Getting Mike Evans The Ball More
October 18th, 2022
Target: Mike Evans.
In Joe’s mind, this sums up what ails the Bucs.
Yesterday Bucs coach Todd Bowles discussed making sure the best players on the Bucs get more touches.
During Sunday’s debacle in Pittsburgh, likely Hall of Fame Bucs receiver Mike Evans, had four targets (he caught all four and a fifth drew a defensive holding call) including one in the second half.
One!
That has to change.
“We definitely talked about that,” Bowles said, though he didn’t clarify exactly who “we” is.
“We’ve got to find a way to get our stars the ball. Move them around, get them off picks, double [teams] – we have to find a way to get them the ball more.
“Obviously teams are going to try to double him and take him away more; we have to do a better job of getting him the ball.”
Joe really wants to get angry about this, but honestly it just downright sad. Sad that a head coach with a defensive background has to tell his offensive coordinator to get the ball to one of the best receivers in the game.
Joe cannot imagine how that’s not a priority every friggin’ week. Apparently it isn’t.
No wonder this year’s offense struggles to hit 20 points each game. Think about it: If the head coach six games in has to tell his offensive coordinator he needs to find ways to get the rock to one of the best receivers to play the game, what else on offense is being glossed over?
October 18th, 2022 at 10:58 am
Brady is very reluctant to throw a ball to a receiver that isn’t open……he goes out of his way to avoid interceptions……a 50-50 pass is a bad odd for Brady…….
I think the key is more shorter passes to him & slants……but we have to throw more to him.
Here’s a suggestion…..line Mike up in the backfield….call him a RB & throw it to him.
October 18th, 2022 at 11:14 am
Todd has been talking about coaching being better for weeks. He even said talking isn’t getting it done. So what is? So far I see nothing. On top of that, I have not seen a really enjoyable game so far this season–and that includes preseason (several I almost turned off).
October 18th, 2022 at 11:26 am
Football is Finite
Each team can only move their players around in so many ways. Professional coaches and players should already know how to adjust to offenses and defenses. Have the conversation on adjustments ex post facto demonstrates a lack of preparation.
October 18th, 2022 at 11:53 am
Do BL know what a pick play is? Every other team in the NFL runs them.
October 18th, 2022 at 11:54 am
It looks like Brady just favors Godwin and Gage.
Problem is: Godwin isn’t 100% and Gage keeps getting gaged by whoever is covering him.
October 18th, 2022 at 11:55 am
If there was not a serious, Come-To-Jesus meeting with the OC, I would be “throw them all in the Bay” disappointed.
No team plays as badly against the Stillers without pure coaching incompetence.
FACT: Byron misses Bruce.
Leftwich’s lofty HC ambitions are being undermined by his clear incompetence. BA disguised it. But for six weeks we’ve witnessed a clinic in badly underachieving offense caused by pathetic coaching.
This $#!+ needs to stop in Charlotte, or Buc fans will revolt.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:06 pm
Move them around…you don’t say?? We have one of the most vanilla offenses and our production reflects that! Get creative or find someone that can!
October 18th, 2022 at 12:12 pm
I think Cobraboy is right about Leftwich.
BA disguised his incompetence.
All this talent we have, literally being wasted because of bad coaching.
That was a terrible team we just lost to last week, and no way they should have beat us.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:20 pm
Listn,
He do. Indeed, he do. Heck, even they do. I know I do! Pure sarcasm, bro, I do pure sarcasm. You do too, don’t you?
Yeah, my poem game be rusty and it lacks identity. What I gonna do is get better.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:23 pm
Everybody is talking about the offensive woes but I think people should spend more time discussing the defensive woes. There’s no excuse for allowing Mitch trubisky to convert FOUR 3rd and (very) long plays.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:29 pm
Where is the “BA is a fraud, Brady pushed him to a SB” crowd.
Where is Brady now, without BA? And with Leftwich.
Look, I truly want Leftwich to succeed. I was all-in on giving him (and to a different extent, Bowles.)
But under every measure, after 6 games, Leftwich and his offense has failed.
But Here is the problematic issue: there is no way Leftwich gets a HC gig unless there is an immediate 180 and the Bucs O catches fire. No way.
And I don’t believe they will under Leftwich. I do not think he is capable. I now 100% believe it was BA’s offense and Leftwich just carried BA’s clipboard, regardless of the BA praise (like Leftwich is BA’s child.)
But if Leftwich doesn’t get a HC job…will he continue the OC gig? I Hope to God not. And if he doesn’t, who gets to fire him after all the praise from BA and BA sycophants?
It could get really ugly, really fast.
And the ONLY way to resolve the situation is to start scoring and winning bigly.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:30 pm
@Mark Reese: If the O scores TD’s instead of FG’s, wouldn’t matter what happened on 3rd down late in the game.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:42 pm
We are missing that receiver that can take the top of a defense off. A.B., with Miller would do that for us. A.B. is gone, and it seems so is Miller. Where’s our speed on offense, at receiver and running back? Even our QB is slow of foot. He can get rid of the ball quick, but let’s face it, he ain’t buying time with his legs. Defenses can sit on the Bucs knowing they don’t have a receiver, running back who can break one, or beat them deep. Defenses don’t have to spy our QB at anytime either, or have to worry about any RPO’s. Looking at our offense as a whole we look slow, and limited in what we can do scheme wise. Don’t see this changing any time soon.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:55 pm
D-Rok, I have to give you credit, you’re the only one that picked up on the BL slang shot. You do good in reading comprehension. Cobraboy, Brady has no experience calling a complete game, he sure as heck couldn’t do it under Belichick, what makes you think he can now? My complaint with BA was his lazy attitude and he lack of professionalism in pressers and on the field when calling out his players. It was BA that claimed it was BL’s offense not his, so either it was BL’s O or BA was lying, I’ll bet on the ladder since it wasn’t the first time. BA like Brady were respected by the players but now it seems as if Bowles has lost his locker room.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:57 pm
all part of the plans grasshoppers
October 18th, 2022 at 12:57 pm
Evans is not a crisp route runner
WInston would throw Mike jump balls
Brady isn’t going to do that
October 18th, 2022 at 12:58 pm
his lack of, no poking fun there, that was autofill issue.
October 18th, 2022 at 12:59 pm
Walk the Plank Byron I never wana see your stupid face again
October 18th, 2022 at 1:08 pm
Listn: please quote where I ever said anything about Brady calling a complete game.
Do not put words into my mouth.
That said, I’d rather execute a Brady Game Plan than a Leftwich one.
Sunday in Charlotte is the biggest make-it-or-break-it Buc game since the Bucs went to Charlotte after that crapweasel Kiffin told the world he was a short-timer.
Lay an egg, and the wheels come completely off. Win by 3 against a team circling the drain, and serious questions are not addressed. The ONLY way for Leftwich to get the monkey off his back is to completely overwhelm the Kitties on O. Anything less is 2022 Season Fail #7.
October 18th, 2022 at 1:10 pm
Evans is not a crisp route runner? Lol you gotta be kidding me. They definitely need a better game plan for sure and they need to stop saying they need to get the ball to Mike more they need to coach and execute better plain and simple.
October 18th, 2022 at 1:38 pm
Oh so sorrryyy, I didn’t realise teams try to double star receivers and take them away more. Probably explains why Jefferson, Hill, Diggs, Kupp et all are all having down y— wait, what’s that now?
October 18th, 2022 at 2:22 pm
best way to get Evans the ball is to fire Leftwich..
October 18th, 2022 at 2:46 pm
The two best players on our team playing playing pitch and catch is a good thing?!? Woulda thunk it? Weird season so far.
October 18th, 2022 at 3:47 pm
Leftwich seems to last to know it. Sounds like a few other coaches that have been here fairly recently. Either he’s Stoopid, stubborn or both. Not sure why the clown wants to change an offense so much that has been rolling since he’s been here. I was pissed when the jags didn’t hire him. More so now
October 18th, 2022 at 4:07 pm
You guys are clearly too dumb to see what Leftwich was doing on Sunday. Did you watch that last drive? That drive got us a touchdown because of all the work that Leftwich put into all the previous drives. If the defense did it’s job and held the Steelers to under 12 points, then the Bucs could have won. Instead, the defense gave up 20 points, and if you give up 20 points on defense, you’re done. Only the most all-time elite offenses can put up over 20 points.
October 18th, 2022 at 5:05 pm
As we watch BL’s head coaching prospects circle the drain, one of Coach Bowles’ comments jumped out: “We’ve got to find a way to (fill in the blank)…”. That should be “We WILL find a way…” a frame of mind that communicates a coach able and willing to organize, strategize, scheme, and implement whatever changes are necessary so an embarrassing performance like Sunday in Pittsburgh doesn’t occur again this season. Coach Bowles’ statement tells me he (or his OC) don’t know how to get it done, even against mediocre opposition. After the success this offense has had for the past two years, to say “have to find a way” suggest that previous offense successes were not because of the current coach/coordinator.
October 18th, 2022 at 5:12 pm
LOL, Rod, I see what you did there.
October 18th, 2022 at 5:18 pm
I thought we had an Elite Offense …..
October 18th, 2022 at 7:58 pm
Evans gets open a lot but the line doesn’t hold up..
offense has been horrendous to say the least & Brady doesn’t trust this line. If Im Mike I’m wondering wth is going on? if we’re being honest half the time godwin gets it he isn’t really that open.
You also have a running back that Avgs 5 ypc that you let rot for a rookie lol JTS is good but I’m playing Anthony Nelson more if I’m Bowles, he has the tools!
October 18th, 2022 at 9:10 pm
Disturbing to say the least. What is Leftwhich doing? On the 2 point play Evans was in the back corner with a much shorter guy covering him. Brady could have thrown it where only Mike can get it. Did we not go through the same lack of Evans targets last year. We could have drafted Olave instead of Hall which would have freed Mike up. Godwin is not feared deep any longer. Such a wsste.
October 18th, 2022 at 10:13 pm
Not going to happen unless a few people work to scheme some plays that would produce more openings. Like KC does, like any team does against Bucs secondary.
We haszn us a Bmoron Leftglitsch as offensive uncoordinator. He gonna do it his way, we be doin’ what we do to win the game. Except we be don’t, not. DOH.
October 18th, 2022 at 10:33 pm
Goat,
You forgot to mention multiples. Somedays, I can speak/write coherently, confidently, and with conviction, which are all new-found skeelz after I took Hooked On Phonics. Heck, I even passed that MoFo after multiple tries.
GO BUCS!!! We can do it!