Didn't Gisecki play on the tag last year as well? That's a bit puzzling to me- especially since they barely threw to him last year.
No, he was in the final year of his rookie contract last year though, which had a similar feeling to it.
Regardless of whether this works out or not, this is a brilliant move by the Dolphins. Mike Gesicki categorically does not fit the system. McDaniel is all about building from the trenches, and Gesicki is not a good blocker at all. He is a gloried WR playing tight end similar to a Jimmy Graham. He certainly has gotten jacked but whether or not that translates to improvement in blocking is yet to be seen. Ideally, McDaniel would want a TE that can do it all - catch, block (but then again, who wouldn't). I would not at all be surprised if Durham Smythe steals the job by the end of the season. I think at the end of the day, McDaniel will prioritize building the offense through the o-line, and will error on the side of seeing the TE is an extension of the line as opposed to an extension of the passing game. But then there is the compelling case for keeping him - he is so damn talented! I absolutely love his presence on the field. He reminds me of Landry that you see his passion and desire to win 100% of the time. His blocking is suspect, but my lord, his catching ability is outstanding. He makes so many catches where I think to myself, "If you didn't haul that in, I wouldn't even be mad." These miraculous catches are more than just cool moments. They change the trajectory of a game. Instead of effectively losing a down, we gain positive yards, move the stick, etc. I think that this is going to be one of the first real challenges for McDaniel. Will he be able to find a way to incorporate a real talent that does not quite fit the system into his offense? This is why the tag is so smart. Nobody really knows the answer to this question. Giving him a long term deal has immense risk because there is a real chance that Gesicki could become a situational player that simply does not warrant a massive contract. On the other hand, there is one thing that we don't really know about McDaniel quite yet. I have always said that there are two kinds of coaches. The first are coaches that build around a system. Their success is heavily predicated on their ability to get guys that can run the system that they want to run. If the cannot get the right players, they almost always fail, but if they are able to build the right system with the right guys, they can really succeed. Sometimes, their system can even transcend a voids in talent. The other type of coach is the kind that will devise an offensive (or defensive) system around the talent that they have. You sorta see this as a team philosophy too in certain cases. The GM is gonna give you a lot of talent, your job is to make something work. I think if I polled this board, most, if not all, the people on the board would probably say that McDaniel fits the first mold. He is here to bring SF's offense to Miami. But I say in the words of Lee Corso, "Not so fast, my friend." McDaniel is a Ivy League guy who has shown creativity. Just look at what he did with Deebo. It is POSSIBLE, that he can carve something out for Gesicki that could put him on the field enough to warrant that big contract. I think it is fantastic that we get test it out for a year and then move forward in a mutually beneficial way.
I just had a thought and maybe its crazy but I'm gonna throw it out there. As A classic TE which is what we think McDaniel wants for his blocking scheme Mike is not a fit. Smythe would be more to that roll. I keep hearing it brought up that he could use Tyreek in the Deebo Samuel role.This doesn't make a lot of sense to me since Tyreek is not that kind of size that would be able to take that kind of pounding as an RB. Why not try Gesicki in that role? He was only .06 slower in the 40 and actually all his other drills he was better than Deebo, faster 10 Yd Split, slightly faster 20 Yard split, 2.5" higher vertical leap, 7" longer broad jump, .04 faster 20 Yard Shuttle and much faster 3 cone (.27). Gesicki is also much bigger. Despite his better measurables not quite as shifty but that may be what McDaniel has up his sleeve. May very well be why Mike is on the tag this year, so they can see how it pans out. Just a thought. If McDaniel wants a Deebo in Miami, his name could be Gesicki.
