“Neither One Was A Drop”
December 1st, 2017
Regarding Mike Evans getting hammered by fans and media for two alleged “drops” in the end zone against the Falcons in Atlanta, Joe asked receivers coach/offensive coordinator to evaluate those exact plays yesterday.
Monken said they were not drops, but he detailed why Evans could have had a better shot at the first one (shown in the JoeBucsFan.com photo above).
“The first conversion he had – and when I’m saying conversion, it was his fade route – I thought he did a poor job of holding his line,” Monken said. “He knows this in terms of the defender, keeping it on your hip and letting the ball fade you. I thought he drifted too far and allowed the defender to come underneath [him]. Then when the ball is inside, it’s much easier for the defender to make a play on it. On the second one, I thought he got grabbed a little bit by the linebacker and then the ball [was] coming. Could he have stepped another yard back? [Yes], but it was kind of a bang-bang play. Neither one was a drop, but definitely the first one I think by technique we could’ve given ourselves a better shot at it right out of the gate in getting a touchdown.”
Football always has been and always will be about the little details.
Candid stuff by Monken, and Joe wonders how the growing haters of 24-year-old Evans will respond.
December 1st, 2017 at 10:03 am
I love evans on this team. I thought he could have just jumped and high pointed the ball on the first one. That is my only critique.
December 1st, 2017 at 10:04 am
The hate was there in 2002 the week after the Bucs lost to the Steelers before winning the Superbowl. The hate has always been there
December 1st, 2017 at 10:05 am
It’s all about the hate today on JoeBucs…Here’s my hate list for the Bucs: Swaggy, McCoy, Charles Sims and the non-existent pass rush…
December 1st, 2017 at 10:08 am
@webster,
Look at the nose of the football. That was not a ball coming in high for him to high point it.
December 1st, 2017 at 10:24 am
I can’t take Monken seriously. Joe you should have shown Monken Dez Bryant’s td catch from last night. That’s how you fight in the nfl.
December 1st, 2017 at 10:58 am
50 50 ball. Me13 doesn’t win those this year. It’s not about that game. It’s been his career. Me13 has the dropies. No reason to hate him tho. He is young and happen to be the franchise best wr ever. So me13 is good on my part. And one thing about him HE HATES LOSING. Gotta love it
December 1st, 2017 at 10:58 am
Webster
He obviously rolled the ball to Evans. You can’t high point a rolled ball. Duh what are you thinking idiot!
December 1st, 2017 at 11:14 am
Evans is a stud, but he needs to improve with high-pointing the football. He’s so big but oftentimes doesn’t attack the ball aggressively. In his first couple of years, attacking the football didn’t seem to be a problem, so it may just be a 2017 problem. Also, what’s up with him purposely falling all the time, especially with his back to the defender? You’re 6-5, 230 man! Turn around and stiff-arm someone or stick your shoulder in a defender’s chest! There’s a reason why he’s typically at the bottom of the league in YAC. That’s my only 2 “knocks” on Evans: attacking the ball (in 2017) and lack of YAC (every year except his rookie year). Thankfully, he’s so young and talented that these can and should improve. He’s got to fix them before becoming elite though.
December 1st, 2017 at 12:13 pm
@ db55
Im talking about jumping for the ball prior to its decent idiot. Go back and look at the play and not the picture above idiot. He could have jumped for the ball well before that picture was taken idiot ala randy moss and like he has done at points in his career idiot.
December 1st, 2017 at 12:39 pm
His YAC could be a lot better if he had another receiver to take away the double team (Djax has done that for the most part this year) and our QBs could make the accurate throws that hit him stride.
December 1st, 2017 at 12:47 pm
I definitely think he should be a lifelong buc especially if we’ve kept sorry GMC this long. That photo illustrates the simple truth of what you learn before high school if you’ve played wr. You don’t wait for the ball to come to you, go get it, if his hands were up reaching for the ball that’s probably a touchdown.
December 1st, 2017 at 1:04 pm
So much of it is timing, he’s dealing with a new quarterback and more pressure every year from the DB’s
December 1st, 2017 at 1:20 pm
This is very simple. Players drafted in the top 10 (Evans, McCoy and Jameis) need to be great players and right now they are good players which is not going to cut it. When you come out before the season and say you want to be the best WR in the league then you play like he did Sunday then he needs to shut his mouth and start talking about being a good WR cause it is no where close to being a top tier WR much less the best. And I heard one of the Joes put him in the same class as OBJ (who I cant stand) and that has to be the most unrealistic thing I have heard in a long long time. OBJ is better at every aspect of the WR position besides blocking but that is not why you are drafted in the top 10 as a WR. OBJ route running better, hands better, YAC better, beating double teams better, so where does Evans come close to him again?
December 1st, 2017 at 1:32 pm
On another note I am so sick and tired of pretending our players are great just because they are better than the other below average talent we put out on the field. During each year I get so upset that we get no love on Sunday night football but you know what I am starting to wake up and see what they see, which is a bunch of overhyped, overpaid players who do a bunch of talking and don’t ever back it up. They look at Evans and see a big slow plotting WR that can catch jump balls and that is it. They see Jameis as a cheerleader/hothead who is going to do something stupid sooner or later to shoot his team in the foot and they see McCoy as a nice guy that is called a game wrecker but doesn’t wreck anything accept for the Bucs fans expectations!
December 1st, 2017 at 2:25 pm
Am I the only one that sees what is clearly pass interference in the above photo?
DB not even looking at the ball and grabbing/pushing Evans left arm downward prior to the arrival of the ball.
I get really sick of seeing the Buccaneers get hosed by the refs week in and week out – year in and year out.
December 1st, 2017 at 3:54 pm
Webster
I was actually agreeing with you and making fun of Hawaii and his reply to you. My sarcasm is strong.
December 1st, 2017 at 7:44 pm
Total BS ! We all know what we saw ! Believe this crap or my lying eyes ? He wants the big contract … make the F’ing catch !
December 1st, 2017 at 11:10 pm
First – I’m not an Evans hater
Second – good coaches would hold their players to higher standards. What you just detailed were the words of an apologist, not a motivator
Third – I’m glad you found someone who said the first one wasn’t a drop. I saw the replay analyzed on every sports network. It was unanimously referred to as a drop. Numerous of those analysts were former players/ receivers
Good teams make those catches and win games. Bad ones don’t. Unfortunately, you don’t have success in this league if you only catch the easy uncontested ones.
It touched both hands and his chest.it should have been caught. Period.
December 2nd, 2017 at 5:22 am
We can finish the headline tho.. “Neither One was a Drop, but Both were Catchable”
Guys, Monken is being pretty critical here. He just publicly stated Mike needed to use better technique on the first opportunity. He all but says that should’ve been a catch or a drop, but it turned out to be neither. A good defensive play allowed by poor technique from the receiver
I can promise you, it is way, way, way more stinging for a coach to say you used poor technique than saying he simply dropped the pass.