WATCH: Tight ends Greg Dulcich, Michael Ezeike talk expectations, experience
Two of the Bruins' top tight ends spoke with the media following Friday's practice.
Greg Dulcich – a member of the preseason John Mackey Award watch list – and Michael Ezeike were running with the 1s and 2s this week, respectively. They spoke about everything from the recent track record of UCLA football tight ends to internal competition and working closely with the offensive line.
The Zoom crashed at the end of the press conference, right as Ezeike was asked whether or not strength coach Keith Belton did a flip in front of the team during warmups. UCLA Athletics has since confirmed Belton did, in fact, do a flip.
GREG DULCICH
What's it like having Dorian back?
Yeah, he came out, hit his stride like he normally does. Just great having him, great chemistry with him out there and I think the guys underneath him did a great job filling his role and just rolling with the punches.
Knocking off any rust?
He looked like he just picked up where he left off in my opinion. I thought he did really well today, so I'm excited.
Process of going from walk on to award contender as a senior?
Yeah, I think it's pretty much the same mentality that you always have to have. Coach Sage stays on us about never being complacent, always coming in with a hard hat and a lunch bucket mentality, just coming in, going to work, and that's something that our tight end group has done a really good job of and that's something that we're gonna continue to do moving forward.
How good can this offense be?
Yeah, I think we're gonna be very explosive. I'm excited about the experience that we have, I think we're running on all cylinders and today's practice, I think, was a really good example of that. We were flying around today, so I'm excited for it.
Progress and depth of the O-Line?
Yeah, I think we have an outstanding offensive line. You know, our communication is really good when we're down there in the trenches, trying to figure things out. I get most of my time with the tackles, with Alec and Sean, and they're always giving me the right calls on time and making sure I know what I'm doing because it can get a little hectic down there. But we've got guys like that, veterans, makes it a lot easier and makes us play a lot faster.
How do you get to the next level?
Like I said before, it's something coach Sage always harps on, just never getting complacent and making sure you're trying to get 100% out of every single day, giving it your all. Every aspect of the game, we've gotta work on – pass game, run game and making sure we're being smart about everything, recovery, weight room stuff. So it's a lot of demands out of this position, but that's why it's the most fun, I'd say.
How do you push through the end of camp to get to the other side?
Yeah, I mean, it just comes down to staying 100% on your recovery, kind of just the same thing I said. Making sure you're taking care of your body, taking care of your mind and making sure you're in a good headspace and just continuing to roll with the punches no matter what comes at you, I guess.
Stay in touch with Asiasi and Wilson, pass on NFL wisdom and advice?
Yeah, we try to keep in contact with them, keep track of what they're doing. Devin, pretty sure he had a knockdown last night playing for the Patriots, so that was really exciting. Proud of him, proud of Caleb too, what he's accomplishing and the futures they're gonna have. And I think this entire unit that we have right now is pretty much based off of the road they paved for us. Just hard workers, come out here every day and give it their all and demand the best of themselves and their teammates.
MICHAEL EZEIKE
Transition from WR to TE?
The transition’s been good. I’ve played receiver back in my day, so just moving from receiver to tight end, I think it was a good move for myself.
How good can this offense be?
It can be very good. I feel like we have all the tools and all the talent on both sides of the ball not only to do good things, but to do great things.
Dorian back at practice?
Dorian looked really good today. It looked like he didn’t miss any practices. I think dorian’s a good, he’s a great player, he’s a very good, well-coached, fundamentally sound individual. He looked like he has always looked.
Internal competition for snaps in TE room?
It all comes down to competition. We’re not a me-team, we’re a we-team and that’s a famous quote that Dorian believes in and I’m also a big fan of that. So it comes down to who can compete and that’s what we gotta do every day, compete.
Differences between WR at TE?
The biggest difference I would say is probably the physicality. It’s a very physical game of football that you don’t get used to when you’re playing receiver because a lot of receivers, we don’t really like to block. I mean, I like to block, but when I was playing receiver, I didn’t have to block as much as I did when I was playing tight end. So just playing tight end, you have to be more aware of the box and the people who are around you and I would say just the blocking scheme.
Offseason workout plans change to account for that physicality?
Yeah, every day, you got to come with the same mindset of how can I get better each day and what I did or what the whole team did, really, was attack each day with he mentality of taking it from good to great. Whether that’s being in the weight room or being on the field after practice, getting balls or getting an extra lift in, you have to always be on the direct path to getting better.
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