That’s because Gates was perhaps more mentally tough than almost any player Ed McGuire has seen in his 25-plus year tenure in the Bolts front office.
“I remember his first camp with us from minicamp all the way to training camp,” said McGuire, now the Chargers Executive Vice President of Football Administration/Player Finance. “Tim Brewster was his position coach, and he was relentless.
“Whatever he gave Gatesy, he took it all and competed his ass off every day,” McGuire continued. “It just shows you the work ethic he had, but also taking to the coaching.
“Because Tim was relentless with him but really got him up to speed as an NFL player,” McGuire added. “Gatesy took it and never said, ‘Boo.’ If he had to do a drill 10 times, he’d do it and do it to the best of his ability. That was really impressive to see.”
In the locker room, Gates’ new teammates spent the 2003 offseason trying to get a read on this hulking former basketball player who looked like a capable NFL tight end.
A year before Gates joined the team, the Bolts drafted tight end Justin Peelle out of Oregon. Peelle joined a tight end room that also included Stephen Alexander.
Peelle recently recalled a conversation the group had in the tight end room at some point during the offseason.
“[Gates] told a story about how his dad had posed a question to him like, ‘Why can’t you do it?’ It wasn’t arrogance,” Peelle said, “Just, ‘You’re here, why can’t you make the team, why can’t you excel at this?’
“That story, I always remember it, especially now that I’m on the side of coaching and I’m around players,” said Peelle, who is now the Buccaneers tight ends coach. “The mental attitude and mental mindset is such a powerful tool.
“He right away had that,” Peelle added. “He was never arrogant; I can’t emphasize that enough. He knew that it was not going to be easy but believed he could do it. And obviously he did it.”
Leber recalled getting a similar vibe from Gates.
“He thought highly of himself but not in an a-hole way. He wasn’t cocky about it,” Leber said. “He was just matter of fact. He knew the chances of making it to the NBA from Kent State were less than making it in the NFL.
“It wasn’t long before my eyes and Justin’s and Stephen’s … we were like, ‘This guy is legit.’ He worked so hard and was humble in his approach,” Leber added. “He knew he didn’t know anything and didn’t have any bad habits or bad attitude. He knew he had to come in work and learn every day and you definitely saw that.”
Gates also possessed a tangible toughness, but quipped that might have been an accidental quality.
Schottenheimer was known to harp on players that they couldn’t make the club in the tub, a common phrase that implies a player needs to stay healthy to perform.
Gates took it a bit too literally.
“I didn’t get the figure of speech,” Gates said. “I dislocated my finger the first training camp practice and popped it right back in place. I said, ‘Wrap it up man, I can’t get cut.’
“All my skin in the game had been in basketball. I was on Plan B, so it was whatever I had to do,” Gates added.
By the time the regular season rolled around, Gates found himself on the active roster.
He was officially in the NFL.
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