Class Move By Mike Evans
January 13th, 2016
Mike Evans helps a Bucs fan in time of need.
Yes, Joe has been a bit harsh on Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans for his on-field antics. That’s because those stunts with referees helped drag the Bucs down to their 6-10 record.
While Evans is one of the most gifted Bucs receiver in years, decades, perhaps ever — his sideline footwork still gets Joe’s jaw to drop — Evans’ talents have been overshadowed by all the drops and nonsense he brings on himself.
But Evans recently demonstrated that the on-field Evans is not the Evans at heart. In fact, Evans made a class move that all NFL players should aspire to do.
Luke Easterling of Bleacher Report Twittered about a Bucs fan that lost an infant son and the family was seeking help with the costs of the funeral. Joe can’t imagine what a horrible event this must be for a family.
And guess who stepped up? Yup, that would be Evans, per the Pewter Plank, who donated $500 to the family — the total they were seeking.
Folks, that’s class.
Nice job, Mike!
January 13th, 2016 at 12:05 pm
anyone who has played receiver knows drops happen and sometimes you get in a slump where drops happen just watch Jameis to evans will be a monster combo for years to come and he will get his drops fixed just watch.
January 13th, 2016 at 12:08 pm
Thanks for that story Joe. Gives us hope for next year.
I think we all agree with you that Evans is an incredible talent.
Good to know that he has a big heart as well.
I think one of the challenges for we Buc fans is learning to adjust to SOOO much youth. #3 just turned 22!!! Ditto for Evans who just turned 22 in August.
ASJ is the old dude of the group at 23!
These guys are just now turning into men. I think a lot of guys need till about 24-25 to mature…#3 after seeming way behind the curve now seems to have gotten ahead of it. He was VERY mature this year. I’m very hopeful that ASJ and ME will follow that this year.
Let’s hope they’re not like me!!! I didn’t start to mature until 50!!!
January 13th, 2016 at 12:10 pm
Jameis will be a great influence on Evans, he already has the passion, but with Jameis leading Evans will know not to make his stupid penalties and angry mistakes because he knows Jameis will not tolerate it.
January 13th, 2016 at 12:14 pm
Thanks Joe! I have not been a fan of Mike Evans (better known as ME) for his on-field shenanigans…dropped passes, diva characteristics, and showing up the officials to name a few reasons.
HOWEVER, this is an AWESOME act of kindness, goodwill, and humanity in a time of unthinkable tragedy. Kudos to Mike Evans for this tremendous act of generosity. Way to show the way for others in your community 🙂
January 13th, 2016 at 12:17 pm
@Joe
Speaking of class!!! I waited for days to hear something from Lovie!!! When Coach Schiano was fired, first thing he did was to rent out and held a press conference thanking the Fans and giving thanks for the opportunity!!!
spin that Tampa2 mafia!!!!
January 13th, 2016 at 12:21 pm
That is Great! Thanks Joe!
January 13th, 2016 at 12:24 pm
Evans drops more $$ on tats. Still a nice gesture.
January 13th, 2016 at 12:24 pm
Thanks Mike. Good to see you making a difference in the community.
January 13th, 2016 at 12:24 pm
Realist
Would it satisfy you if we could somehow grab Lovie..take him to the center of RayJay and draw and quarter him.
I’ll share a bit of criticism I received when I almost got into a fist fight with a jerk Sales Manager at a radio station.
The GM took me outside and said let’s walk. He said…SPBF your problem is that when you’re right you can’t stop after victory. You seem to need to crush your opposition..and even after winning have to jump up and down on them.
Stop jumping up and down on Lovie Realist. Deep down I know you have more class than that. Then again as I said it took me to age 50 to start maturing…you’re probably not 50 yet. LOL
January 13th, 2016 at 12:30 pm
One poster noted that Evans….doesn’t always get open because he has to “fight off coverage”…..my observation has been that the refs constantly let defenders grab and push Evans during his routes….partly probably subconsciously because of Evans’ complaints…and I think also partly because Evans is such a beast…they side with the defenders…..this has compounded over the many occurrences resulting in the penalties in the Carolina game.
I am no excusing Evans’ behavior….merely explaining it.
Now…..a wonderful act of charity…..hopefully he follows that up with a personal/private apology to the ref(s) involved.
January 13th, 2016 at 12:33 pm
how awful. the situation, not the gesture. after visiting that page i felt compelled to donate as well. my heart goes out to those parents
January 13th, 2016 at 12:35 pm
Awesome stuff to hear.. Though if I were in the position to be able to help people financially I would have done a bit more than the $500 they were looking for..
January 13th, 2016 at 12:47 pm
No better way what do you want from the guy? He owes them nothing. Nice move during terrible times.
January 13th, 2016 at 1:16 pm
A kind gesture by I believe just a ‘good guy’. No matter the drops, no matter some frustration exhibited on the field at times. These are real human beings with good days and bad days and not just a character in a video game.
Proud of him.
January 13th, 2016 at 1:41 pm
Thanks Mike for stepping up and helping a family during a terrible time of need. That is called character and we need more young men like you in our community and on our team. Pick6 thank you also, that was very generous of you.
January 13th, 2016 at 1:46 pm
Despite the drops the dude still balled out on most all the other plays.
I think he will be fine. I’ll take MEs playmaking with the drops all day worst case cuz the guy move the chains a lot for us in critical situations. But the drops have kept him from basically being a top 5 type WR in the league
January 13th, 2016 at 1:56 pm
Realist are you serious??? You truly showed what a classless individual you are. SPBF you give him too too much credit to say somewhere he has some class . This is about an unfortunate situation that no parent could bear and the good gesture made by Evans and you come up crying and whining and moaning about what Lovie didn’t do??? WHO CARES??? You are that whiny complaining nit picking wife that even the most faithful Christian would throttle!!! Goodness gracious you truly show what kind of sheman you really are! The man is gone and good riddance! You can’t be a man you must be a woman in a mans body. I have never seen a person who would call himself a man like you! You are truly the most irritating person I have ever seen on the internet. Man I’d like to see a picture of you just so I could say shoulda known!
If you ever have a bad situation when you need sympathy and empathy and just a shoulder to lean on, while you’re out there whining and crying for it I hope you remember that crap you wrote. Truly a low life!
January 13th, 2016 at 2:07 pm
Evans had 12 drops the entire season and half came in one game…. out of 124 targets… give the kid a damn break!
January 13th, 2016 at 2:11 pm
Very cool glad he is part of the community and doesnt take after is boy johnny 8 ball,
January 13th, 2016 at 2:58 pm
@grafikdetail-give me a break man. The guy not only dropped a lot of passes. He dropped them at key times. He ended drives by dropped huge 3rd down balls. He took points of the board. I also specifically remember him dropping 3 huge passes that were 30+ yards……..these kinds of passes are game changing plays. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb to day he cost us at least one win this year and that’s unacceptable. I also don’t think it’s crazy to expect more from our top offensive skill player.
Evans should be telling himself he needs to get better. If fans in Denver can call out D. Thomas for dropping passes Evans should be subject to the same critism.
January 13th, 2016 at 4:36 pm
I guess too many fans simply watch the highlights and don’t realize that drops happen. Mike had one bad game and after that if he had a single drop everyone including Joe would harp on it. All receivers have some drops and they can have a bad game here and there. Mike Evans makes several catches per game that are amazing and you guys will only talk about the one drop he had. He is an excellent player and we are lucky to have him.
January 13th, 2016 at 4:39 pm
Totally agree with you Grafik. This is so overblown and unfortunately Joe perpetuates it. I am guessing that Buccaneers only watches Tampa play and then Sports Center later to see all of the highlights. He must not realize that even the great ones have some drops.
January 13th, 2016 at 5:24 pm
Absolutely he was a huge buzz kill much of the season , drops that would of set the team up with TDs or first downs inside the goal line. Jackson and ASJ hurt all year didn’t help the team either . Same with Louis Murphy . He has been killing it until he got hurt . Really won’t be a great team until mankins and Jackson are replaced and we find a top 5 DE in this league . Just need more focus there sure it starts with a HC , but coaches just can put you in the right situation too win . The players still have too do there job and most can do that if the talent is there. Winston made it seem like there wasn’t enough talent on the roster . That’s why Lovie probably was let go . That and those 3 losses at home . The bucs want a fan base back . A dynasty in the making. Now is the best shot at that. Winston , Doug , sims , gmc, LVD , Alexander ,Smith ,lansannah . We have some talent now . Just need more talent .
January 13th, 2016 at 5:27 pm
I tell you these nit pickers really like to microscope players like they’re supposed to do everything perfect just like they do in they’re little $35-$50k a year jobs. Some if the best receivers in the game have had periods of slippery hands. You ever hesr of AC Green or Terrel Owens? You know Buccaneers you complain about him not catching ball the what about the great catches he did make ?? He made far and more great catches than he dropped so why don’t you give it a rest? ME13 when he gets his act straight next year will be the greatest receiver in the 40 year history of this franchise. I really hope your boss nit picks you the way you are Evans.
January 13th, 2016 at 5:41 pm
Nice work M.E. Thanks for sharing Joe. There’s nothing wrong with M.E. on the field either. Sure, he had too many drops but he was also a target monster which means he was open and he made some great plays too. He’ll be just fine. He can be even more reliable if we can get a 3rd receiver stud out of the draft.
January 13th, 2016 at 5:52 pm
You guys are unreal. One bad game? Are you nonserious? This is completely false. You can look at statistics, perhaps, to see only one bad game. To me, however, one crucial drop on a key third down play could be considered a bad game. If a reciever affects the result of a game in a negative way I’m not going to credit him for a job well done.
Is this franchise that bad that us fans are going to hand out passes for ineptitude? Wait, don’t answer that.
Shall I expect less from a,supposed, star player? Just because the guy is better then the other wideouts we have had means little to me. He’s only better then below average players. Evans consistently wiffed on game changing plays. He deserves to be called out. Great players win you games with big catches at key moments. So take Mikes 1000 yards and stuff it.
January 13th, 2016 at 5:57 pm
Maybe it’s just me though. I saw Evans last year and expected him to emerge as an elite reciever. Apparently many of y’all are perfectly fine with a good receiver who can’t make the plays needed to become elite. I suppose when I see an obviously talented player I should not expect him to play to his potential.
January 13th, 2016 at 6:10 pm
You obviously are clueless. How many insane catches did he make to keep us in games all year. The dude is a stud.
January 13th, 2016 at 6:23 pm
The guy is far from a stud bro. A stud can catch a ball in the rain. A stud doesn’t set records for dropped balls. A stud doesn’t have offensive pass interference in his repitoir. A stud doesn’t let the ball bounce off his numbers, and surely not three seperate times. A stud doesn’t have a 25 yard performance against the worst pass defense in the game. A stud doesn’t have a mental breakdown when matched up against a great corner(Greg Norman).
Calling him a stud is laughable to me, potential stud……..ahhh OK.
Feel free to debate me on any of this if you wish. I just ask that you bring a bit of intelligence to the table……….. Self proclaiming Evans as a stud and hurling a clueless opinion at me hold no credibility without a shred or reasoning.
January 13th, 2016 at 6:54 pm
Did you watch the Bucs this year? He made great catches all year. He made catches that most receivers in this league simply can’t make and he did it over and over again. He made some highlight reel touchdown catches that helped the team tremendously. He also did most of this as the only legitimate target as ASJ and VJax were out for extended periods this year. Teams knew throws were going to him and he still got open and made numerous difficult catches. You act like this team would be better off without him and I strongly disagree. If he hadn’t been out there this year the Bucs absolutely would not have won 6 games and wouldn’t have been competitive in several others.
January 13th, 2016 at 7:30 pm
I Hope Evans reads this…
True Buc!!!
January 13th, 2016 at 8:05 pm
TouchDown-we obviously have a severely different view on this. You credit Evans for winning us games while my view is that he lost us games. Evans can clearly impact a game. However, this year he he made crucial errors in big-time moments that were critical to the outcome. A receiver with Evans talent should make positive contributions in these moments. He damn sure better if I’m going to call him a stud!!!
You mentioned V-Jax and I think it should be mentioned how much better we were(from a winning %) while he was on the field.
While Mikes highlight reel plays are exciting to watch it in no way should supersede the piles of mistakes he made this season. A highlight reel play only serves as evidence of his talent to me. It does not, in any way, give him an excuse or forgiveness for making a mistake. If anything his highlight reel plays should raise our expectations. I don’t expect any professional receiver to let a ball bouce off his chest, let alone somebody capable of making circus catches. The moment Mike becomes a reliable target when our back are against the wall will be the moment I credit him for winning us games…….Til then, he is a talented wideout who let us down in 2015.
January 14th, 2016 at 4:21 pm
Mike Evans had trouble with dropping passes (some say as high as 17 this year), he had problems with penalties and problems with constantly going at it with officials about not getting DPI calls.