Mike Gesicki – October 2, 2020
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Friday, October 2, 2020
TE Mike Gesicki
(I was thinking back to QB Ryan Fitzpatrick saying that every time you catch the ball, it’s like your first time catching a ball. What give you so much joy? Why does that happen every time you catch a football, particularly from him?) – “It’s just a whole lot of fun going out there and making plays. With this game, you don’t know how many opportunities you’re going to have. It depends on so many different things. It’s more than just the game plan or if you’re the read on that play or how the game is going and all of that stuff. I just like to have fun with it, so when I go out there and I make the most of my opportunities, I really enjoy myself out there.”
(Your numbers in the slot are the best of any NFL tight end since last November. What is it about lining up there that makes you excited, that gives you maybe an edge over the players who are covering you?) – “I think I just kind of go back to what I always tell you guys, just make the most of your opportunities. I think the coaches do a really good job of putting guys in position to be successful, whether it’s myself inside or DeVante (Parker) and Preston (Williams) outside or Isaiah (Ford) on the inside or our backs – whoever it is, the other tight ends. I think that’s what it comes down to is knowing your matchups, whether it’s man or zone, attacking them depending on that, and then just making the most of your opportunities. When the ball’s in the air, you’ve got to go up and get it.”
(We talked about some of the big plays last Thursday night. As a collective unit, what do you think it did for the offense to see that you guys can start the game with several scores? One of the funniest things that Offensive Coordinator Chan Gailey said is ‘it’s not against to rules to go and score…”) – “Yeah, for sure. I think that’s a big thing for us, just being able to start fast. Last week, we were able to do that and you saw the outcome of that game and how it went. Just guys making plays, nobody trying to do anything too exceptional or outside of their role; but playing your role, doing your job and making the most of your opportunities. Then letting everything else take care of itself. It definitely does help when you get to come out, start fast and you’re not playing from behind or you’re not letting them dictate the game.”
(I know that fantasy football is not important at all. At least not to me, and not you; but I guess to other people it’s very important. You’re fifth in the NFL in tight ends in scoring. I’m just curious, are people showing you more love on social media?) – “Good question. I try to stay out of all of that kind of stuff because then one week it will be a bad week and everybody hates you and has this and that to say and all of that kind of stuff. Then you guys are hating me, the fantasy owners are hating me, everybody – so I try to stay away from the media side of it. I never want to get too high or two low, so for the most part, I kind of stay away from it. If I’m helping someone’s fantasy team out, great. If I’m not, great. I don’t really care. I’m just hoping that the Miami Dolphins go out and play our best football each and every week.”
(On the topic of player’s reputation and respect, in the NFL, especially if you’re a great receiving tight end, you can get recognition. You think of TE George Kittle, you think of TE Travis Kelce and so on. Now that your career has taken off, what do you hope to get out of this personally in terms of when people think of you, what would you like them to think of?) – “As a player, I’m a long way from where I need to be. I think I need to come out and continue to improve and get better each and every day. There are a lot of pieces to my game that I can continue to improve on. There are some good ones out there in the league like the two that you mentioned, and there is a couple others to add to that list as well. When they think of me, I just want them to think of a good guy, someone that is doing the right things on and off the field, and then making the most of their opportunities and being a good role model for younger people that are watching the game.”
(If you kept growing the beard for the rest of the season, what do you think it would look like? Would you beat QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and would your fiancé approve?) – “My fiancé is not happy about it currently; but it’s for the betterment of this football team, so I have to keep it. It is what it is. I think ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) pulls it off much, much better than I do. I could probably use a haircut here too. I’ve just got a little helmet hair, so that’s why I look like this. Definitely not my best look, but hopefully I have it for quite a while.”
(You said for the betterment of the football team. Is that a superstition or what’s going on with that?) – “So my razor died the night before the Bills game, so I kind of got stuck with this bad looking goatee. After the game, I was like, ‘we didn’t win so I can go home and shave.’ ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick) said it was kind of an exception because it was a career day, so I had to keep it. Then we came out and won last week. ‘Fitz’ threw me the ball and I scored a touchdown. Things are – with the goatee, I have to keep it. Hopefully by the end of the season, it looks like ‘Fitz.’ We’ll see.”
(You scored the most touchdowns in the NFL going back to Week 12 of last season. I’m always curious how big moments in games bring different thoughts out of athletes. Like for a batter, when it’s 3-1 count or when a basketball player goes up for a dunk. When you get down in that red zone, do you feel like your eyes get bigger? Do you get a little more amped up? What’s it like when you get close to the goal line and you might have a chance for a touchdown?) – “For me, I know it sounds super cliché, but it’s the honest truth. I just try to, play by play, just try to keep the same mentality because I could make a big play at the minus-40 that sets someone else up to score, or I could have that opportunity in the end zone to score a touchdown. Obviously it is exciting when your number gets called, and you have the opportunity. When you play with ‘Fitz’ (Ryan Fitzpatrick), it doesn’t even matter if your number gets called or not, because everybody’s number is called whenever he has the ball in his hands. You don’t know where it’s going to go or what’s going to happen. It is exciting. It’s something that everybody on our offense really looks forward to. I think we have a lot of guys on the offensive side of the football that are capable of making plays.”
(We’ve spoken many times about the positive impact that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has had for you. We’ve spoke about the positive impact Tight Ends Coach George Godsey has had for you. Is there another player or coach, since your arrival into the NFL, who you can say I’d like to give this guy some credit for helping me improve also?) – “Absolutely. I think first and foremost, the guy I came in with, Durham (Smythe). I think we kind of feed off of each other. We were, some would say, drafted for different reasons; but I think he doesn’t get – I’ve said this before, that he doesn’t get enough credit for the talent he has outside of his run blocking or pass blocking and all of that kind of stuff. I think we’ve been able to complement each other well. Sometimes he’s in there pass protecting and I’m out running a route. He’s doing all of the dirty work and things like that. I think he deserves a lot of the credit for not only some of the success that I’ve had, but our team as well. He’s not one to really complain if he’s not getting the ball or if he’s not in it. He just loves playing football and helping this team win football games and be productive.”
