches, kind of fearless across the middle. How big of a part of your offense has he been with that dynamic playmaking?) – “Yeah, he’s made a couple good one-handed catches that we haven’t seen from the other guys. Each day in practice we see what everybody’s capable of, but we’re confident in that group. It’s a diverse group like we’ve talked about. They’re able to all block, they’re able to all catch and of course Mike’s had his opportunities to go out there and perform, especially on third down. In practice we rotate the group quite a bit, so they’re all familiar with those roles, so like you said, it’s not just a guy in there or a guy out of there. You don’t know what could happen, a shoe could come off. There’s a bunch of different variables that could happen, so all the guys prep as if they’re going to play and then it’s just a matter of who’s out there. I think it’s getting familiarity with the quarterback, too. We’ve had a couple guys back there distributing the ball, so getting those reps like I said early in training camp will help everybody out as far as Tua (Tagovailoa)’s growth and the tight ends’ growth.”
(I wanted to get an update on TE Durham Smythe in terms of his route running and route catching. Obviously he’s had a more productive season from that standpoint this year and also, how much do you think that it helps that QB Tua Tagovailoa has spent the early portion of the season working with a lot of these backup guys?) – “It’s a big part of it – just their body language and seeing at the top of the route how they come out of routes. Some guys come out a little quicker, some guys like to body up, some guys just with their size, specifically talking about the tight end position. So that familiarity, it has to continue to grow and Durham has got reliable hands. So does Adam (Shaheen). We’ve seen the ball thrown to those guys and those guys come down with it, so they’ve gotten their opportunities. There are certain situations, too, in practice, where whether it’s a two-minute drill or a third-down play that maybe one guy has repped more than others that will continue to grow with the next guy whether it’s – even Chris (Myarick) at times – so there’s plenty of guys that know that this league, there’s injuries; and that if the next guy is not ready, then as a professional, that’s – from a coaching standpoint, that’s our responsibility and from a playing standpoint, that’s their responsibility to be ready when their number is called.”
(I think it was Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey or Quarterbacks Coach Robby Brown that said QB Tua Tagovailoa was facing some pressures that maybe he didn’t see before this season and he came out fairly well, especially in that fourth quarter. When the bodies started hitting the floor and the lead grew up to 20, what were some things that really surprised you or impressed you about how he performed in that fourth quarter?) – “Just some of the communication we were having was – we’ve got a long way to go here in this game and we’re going to take it one series at a time. There is no, for example, an 18-point play when we’re down 18, so it’s one play at a time and let’s try to string some plays together. There’s a lot of growth for him to make in that area. Just going out there and seeing different defenses. It’s different in the first, second and third quarters than there is in the fourth quarter. There was an opportunity to get better. He took advantage of it and from a pressure standpoint, we’re always going to see some unique pressures. We give a lot of credit to a lot of the defensive coordinators and defensive schemes that we face each week. This week, no different. We’ll face a very good scheme and very good defensive players from that aspect, too, so we’ll see something different and then it’s up to us to follow our rules and execute it.”
