NFL’s Best Deep Ball Threat
January 7th, 2020
His game has changed.
When you think of receivers who take the top off a defense, a veteran Bucs receiver isn’t one that springs to mind for Joe.
DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones and Odell Beckham jump out when Joe thinks of receivers who burn secondaries. But per the analysis of Hayden Winks of Rotoworld.com, the most dangerous deep threat in 2019 was Bucs stud receiver Mike Evans.
Now Winks is a fantasy guy and all of his analysis is based solely on fantasy. Joe’s been quite clear over the years his idea of fantasy has absolutely nothing to do with football. But the conclusion bears out that Evans last year, his first season in Bruce Arians’ offense, blew up as a premier deep threat.
Joe remembers two summers ago talking to a college offensive coordinator who described Evans as a possession receiver. Now normally you think of a guy like Adam Humphries as a possession receiver. A guy who would reliably catch short passes and help move the chains. But this college coach considered Evans like a safe and dependable possession receiver who was money on catching passes at medium-range.
Evans, he told Joe, wasn’t much of a threat to break out on long gains, though that did happen on occasion.
That has changed significantly for Evans under Arians. And Joe is damn happy about it.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:05 am
should be “jump ball” threat
January 7th, 2020 at 11:17 am
Yeah, thanks to his amazing catch radius, he is now the deep threat. Imagine how much better he would be if he had a QB who could drop it into him on the fly more often and do so in meaningful games. That QB has not been on the roster and the Bucs need to get him. Evans made Manziel look good too.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:22 am
Is such a threat to sit his route and box out the CB’s his double move is nearly unstoppable.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:26 am
Of course….!!!!Unstoppable!!!
January 7th, 2020 at 11:30 am
love ME13….
this offseason, he needs to work on the mental part of the game…..the CBs in our division get in his head early and often and he never seems to recover….
also he displayed some very poor body language….most of it was due to JWs decision making and errant throws but as a captain, he cant display his frustration for the world to see…..his frustration spills over and the offense suffers which leads to the team suffering…..
ME13 needs LBJs calm app…..lol….
GO BUCS!!!!!!
January 7th, 2020 at 11:43 am
If “everything has changed” under ole stale biscuit, then why are almost every single stat for ME13 was better in 2018???????????? Other than matching his 8 TD’s all his stats were better!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 7th, 2020 at 11:48 am
EL MiKe Smith/Koetter’s brother.
he played 3.5 games less in 2019 and had a team mate in CG that was challenging him on every snap for the ball!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!!
!!!!!!!!
January 7th, 2020 at 11:50 am
Hes been a deep threat since Texas A&M, never understood why people didnt think he could stretch the field. Did they miss when he burned Lattimore last year in just a straight up foot race no double moves or anything? His first few years we struggled to hit him accurately on the go routes but they were always available.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:51 am
he’s not a deep threat in the same sense as DJax or Ted Ginn, but yards per catch is yards per catch and he is a big play\first down machine. his biggest plays come after he’s broken his route. by the time Jameis has shaken off 3 pass rushers he’s beaten the pants off his guy or is ready to win a contested catch.
January 7th, 2020 at 11:58 am
like robert said he is a 6’5 power fwd that boxes out DBs down the field and snags jameis’s 50/50 balls; same thing he did at Tx A&M for jonny football
January 7th, 2020 at 12:00 pm
@tnew
You can check his yard per game avg, his avg yard per catch and even his longest play were all better in 2018!!!!!!!!! You better check your sheet boy, before you come back again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The sheep, and the local media need the same thing this offseasons, and that is the truth!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 7th, 2020 at 12:04 pm
Trade Evans for draft capitol and free up cash to fortify the lines. He doesn’t fit BA’s offense as well as Godwin, and if we can find a team willing to donate a haul of picks it must be done. Bucs will go nowhere if they have to pay Evans AND Godwin; moreover the offense is more balanced without him.
January 7th, 2020 at 12:10 pm
@Realist
I was waiting after our season ended, and I never saw anything from you. So what was your “truth” that REAL FANS already knew??? I haven’t heard it yet.
January 7th, 2020 at 12:25 pm
I think Mike owes some of his deep ball success to DeSean Jackson who told him about his speed and track off season workouts. ME said that he would do that type of training in the off season as well.
It is obvious that it worked. Maybe, Perriman, Watson, Miller and Godwin should join him in those workoute this off season.
January 7th, 2020 at 12:58 pm
Hopefully Jameis will help him rack up his seventh consecutive 1,000 yard season.
January 7th, 2020 at 1:04 pm
I don’t speak for Realist but I am Mr. Reality. Real fans all knew Winston would not succeed in turning around his team-killing/game-killing/season-ending deficiencies. Real fans knew it would be more garbage yards, too many more turnovers, and another losing season. As the sheep donned their #3 T-shirts and sat in front of their old CRTs or rented LED TVs to watch their hero crush their hopes–yet again, their comparisons of Winston to Favre and Manning became more laughable with each game. Alas, it was revealed and inscribed there shall never be a HoF QB named Jameis Winston. Real fans paid money and sat in the stadium, increasingly empty, to continue to be real fans…despite the pathetic play of #3.
January 7th, 2020 at 1:06 pm
“Look at those eyes
the eyes are the window to the soul
those shifty eyes are saying
Im #1and Godwin is #2, Right?”
Kobe Faker
January 7th, 2020 at 1:18 pm
@Mr. Reality
I would have just stated, 7-9 losing record, out of playoff contention in Nov. And a very empty stadium!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But I do not blame the sheep, I blame the public school system th the that has let them down and behind!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So at least “lunchbox” is asking questions to the obvious!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
January 7th, 2020 at 2:03 pm
I didn’t know there were fans that were more REAL than other fans.
That’s gotta be the dumbest declaration I have ever heard about FANS.
The CRYSTAL BALL club is in full effect.
January 7th, 2020 at 2:06 pm
If you can’t stand how Tampa operates then go be a fan of someone you believe will make you happier.
Save yourself the the grief of being a Tampa fan and move the FUK ON.
January 7th, 2020 at 2:13 pm
J, that is Tampa Bay, not Tampa. What are you, some sort of transplant?
Save the grief? I dunno…this is home. I was a Bucs fan long before most…and will be after they leave. So I say..you move on! With Winston!
January 7th, 2020 at 2:14 pm
Five long years with no playoffs with a number one overall pick. It’s not meant to be. Too many turnovers this year. It’s clear. Can’t pay $25+ million for less than franchise QB play. Spend $25 and keep: Shaq and JPP.
January 7th, 2020 at 3:18 pm
Semantics, you’re an idiot.
January 7th, 2020 at 4:45 pm
Yeah, the team with the best deep ball threat based on performance would obviously want to trade him after his 6th consecutive 1000 yard season because he doesn’t fit BAs offense. Someone should take away Sasquatch’s keyboard.
There are some smart Buc fans. But a lot of really really dumb ones.
January 7th, 2020 at 5:27 pm
Let the infighting begin among some fans! Let the swordplay continue. An occasional knife wound is bloody fun … not to mention the gore. >:)
Make that twelve losing season … that’s all that is important!
Don’t let a glimmer of culture change change anyone’s mindset.
_______
Meanwhile, back at the ranch … … donta, donta, dontaaa … … …
January 7th, 2020 at 5:54 pm
Godzilla
January 7th, 2020 at 8:21 pm
Love mike and he’s not going anywhere!
January 7th, 2020 at 9:18 pm
Actually Evans has been one of the top average guys in football for a while now. In that way he’s a lot of like Vinect Jackson – another big guy who didn’t have insane speed, yet would average around 17 yards per catch a lot of years.
Thinking back that is one of the huge under appreciated things done by the Bucs – to keep a highly paid VJ around on loser teams. Evans picked up a ton of the traits of VJ, and the one bad trait he got from VJ – dropping passes – he was able to rid himself of that once VJ was gone.
January 7th, 2020 at 9:41 pm
Once Mike’s career is over, he’ll be in the conversation for best Buccaneer of all time. He’s already our best offensive player ever.
January 7th, 2020 at 9:45 pm
Buczilla – He’ll be one of, but short of being a first ballot HOFer with a ring he can’t really overtake Sapp or Brooks. Nothing against Evans, he’s clearly the best offensive player in team history (not counting Steve Young obviously) but saying he’s better than Sapp or Brooks is just an extremely extremely high bar. I think he’ll be more in the Ronde/Lynch category of being a HOF’er, just not a first ballot guy. However he still has a long career ahead of him to shape opinion.
January 7th, 2020 at 10:43 pm
We have guys who need to step up next season and be that guy to blow the top off the DEFENCE …Miller!! Let mike continue to do his own thing!!!keep GRINDING BUCS!!
January 7th, 2020 at 10:46 pm
That nickname Godzilla…will belong to CGodwin next season !!! I’m calling it now!!!