The Tight Ends Smythe and Gesicki might not explode out of the gates in 2018…
…but both Tight Ends will be productive given time
Post draft, many analysts like PFF said Miami did a good job of upgrading their Tight Ends. Miami’s doubling down and drafting Mike Gesicki and Durham Smythe was even applauded by most Phins Fans too. Phinsnews was thrilled as well about this combo’s potential to make an impact as starters.
So all is good in the Phindom, right? Well, after meh OTA’s from both players, let’s pump the breaks just a tad on the immediate impact.
This isn’t to say trouble is brewing. Nope! We aren’t saying these players won’t meet expectations. Not in the least. Fans just need to be realistic and realize Miami will likely use Gray and Derby more early. And to be clear, it isn’t a disaster if they do. Tigh Ends, just like Receivers, are among the slowest of all positions to transition to the NFL. This reality is understood by the staff and the pay per head services. Look at O.J. Howard (19th overall pick in 2017) as an example. While his development was slow, by the end of the season his production became quite good.
Of the two rookie Tight Ends, Smythe is likely to see more action early
Smythe will be the Y Tight End. His role will be the inline blocker of the ‘ole’ school’ variety lining up off the Offensive Tackles. Think Anthony Fasano junior. A key reason Smythe didn’t shine in OTA’s, is this the ‘glorified flag football’ doesn’t allow blockers to shine.
Smythe’s ability to fill the H-back role will give him an early edge… unless MarQueis Gray can take the role. Gesicki and A.J. Derby aren’t even remotely suited for that gig. So the battle for H-Back will be Gray v.s. Smythe–mono e mono. Both player’s combine numbers are near identical in every drill. Neither has an athletic advantage over the other.
Gray was a solid H-Back in 2017
Phinsnews really likes Gray. In 2017, Gray was a bulldozer compared to Julius ‘flipper arms’ Thomas. We shouted loud and hard for Adam Gase to pair Fasano with Gray more. Ohhh well, C’est la vie.
The Greatest Hits of Julius ‘flipper arms’ Thomas
Gray has been in the league for 6 years for a combined 61 games. He’s Miami’s most experienced TE. The downside is the sum of his production in all that time is 27 catches and 0 touchdowns. Gray is big at 6’3” 264 and a willing blocker. But, in reality, he’s just a decent blocker… when not being compared to hot garbage.
Smythe’s pedigree says he’s a far better blocker on the line of scrimmage and behind it. This crucial skill set is a big deal for a team that wants to run the football. And you’d better believe that Adam Gase wants to run the football–Big Time.
The Phins may very well have two solid blockers to go along with 5 Linemen on run downs. No siree, Phinsnews won’t complain about that.
While Smythe is a far better blocker than Gesicki, he’s nowhere near the receiving threat (but Smythe isn’t a bricked handed 6th linemen either).
Gesicki will be the X Tight End, which goes by many names, some of them are: Joker, ‘U’, and “move” Tight End.
Seahawks’ Assistant Head Coach Tom Cable once said this about ‘X’ Tight Ends:
“In terms of the ‘U’ tight end, he’s certainly going to have some responsibility to block. But I think on a list of the top important things for him, on a list of five–that’s fifth. He’s going to be moving around, blocking on the move, but he’s probably going to be more thought of as a playmaker-receiver type.”
The X Tight End moves all over the Line Of Scrimmage to cause matchup problems. These matchup problems help the offense maintain the initiative by dictating the situation to the defense and forcing them to react. The ability to dictate is THE key asset to an offense. This is what made Peyton Manning ‘PEYTON MANNING’ and gave Gase his biggest success. If a defense can steal the initiative, then chances are the offense’s is done before the snap (see the Miami Dolphins 2017 Season as a prime example).
So with this understanding, and after dealing with ‘Gronk’ for nearly a decade, Dolphins fans are rooting with blood, sweat, and tears for Gesicki to kick it in gear! But patience is a harsh reality that impatient Phin Fans must be prepared for.
Now for the good news on Gesicki:
Gesicki’s measurables are off the charts and his numbers at Penn State were historic. So high expectations aren’t pie in the sky. Let these numbers really sink in.
Compare Gesicki’s performance with ‘Gronks’…
Holy $#!%, Batman… that’s impressive!
A little talked about, but impressive, performance (among many), is Gesicki’s strength. Gronk only did 1 more rep of 225lbs at 17lbs heavier. This shows Gesicki has the physical ability, but he just needs the technique, desire, and a little more weight. He’ll certainly get stronger and heavier in an NFL strength program. All of this will combine and create greater play strength. The sky is the limit… if Gesicki wants it.
Also, for some, there’s the concern floated by Mike Mayock that Gesicki is a long strider. Mayock said this ‘long stride’ would shave .10 sec or so off his time. Don’t waste your time worrying about it. Gesicki will be used as a seam threat on the 2nd and 3rd level. Lack of burst out of his routes won’t be a major concern. The underneath dig routes will be given to someone else, and those routes will be open due to Gesicki’s 2nd and 3rd level threat. His’long strides’ will suit his usage. Will a .10 sec less ’40’ of 4.6-7 make any difference with Gesicki being 6’6” and having a 41 inch? HELL NO!
The only concern, beyond blocking, is can Gesicki handle physical jams and route redirection? This should be the one true concern fans fret over. This one aspect will make or break his career… even more than the blocking or lack thereof. This isn’t to say blocking isn’t important or that if he became a good blocker that he wouldn’t pose an even bigger threat. But even if he ends up just a situational player, it will depend on him being where he is supposed… ON TIME. And given his size and trouble with jams… expect defenses to get physical often and early–until he proves it’s not a weakness.
Miami has had several rookies make solid performances after early bumps
So yeah, he needs to get his head around the playbook and he did have a rough start to OTA’s. There were reports of some dropped passes… and the video of Tannehill showing him the intricacies of running routes that cropped up didn’t help his optics. While Gesicki is a bit raw, all rookies are raw, but most don’t posses Gesicki’s elite talent. And for further encouragement, the last few OTA’s showed steady improvement.
Gase said this recently, “He’s had some really good days. Yesterday (Wednesday) was a good example. We had a 2-minute drill, and we had some things in the red zone where he was able to take advantage of a couple matchups that he had. He’s aggressive to the ball and he can make plays. He’s a big man that can run and has really good hands. It’s been fun to watch him kind of develop and trying to learn this offense. He puts a lot of time into it. He’s trying to be one of those guys that can play fast.”
And that’s going to be the way it will be: slow and steady. At some point during the 2nd Qtr of the season, we should see some good signs. If not, then something is clearly going wrong.
A.J. Derby has had some big games in his career
This is where A.J. Derby comes in. He’s been in the league for 3 years but has only appeared in 17 games. Derby did play in Coach Gases’ offense in Denver in 2016, though. The Dolphins like Derby and believe he’s their most complete TE. While best suited for the X role, he’s the current front-runner for starting TE. As a former QB (like Gray), Derby has a different perspective on routes from most receivers. He runs excellent routes and has worked with Tannehill a lot to get on the same page. This should help his case considered in the short run.
Like Gesicki, Derby’s run blocking has been questioned. but Derby’s a better run blocker than Gesicki at this point and is closer to average than poor. This second factor might be the deciding one… again, at least early. Once Gesicki gets up to speed, expect things to change. But even then Phinsnews sees Darby seeing substantial reps. Gase loves using multiple TE’s as much as he loves the run game. So expect a healthy dose of both in 2018.
Phinsnews thinks Dolphins Fans should be excited at both the depth and talent level of this Tight End group. Fans shouldn’t be too concerned if the ‘rooks’ take some time to get up to speed. Gray and Derby are capable stop gaps to their younger counterparts… and maybe even more than that. Yes, the Tight End position has been a disaster the past few years. Yup the position is more crucial than ever. But the Dolphins appear have put together a good squad… even though it might take a little time to prove it. Go Phins!!!