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Mike Gesicki – July 28, 2018 Download PDF version

Saturday, June 28, 2018

TE Mike Gesicki

(On the start of training camp) – “Good stuff, bad stuff, all kinds of stuff. Everything you would expect from a rookie tight end, that’s kind of what it’s been. (Tight Ends) Coach (Shane) Day has done a great job and our group has done a phenomenal job helping each other out. Honestly, it’s not as much the mental stuff anymore as it was when I first got here. I wasn’t able to play fast and all of that kind of stuff. Now, it’s just adjusting to this weather. It doesn’t feel like this over at Penn State. (laughter) I’m definitely getting used to that and adjusting to that. Once you get used to the weather, once you get used to the heat, you can play fast and do what you do.”

(Do you feel antsy at all to put yourself in position to get more first-team reps? Because they’ve stuck with the veterans primarily as starters at this point?) – “No, absolutely not. It’s Day 3. I just need to come out here and do my job.”

(Head Coach Adam Gase mentioned that you had trouble with the heat the other day. How bad was it for you? How did you snap back into it?) – “I mean it takes a toll on your body; but I think that today, yesterday, it’s getting better. And then it’s just going to continue to get stronger, get faster, all of that kind of stuff, while taking its toll on your body. These guys do it every single year. There’s no secret potion or anything like that to get through it, but you will.”

(I remember when you got here you said, “Oh, I’ve been through some hot days in New Jersey.” Did you underestimate this a little bit?) – “No, I didn’t underestimate this. I knew it wasn’t going to be like New Jersey; but  I have had hot days before.”

(Did you have to take an IV at any point?) – “No.”

(Did you end up buying a white board back in New Jersey when you had to leave this spring?) – “Yes, absolutely. I had the white board and everything. (I was) studying and all of that kind of stuff, so I came back here mentally ready.”

(Who quizzed you without TE Durham Smythe around?) – “Whether it was one of my friends, whether it was my family, anybody that could just read off a play.”

(Does this seem slower to you now?) – “Yes.”

(When you hear a play called, you know it instantly?) – “Yes. Everything mentally is there. Then when I can run as fast as I want and do what I want physically, everything is coming along.”

(How much does this change right now with pads on?) – “I don’t really think it changed much, honestly. Even when we’ve just got shells on or jerseys, you still see us out there getting hands inside, punching and all of that kind of stuff. Definitely, you add a little bit, but nothing too crazy.”

(Do you feel you’re a better blocker being around an NFL coaching staff? Have you picked up things, or won’t you know until you’re in full pads over the next couple of weeks?) – “I think blocking in uppers or blocking in full pads is the same thing. Today, I was able to get out there. I had a few good ones. Then I had a few ones to learn from. I think that’s just football and I’m going to continue to get better every single day.”

(How much confidence does it give you to make the kind of catch you made against S Minkah Fitzpatrick?) – “Obviously Minkah is a great player, but that’s my job is to go make a play. It was just a one-on-one rep. Once you start implementing that into team periods and seven-on-sevens and then when you get into preseason games … Right now, it’s good to make those plays, but that’s my job.”

(When you’re not working with QB Ryan Tannehill in team drills as much, do you try to spend time with him after practice, before, just to work on chemistry with the two of you?) – “Yes, I mean, whether you’re sitting there at lunch; yesterday was his birthday, make sure you tell him happy birthday, all of that kind of stuff. (laughter)”

(A gift?) – “Right? No, I should have run out to the store. (laughter) He’s a very personable guy. He’s trying to help everybody. He’s trying to help this team win a lot of football games. It’s very easy to build chemistry with him.”

(After three days, and you look at yourself on tape, what is your self-assessment of what you’ve put on tape?) – “I think I’m doing well, being able to … there’s no more mental errors. There’s not going to the left when you’re supposed to go right or doing this when you’re supposed to be doing that. That’s a huge progression. And then just continuing to battle this heat and get acclimated with that because … When you’re out here for OTAs and you thought, ‘All right, it’s hot.’ Then you get out there in late July and the beginning of August and now it’s really hot.”

(So what’s the trick? Do you dump water on your head? Do you keep a towel with you? Are there any tips?) – “At the beginning of practice, I try not to drink a lot of water just because then you’re full and you feel like you’re going to throw up the whole time. So just hydrate when you need to and then maybe put a towel on your head to block yourself from the sun.”

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