Mike Evans Has Been A Step Above
August 8th, 2021
Mike Evans
Man, yesterday Joe saw one of the prettiest plays ever seen on a football field. Joe was watching masters at their craft.
And not just that, by happenstance, Joe was standing behind the goal post alongside Joe’s good friend, Tampa Bay sports TV and radio veteran, Rock Riley. Front row. Unobstructed view of Tom Brady, the greatest, throwing to Mike Evans, the best receiver in Bucs history and possibly a Hall of Famer.
Brady took a snap in red zone drills in an 11-on-11 session. Evans headed to the far corner of the end zone on the right side.
Brady threw one of those NFL Films passes, a beautiful, looping, tight spiral that hovered over Antoine Winfield’s head and over the left shoulder of Evans, dropping right into the basket of Evans’ hands with just enough room for Evans to quickly get those fast feet of his in bounds for a score.
There is no way that play could have been performed any better. Two of the best to ever play putting on a show. It was so perfect it wasn’t athletics, it was art.
(Joe found video of the play. You can see it here at the 0:29 mark. The video doesn’t seem to do the play justice though.)
Joe turned to Rock Riley and cursed the fact the Bucs won’t allow media to video anything after the first half-hour of practices (sometimes even shorter).
For Evans, a play like that has been just the norm this training camp. If Joe had to pick one player dominating training camp, it’s Evans. (Devin White would be No. 2).
So with that play still vivid in Joe’s head, Joe asked Evans after practice if he was having his best training camp.
“I would say so,” Evans said matter-of-factly. “Dealing with the heat, getting more reps, the fact that I’m in better shape. I feel like I’m learning a lot more.
“Each year, I try to focus on improvement, and I feel like I’m improving.”
Remember the old joke about Evans? That it wasn’t training camp until he pulled a hamstring? That hasn’t happened this year, which backs up what Evans said about how he’s in better shape.
If Evans and Brady play the way the two of them have been on the same page this summer (and Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown and Rob Gronkowski, too), this ought to be one incredibly fun season.
August 8th, 2021 at 8:15 am
if that video clip does not do it justice, it must have been really special, bc it looked like it on the clip.
Love ME and his team-oriented focus. It is going to be a historically special year for Bucs and Buc fans.
August 8th, 2021 at 8:22 am
Brady touch and accuracy are top notch Mike Evans was hit in stride more than I’ve ever seen.
August 8th, 2021 at 8:25 am
RoJo flip into the end zone was not my “Play of the Day” on Bucs home page. That throw was 💰💰💰
August 8th, 2021 at 8:40 am
Year 8 he finally comes into camp in better shape. lol
August 8th, 2021 at 8:40 am
I thought Evan had a down year last year. I was kind of afraid he was starting to decline. Perhaps losing a little weight and changing his offseason workout program has help him.
August 8th, 2021 at 8:50 am
I think Mike is starting to really realize he has a strong chance to end up in the HOF, if he keeps playing like he has, and maybe cranks it up a little bit. Keep grinding, Mike.
August 8th, 2021 at 8:53 am
Mike finally got a taste of what winning means and he wants more.
August 8th, 2021 at 9:05 am
Crazy crazy crazy joe for ME13 who has bin dominant since coming into the league is stepping it up a level and also doing it after getting a champ just goes to show this guy will def end up in the HOF. When it’s all said n done my bet is ME13 ends up being one of the greatest WR to play the game. His stats won’t lie.
August 8th, 2021 at 9:21 am
Toughest decision for me on game day this year will be which jersey to wear, ME13 or CG14.
August 8th, 2021 at 9:33 am
It’s sometimes hard to fully appreciate in real time when you’re watching a Hall of Fame career develop. In this case especially when it’s a receiver and he’s not a diva, which almost seems to be a prerequisite for the position. To my memory Marvin Harrison was the last non-diva Hall of Fame receiver. It’s been a pleasure to watch Mike from day one and I will really try to appreciate it just as much or more moving forward.
August 8th, 2021 at 9:43 am
Evans…looking back…sure has made QBs look better than they actually were/are. Jonny Football in college…Gosh McClown, Glennon The Galloping Giraffe…my man Winny…
And now…he gets a stint with The GOAT…good for him and much deserved.
August 8th, 2021 at 10:09 am
This has to be a little bit of that Tom Brady effect, and probably coupled with the arrival of AB. It’s shown a guy like Evans how taking care of your body and putting in the work at camp can prolong a career and take it to that HOF level. The fact is Evans was a very raw product coming out of college and made most of his numbers on his god given abilities. Great coaching, more experience and a little push from the GOAT and Mike is finally in his prime. Good luck opposing defenses.
August 8th, 2021 at 11:08 am
We are about to witness M1K3 best season ever!
August 8th, 2021 at 11:17 am
#1bucsfan:
Good point!
August 8th, 2021 at 11:34 am
Mike’s already the best receiver the league has seen since Moss and Antonio were in their primes. His catch percentage (no more excuses Ira 😜) was the best it’s ever been last year and he scores touchdowns unlike massively overhyped Julio. I can’t wait to see what better than that looks like.
August 8th, 2021 at 11:49 am
Barring injuries, I have a sense this could be a really special season. They have so much talent. Only shortcomings I see potentially are RB and possibly secondary. Ideally the Bucs would have 4 good, all-around RBs who can run, pass block and receive well. They don’t have that. Secondary did great down the stretch last year, but were shaky before that. Let’s hope they hold it together.
August 8th, 2021 at 12:12 pm
Buczilla, absolutely correct regarding Julio. He had a couple of monster seasons bracketed by partial seasons or just good seasons. I remember the falcons giving up a ton to move up to draft him which I was happy to see at the time. They almost squeaked out a Super bowl which I’m sure they would have thought made it worth it, but thanks to our current quarterback that was not to be.
August 8th, 2021 at 1:27 pm
ME breaks the TD record this season!!!
August 8th, 2021 at 1:36 pm
ME13 has been quietly putting together a HOF career. Unfortunately, he has been on a bad team and that team has had to compete with some of the best in the league . When we had nothing, we always had Evans, and he just carried on even with the double teams, and regardless of the quarterback. By nature, I dont think Brady likes to throw the 50/50 ball, and i dont blame him. I do think Brady looked at the film and saw missed opportunities. You gotta go to ME13 early and often, and when the coverage rolls his way, Gronk, OJ, AB, and Godwin will feast. I think Evans has made every teammate around him better throughout his career, including the QB.
August 8th, 2021 at 2:30 pm
Stop whining and just play ball, ME…HOF player, but a juvenile on field attitude
August 8th, 2021 at 3:24 pm
The official website has video of Jaelen Darden juking a defender out of his shoes on his way to a td in the corner. Don’t know who threw it to him but it was a beautiful play
August 8th, 2021 at 3:28 pm
It’s amazing we have fans like stu who call our best receiver ever a juvenile when he himself probably never played a game of football in his life. Like Tim Brown said years ago we have some of the dumbest fans out something along that line
August 8th, 2021 at 4:35 pm
The Jones flip is at 0:43.
August 8th, 2021 at 8:17 pm
Best camp may be because he is in the second year of TB12
and more targets means less coverage on him
August 8th, 2021 at 8:42 pm
Can’t wait to see this offense roll
August 9th, 2021 at 2:32 pm
@David, not a fan, just an observation from a neutral observer…