FOXBORO – Aside from the occasional on-field tantrum, Mac Jones generally seems like a nice kid. Pleasant. Not that that’s here or there in the grand scheme. Is he good at leading an offense or not? That’s germane.
But it is consistently eye-opening to hear the gushing, over-the-top testimonials that are delivered on a consistent basis by his teammates.
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On Tuesday, after an OTA workout, I asked newly-added tight end Mike Gesicki how it’s been working with Jones since coming over from Miami.
“Oh, Mac’s awesome!” Gesicki gushed. “That’s my guy. He’s been incredible as a leader. Been great out there physically throwing the ball – timing, throwing a catchable ball – and he likes to have fun so it’s been a cool offseason for us trying to jell and get on the same page.”
Never is heard a discouraging word coming from a teammate’s mouth regarding Jones. Which, after his uneven 2022, is worth something. I mean, they SWEAR by him.
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Gesicki, unlike Devin McCourty, who is a charter member of the “I LOVE MAC CLUB”, may just have an ulterior motive, of course.
Mac is throwing him the ball. And through the two OTAs open to the media, Gesicki’s skillset and deployment has been interesting to observe.
He’s a hybrid tight end/wide receiver, as McCourty and Bill Belichick have explained in the past. And after a down year with the Dolphins (32 catches for 362 yards, down from 73 for 780 in 2021 with Miami), Gesicki could be a mismatch maven in the Patriots offense.
Asked about the offense being installed by offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, Gesicki said, “I think it’s able to suit a lot of our skill players. Everybody on the offensive side of the ball. I think that’s the beauty of this offense and Coach O’Brien understanding everybody’s strengths and weaknesses and what guys do better and that’s the position he puts them in.”
Gesicki is not the most adept blocking tight end in the league. He acknowledged on Tuesday that every tight end has to “do both” blocking and catching, but the Patriots aren’t going to be running behind him like they could with Dwayne Allen or Michael Hoomanawanui in years gone by.
His role is going to be an evolving one, most likely. And because of his usefulness in the slot – where JuJu Smith-Schuster also excels – the Patriots will be able to tinker with their offensive groupings.
“Right now it’s so early,” said Gesicki when asked about his role. “It’s June 6. There’s so much ahead of us in terms of the rest of the offseason and preseason and training camp. But definitely there are things to be excited about but it’s just too early right now.”
But Gesicki, who signed a one-year, $4.5M deal that could double in worth if he hits all his incentives, is certainly hoping his role and his kismet with Jones are magical.
Asked why he chose to come here, Gesicki said simply, “Opportunity.”
