Mike Evans Reflects On His Career
December 9th, 2023
Mike Evans
Remember when folks used to b!tch about how Mike Evans couldn’t get any yards after the catch (YAC)? No, really, that was a thing.
Now? Evans ranks eighth in the NFL in YAC. How times have changed.
That little nugget right there shows how Evans has evolved over the years. It’s a good example how Evans, after 10 seasons, is still an elite receiver.
“It’s something I work on, year in and year out,” Evans said after last Sunday’s game. “I’m trying to work on my weaknesses because no player is perfect. So, you can always work on something, and that’s what I try to do. Year in and year out.”
Remember when people had accidents in their pants over Odell Beckham? He came out the same year as Evans. Some even screamed at Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht for picking the wrong guy.
Evans will be remembered for being consistently at the top of his game and for being a Hall of Famer. Beckham will be remembered for losing a sparring bout with a kicking net.
Last week was an awful game to watch but Evans, with his 75-yard catch and run for a touchdown, lit up The Licht House.
“I mean it’s what you want as a kid,” Evans said of the crowd’s reaction to his score. “It’s what we dream about. You know, I’ve always dreamed about this. I’ve always been a huge fan of sports and I always said one day I want to be one of those guys.
“You know, there’s plenty of them, but I am happy that I’m one of them.”
Some day, maybe at the end of this decade, more likely sometime in the 2030s, Evans will reach his biggest dream. An induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Bucs put together a video collection of each and every catch Evans has made in his 10-year career, all with the Bucs.
Caution: Those Jameis Winston jerseys were really nasty eyerakes.
Every Mike Evans catch ever.
You're welcome. pic.twitter.com/igT6VkOPbS
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) December 7, 2023
December 9th, 2023 at 12:33 am
Its a good thing Mike is 6’5″ of Baker would not be able to see him and the streak would be over. Thanks for the video, Joe!
December 9th, 2023 at 1:02 am
32:07.
Man I miss that type of wild crap. Sure beats this running nowhere business.
December 9th, 2023 at 1:10 am
Sure has had his share of garbage HC….
December 9th, 2023 at 1:51 am
31:44 landed Mike Evans catch of the year. How many receivers can say they won that award. It was amazing one handed grab while getting drilled by the defender
December 9th, 2023 at 2:57 am
Joe. THANK YOU….
I’m not sure how long that took you to put it together or if you just grabbed it off the “tube”, but I sure appreciate the effort bringing it to us. What a PHENOM and what a GREAT first pick by JL.
Mike Evan’s is simply a STUD! How fortunate for All buc fans to witness the history in the making of “not just any” Hall of Fame Career. No, it’s not a barley get in, IT’S A FIRST BALLOTER WE’RE TALKING ABOUT! And he’s not even close to done yet!
I don’t mind saying it again, What a STUD and he has achieved EVERY SINGLE YARD AS A TAMPA BAY BUCCANEER!
I AM A “PROUD FAN” OF OUR SUPER STAR MAN, ” #13 MR. MICHAEL EVANS”!
GO MIKE, GO BUCS!
December 9th, 2023 at 3:38 am
Mike 13 Evans simply made plays ….he is what #88 was for the D Cowboys! Go Bucs !
December 9th, 2023 at 6:19 am
Go !
Have a chance to catch a TD in a Super Bowl
December 9th, 2023 at 6:42 am
Consummate Professional
December 9th, 2023 at 7:24 am
Joe, I’ve been a Bucs fan since the team has existed. THAT was the best two hours I’ve EVER spent! Mike Evan’s is a shoo-in for a first ballot Hall of Famer!! I was disappointed that three Bucs greats (Brooks, Barber and Lynch) took so long to make it in. That better not happen with Evans!
December 9th, 2023 at 7:46 am
Love Mike! He’s been a rock for a very long time. I don’t remember people calling for OBJ but I do remember people wanted mikes teammate, Johnny football.
I just went back and looked at the 2014 draft. Outside of Mike it was a solid C-.
December 9th, 2023 at 8:05 am
money mike with the movie length highlight reel…
A+++++++
December 9th, 2023 at 8:15 am
2+ hours!!!! What a compilation. Can’t wait for the 3+ hours video of Jameis’ picks.
December 9th, 2023 at 8:37 am
Good stuff on Evans, just don’t do a highlight reel of his drops and poorly contested efforts. Talk about eye raking.
Evans is a terrific receiver and deserves all the accolades and Hall considerations but let’s not act like he caught everything that came his way and his YAC was ever existent historically until after a few games this season.
OBJ would not have been a bad pick but Evans was a better fit for Tampa and Licht deserves some credit for that choice. The fact that he is running down Jerry Rice records and didn’t play with Joe Montanas and Steve Youngs his whole career speaks volumes about his work ethic and talent.
Go Bucs
December 9th, 2023 at 9:03 am
If they compiled a drop reel it would be like a kevin Costner movie
December 9th, 2023 at 9:14 am
Consummate Pro
December 9th, 2023 at 9:18 am
A couple of things that stood out. In his early years it seems ME13 went down immediately after the catch. He says he’s been working on his YAC and it shows. That one reception earlier this year where he dragged players into the end zone for the score was phenomenal. Also, too bad Winston made so many bad decisions. Man, he threw a bullet when he was on. Finally, Evans is a beast and undoubtedly will be a first ballot HOFer. Thanks Joe for providing us with this compilation.
December 9th, 2023 at 9:33 am
744 career receptions for an average of 15.37 yards per reception. Yep, let’s keep running up the middle!
December 9th, 2023 at 9:57 am
Watched the entire Evans highlight real yesterday and a couple of things struck me. First was how much more fluid he is now. He seems faster now than when he came into the league. The other thing was it’s amazing he is still around after playing with some sorry QB’s early in his career. It seemed like McCown was trying to get him decapitated early in his career. A few too many throws over the middle into coverage. What a pleasure it has been to be a Bucs fan and watch Mike grow as a receiver.
December 9th, 2023 at 10:18 am
I’m just glad he got his 1000 yard season out of the way so the focus going forward can be on just winning games.
Canales needs to space his routes better. Too often we have receivers dragging defenders INTO position instead of OUT of position and creating too much traffic, especially in the middle of the field.
Otton is still too green to” freelance” and look for the open spot based on defensive alignment and knowing where the other receivers are going with their routes. Godwin on the other hand has a ton of experience in the middle of the field and should be allowed to deviate from his set route if he sees something pre-snap. Then it’s up to Baker to be on the same page and see the same hole in the defense.
My main concern is that Baker doesn’t often throw to the middle. Some here have said it’s because he’s “vertically challenged” at 6’1″ but there are others (Purdy, Mahomes, Tua, etc) the same height or less. I believe vision is an issue but it’s not a height thing. It’s a little thing called “passing lanes” and I’m pretty sure most of us agree that our interior o-line is a weak spot, not only in the run game but in the passing game when it comes to creating “throwing lanes” for the QB.
Trevor Lawrence at 6’6″ practically led the league in batted balls the past 2 seasons so don’t give me that “shorty stuff”. He’s better now, much of it is due to better mechanics and having a higher release point to take advantage of his height (he used to look like he was playing darts when he threw the ball).
Not saying height doesn’t matter because shorter QBs do need better middle protection. If you’ve ever stood on an NFL field, you know the middle of the field is raised anywhere from 12″ to 24″ higher than the sidelines. This is almost like a pitcher’s mound so this “crown” does make it easier to see outside receivers better than guys in the middle.
We need Godwin (and Otton) to ball out like ME13 and Canales to copy another team’s playbook because his “complex” designs aren’t giving me “chills”.
December 9th, 2023 at 11:48 am
Was Evans more beefy in his early day?. It looks like he slimed down over the years.
December 9th, 2023 at 4:09 pm
BradyGronk Fan Says:
December 9th, 2023 at 11:48 am
Was Evans more beefy in his early day?. It looks like he slimed down over the years.
———
Oh yeah, Evans was pushing 240 early on – frankly he looks faster and quicker now than he did when he was younger. I thought early in his career that he’d transition to TE late in his career, because he looked like a guy that could easily get up to 250-260 range. Then at some point he started to look more lean, faster, quicker, and really this year he’s looked as good as he’s ever looked.
It’s one of the reasons why the Bucs should give him whatever new deal that he wants. I think he’s going to be an ALL-PRO level WR for at least the next 3-years, then in year 4 he’ll probably merely be average, and maybe by year 5 you see a noticeable decline. But who cares, eat year-5 in a 5-year deal if you need to, but keep him around.
December 9th, 2023 at 4:40 pm
Yes, clearly Mike dropped some weight. Its gotta be good if you’re mike evans rite now. Personally Mike gets close to 30 million a year if he gets tagged, and he gets 30 million for 3 or 4 if he signs. That dude has done it the old fashioned way. He’s earned it!
December 9th, 2023 at 4:42 pm
Remembering the nfl salary goes up every year, as does inflation.
December 9th, 2023 at 4:48 pm
Evans looks like DK Metcalf in his early days! To funny.
December 10th, 2023 at 12:11 pm
An article celebrating our greatest receiver ever and the one dude had to bring up his drops. As usual people have to crave attention to feel important in this world by bringing others down. What a high class dude. Since Evans drops were brought up does anyone have that number? It is a shame though because he’d have 100 tds and more yards by now. Google definitely was not helpful in trying to find that out, and I always say Google is your friend Not!
A cool fact I thought is almost 2/3 of his receptions have gone for 1st downs. People cry about his YAC as if it’s his inability to run after the catch but I’ve always believed it’s been play selection. His longest catches in his career I believe have been on deep crosses and slants and no OC ever schemes enough of them just constant come backs, stops and fades to the sideline. Evans has sneaky speed and he catches a lot of dudes off guard and this would open more YAC if Cajones would scheme more for him.
Mike tends to be 25% of a qbs passing yards throughout his career so it never makes sense why he doesn’t receive the top # of targets. It’s apparent Baker likes throwing too him and hope he keeps it up. He is our best offensive weapon.
December 10th, 2023 at 12:38 pm
Not only will he be in the HOF he will be the first Bucs offensive player and he will also be one that was drafted and now acquired by a trade or via FA. WAY TO GO Jason for your first ever player drafted to be a stud like ME13. Blessed to have go to watch him play even in the lost decade. So happy he got a ring and for LVD too they both played in a very very dark time.