Targeting Mike
December 23rd, 2017
More balls.
It seems the Bucs sort of lost the art of throwing to Mike Evans. Perhaps that vision has been restored?
Evans, the stud Bucs receiver, rose up Monday night against the Dixie Chicks. America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, had suggested he’d been focusing on getting others the ball too much and he apologized to Evans for his wayward ways.
Could this be a trend?
Bucs coach Dirk Koetter believes the offense was beginning to not see the forest for the trees.
“Sometimes this game becomes more complicated than it really is,” Koetter told Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com in his weekly sitdown with the team site. “Here we have an elite receiver in Mike Evans and you look around the league every Sunday and watch games, sometimes you have to throw it to your best guy and let him to his thing.”
Joe is starting to wonder if the team came to the conclusion that either the offense (Jameis, Koetter?) was targeting DeSean Jackson too much? Perhaps Jackson, for whatever reason hasn’t been a good fit (yet)?
Rookie Chris Godwin’s numbers the past month are not that far off from Jackson’s.
Was/is part of the problem on offense that Koetter or Jameis (or both) was forcing the ball to Jackson too much?
December 23rd, 2017 at 9:09 am
With 160 yards or so in last 2 games Evans will become just the third wr all time to start his career with 4 straight 1,000 yard seasons. You better believe with nothing else to play for this matters. I expect them to target evans alot. Plus as we see it leads to some success. N yes Joe that was part of the problem. Another part is the routes dirk has the wrs running. Not enough variation. Predictability in this league gets you 4-10.
December 23rd, 2017 at 9:31 am
‘Joe is starting to wonder if the team came to the conclusion that either the offense (Jameis, Koetter?) was targeting DeSean Jackson too much? Perhaps Jackson, for whatever reason hasn’t been a good fit (yet)?’
Yes.
December 23rd, 2017 at 9:33 am
He is technically open every play. What is wrong with throwing it up from time to time. Jump balls are his to lose.
People on this site dogging him and want to trade him are using way to many drugs.
Best player on offense. Probably best player on team (although I got you up there lavonte.)
December 23rd, 2017 at 9:48 am
Evans is a possession receiver…..and a very good one. It took a while but our use of Jackson didn’t work…..primarily because of off-target passes deep. That’s the bad news….the good news is that we know that now and should adjust.
When you think of our 3 top receivers 2 TEs and backs……throw in Humphries, Cross, Auclair & Martino once in a while…..and even a lineman…..the only target Jameis doesn’t have is himself…..and the occasional defender.
December 23rd, 2017 at 12:16 pm
Jameis spreads the ball around when he has receivers that can get open – but I agree that it seems Jameis has been forcing the ball a bit to get D-Jax involved and to keep him happy. Also with everyone yelling about how you can’t be an NFL QB if you turn the ball over – well Evans is rarely “open” by traditional standards. Now the fact Brett Favre is the NFLs all-time INT leader and he did pretty well, well perhaps T/O’s aren’t actually the stat people need to worry about, maybe worry about wins and loses as points scored instead.
December 23rd, 2017 at 1:06 pm
The job is too complicated for you koetter…. Enjoy these last two weeks, is be surprised if your even interviewing for offensive coordinator after being given all this fire power and no idea what to do with it. Cleveland’s doesn’t like scoring points
December 23rd, 2017 at 3:13 pm
If Evans is only a possession receiver,then the Bucs have been using him improperly. Josh McCown connected with Evans for 20 passes over 20
yards, 4 over 40 yards and 12 Touchdowns in 2014 behind a pathetic O line.
In 2015 Jameis helped increase Evans’s yards per catch average to 16.3 and 21 passes
over 20 yards and 2 over 40 yards but only 3 touchdowns.
Although Jameis connected for 12 TD’s in 2016 yards per catch average slipped to
13.8 and he completed just 15 passes over 20 yards and 1 over 40 yards.
This year so far only a 14.0 yards per catch average and 5 touchdowns so far
and only 7 passes over 20 yards and 2 over 40 yards.
Very likely that coaches pointed out this downward trend to Jameis and
some of the longer passes have gone to DJAX, Brate OJ this year.
December 23rd, 2017 at 6:15 pm
I hope these 2 last remaining games we get to see equal targets and use from MEME vs godwin
December 23rd, 2017 at 7:04 pm
Those wasn’t balls JW was throwing to him. Those were Kleenex boxes.