Tag: Mike Gesicki

Here’s when new Patriots players are expected to address the media

JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki are making their first media appearances since joining New England.

The New England Patriots are set to introduce their new skilled position stars for the first time this week.

Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is slated to speak to the media for the first time since joining the Patriots at 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, while tight end Mike Gesicki will speak on Thursday.

The hope for Smith-Schuster is that he can fill the slot role left by Jakobi Meyers, who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in free agency. Meanwhile, Gesicki will fill the spot left behind by Jonnu Smith in hopes of upgrading the tight end position along with Hunter Henry.

There are some serious questions surrounding the Patriots offense ahead of the 2023 season.

Bill O’Brien will be returning as offensive coordinator with Adrian Klemm overseeing the offensive line. So there will be new offensive coaches spearheading the unit. The team still lacks a legitimate No. 1 option at receiver, and there are also question marks at the tackle position.

But both Smith-Schuster and Gesicki are expected to play major roles for the Patriots. For better or worse, these are two of the new faces of the organization.

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Durham Smythe jokingly takes issue with Mike Gesicki signing with Patriots

He’s the enemy now in Smythe’s eyes.

For the last four seasons, Miami Dolphins tight ends Durham Smythe and Mike Gesicki were nearly inseparable. Whether it was hanging out together at the facility or vacationing together during the offseason, the pair became great friends.

This offseason, as Gesicki free agency and Smythe was under contract, it was a foregone conclusion that the duo would be split up. The former ended up signing with an AFC East rival, as the New England Patriots gave him a one-year deal.

Smythe, while understanding that Gesicki had to take the deal, joked that he takes issue with the decision.

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“He had 31 other choices and he chose the one to spite me the most,” Smythe told the media on Tuesday (transcribed by Barry Jackson). “Good for him. We’ll see him twice a year.”

The former Nittany Lion now joining the Patriots adds an extra layer to a rivalry that has been mostly one-sided in recent years. If Smythe or Gesicki find themselves in the end zone during either of their meetings in 2023 will certainly lead to some extra celebrating.

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2023 NFL Draft prospect profile: Brenton Strange, Tight End

Here is the NFL draft profile of Penn State tight end Brenton Strange

Penn State has put some players in the NFL at the tight end position during recent years. [autotag]Jesse James[/autotag] was the first notable Penn State tight end drafted. Then [autotag]Mike Gesicki[/autotag] and [autotag]Pat Freiermuth[/autotag] followed suit and both went in the second rounds of their draft year.

While [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] doesn’t have the draft hype surrounding him like the other Penn State tight ends who entered the draft, he’s still a good prospect. He fits the mold of what the NFL is looking for at the position. He is a good blocker, catches the ball and can make plays with the ball in his hand.

Strange is definitely not a day one player, but there are rumors that he could sneak into the second day of the draft. If that happens, it increases the likelihood that Strange will make an NFL roster his rookie season. Even if he goes day three like many are projecting, he possesses a skill set that could make him stick in the league for a while.

Here is a look at Brenton Strange with updated measurables following the NFL combine and Penn State’s pro day.

Mac Jones to Mike Gesicki connection is starting behind the scenes

Tight end Mike Gesicki and others are reportedly getting in early reps with Patriots QB Mac Jones.

All of the outside noise hasn’t stopped the business of football behind closed doors for the New England Patriots.

According to Mike Giardi, Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, along with backup Bailey Zappe, were throwing to newly-signed tight end Mike Gesicki, wideout Tyquan Thornton and others on Tuesday.

The fact that the offense is meeting up behind the scenes and looking to find chemistry this early is a great sign for a Patriots team that struggled on that side of the ball last season. That might even be putting it mildly considering they were dead last in red zone touchdown scoring percentage.

They fell off a cliff.

But Jones and company are already hard at work on climbing back to where they were in his rookie season—a playoff contender in a burgeoning AFC East division.

The Patriots are hopeful Gesicki can be everything Jonnu Smith wasn’t in the offense, and Thornton’s emergence would be a significant development with the team still looking thin at wide receiver.

It all comes down to developing the right kind of chemistry with Jones and executing on game day. For the Patriots, the journey back to the playoffs starts right now.

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Patriots could use Mike Gesicki in this way, per new report

Mike Gesicki may already have a defined role with the Patriots.

The New England Patriots signed former Miami Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki in March. Now, we are beginning to get a clearer picture as to how he will be used in New England.

Gesicki tallied 32 receptions for 362 yards and five touchdowns. The tight end may have been underutilized in Miami’s offense last season with coach Mike McDaniel installing a new offense. He is just two seasons removed from a campaign that saw him record 73 receptions for 780 yards.

New reports indicate that the Patriots wanted Gesicki to be more of a receiver, as New England looks to open up the offense under offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

This would help New England with pass-catching depth on a unit that already includes newcomer JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker and Kendrick Bourne. Tyquan Thornton will undoubtedly factor into the equation as well.

Doug Kyed of A to Z Sports further expanded on this idea:

A source said Gesicki isn’t expected to meet with wide receivers, but “he won’t be asked to do typical tight end blocking assignments either.”

That’s certainly sounds a little bit different from how he was used by McDaniel in Miami, when he lined up inline on 33 percent of snaps. That was up from 12 percent in 2021, 19.6 percent in 2020 and 22.7 percent in 2019. Gesicki played 59.7 percent of his snaps inline as a rookie in 2018.

Gesicki as more of a receiving tight end could work, as he tallied 1,481 receiving yards during his time at Penn State.

O’Brien is already familiar with his skill sets, having recruited him to the Nittany Lions. Now, they will get a chance to work together with Gesicki being viewed as an added receiving weapon.

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Patriots TE Mike Gesicki excited to reunite with Bill O’Brien

Mike Gesicki is looking forward to reuniting with Bill O’Brien in New England.

New England Patriots tight end Mike Gesicki is excited to play for the organization and under offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

O’Brien and Gesicki share a history together, and it goes back several years. O’Brien recruited the tight end in 2013, while he was in his second season as a head coach at Penn State.

He did not stay at Penn State long, and he ended up taking the Houston Texans head coaching job in 2014. Meanwhile, Gesicki ended up going to Happy Valley and had a successful career with the Nittany Lions.

Gesicki recorded 129 catches for 1,481 yards and 15 touchdowns in his collegiate career. His best season came as a senior in 2017, when he tallied 57 receptions for 563 yards and nine touchdowns.

The tight end was productive for the Miami Dolphins during his time with the organization. He caught 32 passes for 362 yards and five touchdowns last season. He caught two passes for 18 yards and a touchdown in his last game against New England. Now, he’ll be on the other side of things.

He opened up about what it was like to be reunited with O’Brien in a video posted to the Patriots Twitter account.

“I knew OB going all the way back to my high school days,” Gesicki said in an interview with Patriots team reporter Tamara Brown. “So it was funny after we agreed on everything and he called me. It’s 10 years later now, but it’s exciting to finally be able to play for him and already having those relationships formed, so I’m excited.”

New England will need to get more production out of the tight end position, and O’Brien is noted for heavily utilizing the position offensively. The reunion may be perfect for all parties involved.

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Todd McShay calls Brenton Strange one of “most underrated players in the draft”

ESPN analyst says this Penn State player is one of the most underrated prospects in the 2023 NFL draft

Penn State tight end [autotag]Brenton Strange[/autotag] is looking to continue a bit of a renewed legacy in the NFL for Penn State tight ends. Following in the recent footsteps of players like [autotag]Mike Gesicki[/autotag] and [autotag]Pat Freiermuth[/autotag], Strange is looking to hear his name called by an NFL franchise in need of a tight end on its roster, and NFL draft analyst Todd McShay suggests he could be going on the second day of the draft.

“Get to know that name,” McShay said of Strange in a recent post on his Twitter account. “The Penn State TE is one of the least talked about and most underrated players in the draft.”

McShay noted and understood that Strange’s performance at the NFL combine wasn’t exactly going to blow anybody away based purely on number comparisons with other tight ends in this year’s draft pool, but said Strange more than makes up for it on his draft profile when you dig into the film.

“Combine numbers were pedestrian, but his tape is impressive,” McShay said. Despite a loaded TE class, you’ll hear his name called Night 2 of the NFL draft.”

The second night of the NFL draft will include the second and third rounds, with the first round owning the first night and rounds four through seven comprising of day three. The last two Penn State tight ends to be drafted, Gesicki in 2018 and Freiermuth in 2021, each went in the second round to their respective teams.

We’ll see if Strange can find himself wiggling up the big boards enough to go in the second round, but McShay could be right in suggesting Strange is worth a second or third-round pick if the right team is in place to draft him.

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Follow Nittany Lions Wire on Twitter and like us on Facebook for continuing Penn State coverage and discussion. Let us know your thoughts by leaving a comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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Patriots Wire Podcast: Have the Patriots upgraded offensively?

Have the Patriots upgraded offensively? If so, how much?

The New England Patriots didn’t completely kick down the walls and start from scratch, but they are clearly nose-deep in an offensive remodeling project.

Can you blame them?

They were the worst team in the league in red zone touchdown scoring percentage in 2022, and the lack of explosive playmakers had opposing defenses lining up across from them without a fear in the world.

There’s hope all of that will change next season with Bill O’Brien taking over as offensive coordinator. The team also went out and signed wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster, tight end Mike Gesicki and running back James Robinson to help out at the skilled positions.

But how much of an upgrade are the new-look Patriots, really? That’s what me and Ryan O’Leary discuss in this week’s Patriots Wire Podcast. We take a look back at the moves made by the team so far in free agency and the moves that might still come.

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Please sound off with your thoughts and opinions in the comments sections of our social media platforms so we can read them. What do you think of the moves so far? Have the Patriots upgraded, and if not, what else do they need to do to get back on top?

You can find us on Facebook and Twitter.

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ESPN grades the Patriots’ four biggest moves in free agency

What did ESPN grade the Patriots’ four biggest moves in free agency?

There were expectations that the New England Patriots would make a splash in this year’s free agency, and so far, they haven’t disappointed.

No, they haven’t pulled off a blockbuster move for an elite receiver to take over the No. 1 role, but they have added legitimate offensive playmakers that already has the unit looking much better on paper than it did in 2022.

And even more importantly, they managed to keep their defense mostly intact from a season ago.

ESPN’s Seth Walder and NFL draft analysts worked on a piece putting together the biggest free agency moves throughout the league and grading teams on them.

Here are the four Patriots moves that made the list.

5 takeaways from Patriots’ first week of free agency

Five thoughts on the Patriots’ splash in the first week of free agency.

Well, folks, the first week of free agency is in the books, and thankfully, the New England Patriots didn’t fall asleep at the wheel.

They had a ton of cap space to play with this time around, and given the way the 2022 season ended, there was extra fire and motivation to get things right.

The team managed to keep their defense mostly intact, while also giving their offense a significant facelift. Most would consider that an immediate success right out of the gates.

Granted, the Patriots still have space to make more moves as we enter the second week of the new league year. The sprinting portion of free agency might be over, but the marathon is still ongoing to make the roster the best it can be heading into the 2023 season.

Here are five takeaways from what the Patriots have done so far.