“That’s something I’ve been emphasizing to the room. In this league for tight ends now, it’s all about yards after catch,” says Casey, where 222 of Gesicki’s 597 yards have come. “He’s got that ability to put his foot in the ground and make that first guy miss.”
Gesicki may have caught the biggest check-down of the season Saturday in a 10-10 game early in the fourth quarter. Of course, when Burrow and Gesicki are working, you can never tell if it’s a first read Gesicki has broken off, or a progression.
“He had a lot of routes in this game that were for 10 yards, and he’d cut them off,” Casey says.
Third-and-nine from the Denver 35 after a Burrow sack and the Broncos are doing what they all do and load up with some pressure.
In the slot to Burrow’s right between him and Higgins, neither Burrow nor Gesicki hesitate. Gesicki first runs at safety Brandon Jones, sees he’s playing soft, and Burrow lets it go as Gesicki cuts underneath Jones and manages seven yards.
“The most impressive thing about Mike is how smart he is,” Casey says. “Elite smarts. A vet who has made a lot of plays. He runs great routes … Right at the guy, then cuts, gets him to open his hips. He doesn’t cut it off and let the guy get the angle on him.”
And don’t underestimate the seven yards.
“I love good check-downs,” Casey says. “Not two or three. Seven and eight, I love those. It’s all about getting first downs.”
A manageable fourth-and-two from the Denver 28. Not a dangerous fourth-and-seven. Burrow flips it to Chase Brown for the first down. Two plays later the Bengals go ahead, 17-10, on the 12-yard lob to Higgins.
When the Bengals go into overtime, Burrow shows his trust right away.
On the first snap. He sees Gesicki, split out by himself to the right in a four-wide set, alone on 5-11 cornerback Daman Mathis. Burrow unleashes it quickly on what amounts to a high back-shoulder throw at the sticks in front of Mathis.
Displaying that range Casey says makes him so hard to cover, Gesicki launches himself against Mathis and snares it like a gymnast with all arms and legs.
“He’s made some catches where I don’t think too many other people can make that catch,” Casey says.
On the next drive for what should have been the winning field goal, Burrow jump-starts it again to Gesicki on second-and-four at the Denver 48.
Joseph loads up with a six-man pressure. Gesicki, lined up tight in the slot, feels it as he runs one of those routes to the sidelines Casey calls “quick breakers.” He runs at the safety Jones again, cut it off at the sticks, but he gets more than six. He pulls away from Jones’ tackle and drags him for six more yards into field-goal range before saluting the crowd by flipping the ball into the air with arms raised.
It was his tenth catch of the night. Only Jermaine Gresham ten years ago and Rodney Holman at the dawn of the ’90s had as many catches by a Bengals tight end in a game.
James Casey, who has two more postseason catches than Gesicki with four, would love to see Gesicki pass him.
“Tall Skinny,” Casey says.