“Force-Feed” Mike
December 21st, 2020
More targets, please.
Kevin Patra of NFL.com doesn’t believe the Bucs’ comeback in the second half yesterday was much of a coincidence.
Patra noted that when park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking Bucs quarterback Tom Brady began targeting Mike Evans, the comeback was sparked.
So Patra thinks he has the answer for the Bucs to avoid yet another Josh Freeman-like sleepy/sleepy first quarter.
That would be to start targeting Evans a helluva lot more than he currently is.
Brady’s connection with Mike Evans heating up played a huge role in the quick turnaround. TB12 needs to force-feed Evans more often.
Joe cannot disagree. One reason Mr. Entertainment, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, often targeted Evans was that Jameis knew Evans was more likely to out-fight a defender for the ball.
Brady, after two decades of indoctrination by Bill Belicheat, is allergic to throwing contested passes, even if Evans can win battles.
But Joe thinks Patra is absolutely on to something. Force-feed Evans. More often than not, Evans will make a play and the chains will move and points will show up on the board.
December 21st, 2020 at 8:38 am
Joe while we all love ME13 and hope he will get to 1K in the next 2 games… The Super Bowl formula is to spread the ball out, that’s what the GOAT is doing and that’s why we are in the playoff hunt. Forcing the rock and staring down defenders is also why JW has 30 picks!
December 21st, 2020 at 8:43 am
Bucy – this is misnomer. Look up Randy Moss’s numbers during his time with New England, also – look at the tape. Don’t tell me he didn’t throw lots of jump balls to him. You put the ball in to the hands of your best players. Period. End of story. It doesn’t mean you have to “stare him down.” I’m sure after 20yrs Brady knows how to look off receivers
December 21st, 2020 at 8:45 am
And the entire rest of the field opens up for everyone else. When Mike is taken out by the defense, force feed Godwin. Then repeat. Run to keep them honest and for huge gains because they are focused on the receivers.
December 21st, 2020 at 9:01 am
TB doesn’t need to force anything. Just get the ball to the Wide Open receiver.. yesterday Godwin and Gronk. TB missed both early. Could have made a big difference.
December 21st, 2020 at 9:03 am
Forcing the ball to a receiver who isn’t sure handed is just a plain dumb strategy. The Joe’s show their football knowledge is lacking yet again…
December 21st, 2020 at 9:06 am
JW HAD to throw to ME early in his career…who else was there…Brate and what’s his name were not yet reliable proven targets.
I couldn’t disagree more with this thesis. I’d have to study the coaches tape to see who Brady targeted and look at the entire field to see if he went to the open target or the guy he trusted. AB and CG are bound to give ME more opportunities to get open even while they are taking his target attempts. The upside for ME is that his targets are now more frequently while he is clearly open…hitting him where he can actually contribute YAC!!
Have we not been blown away by ME’s Herculean efforts to reach the end zone the past two weeks long after he caught the ball. He can’t do that if he catches it with defenders draped on him.
We have three incredible WR’s to target and Scotty to keep safeties honest deep. Why force it to any of them…unless they’re all covered?
December 21st, 2020 at 9:09 am
Brady doesn’t seem afraid of throwing contested passes to Gronk
December 21st, 2020 at 9:17 am
Let’s force feed a receiver with a 55-60% catch rate…
I can’t get over the stupidity of some things I read from guys who make money covering this team
December 21st, 2020 at 9:21 am
We technically have 4 receivers who would qualify as ones that will be able to fight and come down with the ball in Evans, Godwin, Brown and Gronk not to mention Tyler Johnson who was also noted in college for doing the same. So to disregard any of the other options wouldn’t make much sense as it would limit us as a team. Now to have individual routes and plays that utilizes each players ability during that one play and alternate it during the game to different players would make much more sense and still give the offense a lot of variety.
December 21st, 2020 at 9:47 am
Buc Bro, JW threw for over 5,000 yards in part bc of exactly what Joe wrote. The difference in JW’s passes and Brady’s is that JW put the ball up higher to let it drop in over the DB. TB’s are flatter.
Further, Manzel also made a living out of contested passes to ME at Texas A&M. Evans has always been a great jump ball catcher. I get what you are saying with ME’s catch %, but maybe Evans concentrates better when he has to fight for the ball.
December 21st, 2020 at 10:26 am
In the 2nd half, the OLine played better, the run game was better, Brady was better- therefore Evans got more opportunities
December 21st, 2020 at 10:41 am
The first half was filled with failed attempts to get the ball to the least talented players on the offensive side of the ball. We need to force feed all of our playmakers – Evans, Godwin, AB, Gronk. Plays drawn up to Fournette, Brate, Vaughn, even Scotty, need to be ignored until our playmakers have made a definitive impact on the game.
Stop trying to outsmart the other team by ignoring the weapons that make the offense elite.
December 21st, 2020 at 10:41 am
Brady missing passes early in games is an issue.
Maybe it takes a half-hour for the elderly GOAT arm to warm up.
December 21st, 2020 at 10:56 am
I think we will see more of it in last couple games. On that scramble Tom looked to him
December 21st, 2020 at 11:15 am
Brate caught all his balls yesterday.
December 21st, 2020 at 11:40 am
Brate caught all balls thrown to him but I know he wouldn’t catch that slant to Evans. Evans is an incredible receiver.
December 21st, 2020 at 12:21 pm
Uh…. duh! Some of us have been saying this for weeks, if not all season!
It’s pretty simple:
1. FEED MIKE EVANS
2. Don’t run up the gut on EVERY SINGLE first down
As soon as we start doing these things, we start moving the ball and scoring.
Yet for some reason AriansLeftwichBrady start every game doing the complete opposite.
December 21st, 2020 at 1:39 pm
When we feed ME13 we usually win. He should be the 1st option every time. Then go down the line to the next receiver. There’s only a couple DBs in the league that can hang with ME13 everyone else can’t hang
December 21st, 2020 at 2:46 pm
make sure you feed ME13 221 yards over the next 2 games…
yes do it…
it can’t hurt the team
December 21st, 2020 at 3:52 pm
Methusaleh Brady is a fossil. If he ain’t, he needs to get with the fact that there are plenty of scoring opportunities in the first half. And they aren’t all named Gronkowski.
December 21st, 2020 at 4:39 pm
Listen, I love Mike just as much as the next man, but we all know Mike has butter fingers from time to time not to mention that he quits on his routes more than any other WR on the team. Throwing jump balls to him too often will lead to unnecessary turnovers. Now in the red area, that’s a different story but we’ve been doing that. What we need to do is start the first drive with some pre-snap motion and more RBS in the flats type plays with a short curl for the TE two 7 yard crossing routes and one go route. Things that Brady has done very successfuly for years Those plays are easier for the QB to read the Defense pre-snap and it would open things up a little bit and keep the defense on their toes. If we don’t find a way to start fast we won t go far against playoff teams.
December 21st, 2020 at 6:14 pm
ME13 and CG14 both need to get involved early and often imho. Then send Gronk and Brate up the seam and Scotty and AB deep double move style. Run it Off Tackle every 4 or 5 snaps, screens and slants only when the defense is lined up vulnerable to that. Let the GOAT call it all at the line, ala Manning. And MUCH more pre snap motion please!
December 22nd, 2020 at 10:44 am
This receiving and tight end group is way too good to force passes to anyone. ME started to ignite the comeback because he was frigging open. No other reason. Mike just balled out in that second half. There were 7 different players to catch a pass and every one of them caught at least 3 passes. I love the way Brady spreads it. The slow starts clearly need to stop but it’s not because Mike isn’t getting enough looks. It should also be mentioned that our O line was crap in the first half and studly in the second half. This offense will go as far as the O line will allow. 20+ points a half should be our benchmark.
December 22nd, 2020 at 8:57 pm
How do people figure that Evans has butterfingers or unsure hands??? He’s had over 1000 yards receiving every year since he’s been here! Maybe there’s another Mike Evans on another team but not here! What games have you been watching??? If Evans misses a pass its because somebody defensed it something our defense needs to learn how to do! Evans is a beast when the ball gets to him and he has great concentration. He rarely just drops a well thrown pass like our rbs do. A lot of his passes are contested. Man you guys are jokes sometimes you’re probably thinking we should trade him!