Drops Nearly Cost The Bucs Again
November 16th, 2015
It wasn’t just Mike Evans this time. (Photo courtesy of Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
Mike Evans is out of excuses.
The rain is gone. The domes are gone. And he’s no longer rotating gloves like Joe flips through Hooters Calendar photos.
With the Bucs driving at their own 42 yard line late in the third quarter yesterday, Jameis Winston, America’s Quarterback, uncorked a 3rd-and-9 pass that hit Evans right in the midsection with nobody around him at about the Dallas 40 yard line.
Evans did what he’s done more than 10 times this season. He dropped the ball.
The killer this time was Evans was almost stationary tucked in the zone defense, and he was facing Jameis with his back to the end zone. Evans got a chance to look the ball in and still couldn’t squeeze it. It was a drive-killer in a game in which every inch mattered.
Yeah, Evans caught eight balls and had a 126-yard day, but you can’t be an elite wide receiver and be unreliable.
Kwon Alexander also had one hell of an ugly drop near midfield, too, with a load of green grass ahead of him yesterday. Brandon Myers’ butter hands in the red zone cost Jameis his first interception in 4 1/2 games.
If the Jameis’ late fumble counted yesterday, there would be endless talk this morning about how the Bucs can’t squeeze the football.
November 16th, 2015 at 8:02 am
What, the Glazers can’t afford an extra jugs machine out at One Buc?
November 16th, 2015 at 8:11 am
Buuuut it didnt cost them the game so improvement. +1 for bucs
November 16th, 2015 at 8:19 am
…..but we won?
November 16th, 2015 at 8:28 am
One drop by Evans. One.
From this game I was way more concerned with Winston’s poor accuracy than the drops. He was throwing high and behind most of the game. It did not make for easy catches. The receivers did well.
November 16th, 2015 at 8:30 am
Joe, it seems to be a pandemic across the NFL. Watching red zone, there are, or what should be, catch-able NFL passes and drops all over the place. Not giving Mike a pass( he might drop that ), but there are bad drops in every game it seems.
November 16th, 2015 at 8:30 am
Get off Evans’ back. He carried this team yesterday. Without him, Winston has no one to throw to. He made some tough catches in dirty areas. I love the guy.
November 16th, 2015 at 8:35 am
Don’t forget that on the play before Jameis’ second INT, Charles Sims had a perfectly thrown pass go right through his hands in the end zone. We are playing with a rookie Qb, but the really good offensive teams make those type of plays. On the bright side, this team appears to be on the verge of having a pretty explosive offense once it gets the pieces back and cleans up the drops.
November 16th, 2015 at 8:40 am
I think Evans said it best, “I ain’t no champ!”
November 16th, 2015 at 8:47 am
Maybe it is me
but a WR is paid to Catch the Ball
If it is close enough to get a hand on it, it should be caught.
Maybe that is a professional mantra
but this lame game is an excuse for his own failure.
“My bad game is 150 yards…” well what would it have been if he caught those drops? 200? 300 yards?
Could have been a Monster game from an
Elite Receiver
November 16th, 2015 at 8:49 am
@meh … I half-agree. It looks like Mike Evans was targeted 3 times deep yesterday and caught 2. But in the short-mid stuff, he was targeted 10 times and caught 6. Much better than he has been doing, but Mike still needs to get better in the mid range area. That’s where VJax excels far as I’m concerned. So does Murphy. Miss them both right now.
Far as Jameis’ accuracy goes, nearly everything he threw mid-range was high and off target it looked like at the game. Receivers did a great job coming down with some of those. I think Jameis misses VJax and Murph also.
November 16th, 2015 at 9:10 am
When the qb has to make perfect throws, they come late and more errant. Confidence that the receivers will catch the ball clean up a bunch of bad throws. Evans has an opportunity to grab the #1 spot and own it, but isn’t. The bucs need another target. We need one more draft, but it is coming. Free agents too will come, they will come….
November 16th, 2015 at 9:26 am
For me the problem is when the drops have come. Yes drops happen I get that, but this drop and 3 of the drops last week would have been 3rd down conversions. Instead they killed drives. I get that he wants to make a big play, but he has to know that on 3rd down securing the 1st down is more important. I’m sure he will get it right, but I think he is trying to do to much because he is the passing offense right now.
November 16th, 2015 at 9:35 am
I thought Evans played well. The whole team played good enough to win. Giving up only 6 points was big. A most satisfying victory makes my week upbeat.
November 16th, 2015 at 9:44 am
Mike sent Claiborne running for mommy with his tail between his legs yesterday!
November 16th, 2015 at 9:47 am
To say no one was near Evans is misleading…..there was a defender in front of him that could have distracted his vision somewhat….the TV announcers mentioned it but did say he still needs to make that catch.
As far as Myers…..they all said the pass was too high….was it catchable?…maybe Megatron. Last week you said Shepard should have kept his feet inbounds on the 2 point conversion try.
There is a pattern here with Joe trying to excuse off target throws…..
I’m all in with Jameis and think he is and will be a great franchise QB…..but lets not ignore the faults.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:05 am
@TBBF
I’m all in with Jameis and think he is and will be a great franchise QB…..but lets not ignore the faults.
Agree 100%. The Myers int is completely on #3 that was a bad throw and even #3 acknowledged it. The int to Humphries again was a horrible throw. The ONLY way that is not on #3 is if Humphries ran the wrong route. Maybe he was supposed to sit down in that position instead of the cut he made but the throw was clearly off target..again unless the target ran the wrong route.
The game was a relief to me for ME. He’ll be fine. He’s having issues right now but he’s a hard worker and he continue to get that under control. I don’t believe he or VJAX were ever or will ever be pure “possession receivers” because their hands are good not great. I’m hopeful Humphries can emerge…barring that we have to wait on Murphy’s return.
As for #3’s accuracy…yes he clearly needs some work but #3 is just as clearly a hard worker. I suspect he’ll spend the off season working on his accuracy. In addition he’ll no longer have baseball interfering with his football throwing going forward.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:18 am
@ St. Pete
Jameis will be fine…..ASJ because of his height may have been able to make that catch……just because a pass hits someone in the hands doesn’t always mean it is catchable…..that ball was thrown high & very hard.
As for Humphries….he has hands….routerunning is the key….hopefully he will make it to next year’s team….I expect Bell will be kept at least one year and we may pick up a WR.
Shepard is a fantastic ST player…..but mediocre WR.
November 16th, 2015 at 10:38 am
@TBBF
Agree with your assessments completely. In addition I agree with a take you’ve posted before which is we should go the FA route if we determine we need a receiver.
I still want to see what Humphries and Dye bring to the table. They’re both raw rookies. Humphries at least has big time college experience playing for Clemson..poor Dye is coming from Div III…I’d like to see more of what these guys can offer.
IF ASJ can ever get healthy next year’s targets are solid…
Evans..VJAX..ASJ..Murphy…and ? Humphries/Dye/Bell?.
I would not waste a high pick on WR in the draft…we have too much need on D. Wouldn’t we all be shocked if our number one pick next year is not a DE?
November 16th, 2015 at 10:44 am
The only thing that will hold Evans back from being one of the greats will be himself. He is making some great catches, and those are not perfectly thrown balls he is catching, I expect that to improve.
He is open a lot, sometimes you wonder how the hell he got that open. He is faster than he appears on the all TV 22. Bad throws, under or over are not on him, and expect that to vastly improve with the work ethic of the newest NFL Franchise QB. Everybody better get on board with that guy, he will not stop working on his craft, those who don’t keep up won’t be around long in the future.
I think they will work it out over the off season.
November 16th, 2015 at 11:07 am
Humphries catches the ball… Stop looking in one direction (Evans).. Throw the ball to Brate or Humphries….
Stay away from Dye he couldn’t catch a cold in the Alaska
November 16th, 2015 at 11:56 am
Evans had two drops yesterday I don’t care if they “officially” count it or not, he had one in the first quarter a very catchable ball along the sidelines that he dropped right in front of me. Drops for WR’s are effectively INTs for QBs, 1 per game is too many let alone multiple. If Evans were a #2 or #3 WR than maybe it wouldn’t be so concerning but we all see the talent and his ability to get open, his inability (so far) to correct his drops is definitely a concern. No one is saying cut him or run him out of town but if you aren’t concerned you are being naïve.
November 16th, 2015 at 12:32 pm
Me is getting separation. That’s huge. He’s gotta get better but he is all alone. Nobody else can get open. I saw 1 drop yesterday. I think dez had 2 drops.
November 16th, 2015 at 2:00 pm
Without Evans the Bucs could be sitting on a goose egg.
November 16th, 2015 at 11:50 pm
I agree with Joes assessment but the guy is a elite receiver. Young kid will mature and catch everything Jameis throws. Bucs are on the come up!
November 17th, 2015 at 11:53 am
Finally someone else is seeing all these drops. Worst part is the critical times of the drops. You’re useless being 6’5 but can’t catch. I wouldn’t like Mike Evans hold my groceries.