Tracking Receiver Errors
June 30th, 2024
Dominant duo.
Yes, the Bucs still have strong receivers.
In the world of noted handicapper turned stathead Warren Sharp, there are three things receivers can do to eff up a pass play after the quarterback releases the ball: drop a pass, fall down or pull a DeSean Jackson and bail on the route.
These three sins are what Sharp refers to as “receiver errors.”
And per Sharp, the Bucs didn’t have that many.
Joe knows some Bucs fans rag on Evans for drops. He still led the NFL in touchdown catches! To Joe, this is like someone complaining Barry Bonds struck out too much.
The Bucs, per Sharp’s research, were tied for 11th-fewest receiver errors last year. Sharp has the Bucs committing one on 15 percent of passes last. That’s tied with the Bengals, Colts and Packers.
There were 18 teams worse than the Bucs.
So yeah, the Bucs, even with Evans having some dropsies, did a pretty good job of being disciplined last year.
highest rate of incompletions due to receiver error:
22% – JAX
21% – LAR, TEN
20% – BAL, HOU, KC
19% – LV, SEA, MIN, DET, BUF
18% – DAL, LAC, CLE
17% – MIA, NYG, NE, DEN
16% – CIN, IND, TB, GB
15% – WAS, NO, ARI
14% – CAR, SF
13% – PHI, ATL, CHI, NYJ
12% – PIT*2023 reg season
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) June 29, 2024
June 30th, 2024 at 11:16 am
ATL, Car, and NO all had fewer though. With worse QBs and receivers. So there might be something in the stat that’s being overlooked.
June 30th, 2024 at 11:41 am
It’s noteworthy that Atlanta is tied for second place on that list. At least Cousins will have some dependable receivers. Or, it could mean that the incompletions were due to quarterback errors which is worse.
June 30th, 2024 at 12:39 pm
People who complain about Evan’s drops are not real Buc Fans and are using that as an excuse to hate.
June 30th, 2024 at 12:49 pm
Never bothered me about Evans drops at all. Looking at KC, Dallas, and others incomplete, they are not perfect.
June 30th, 2024 at 12:51 pm
Of the 10 teams better than the Bucs on this metric, only 3 made the playoffs. Not to mention that’s a very tight band. So while interesting, it’s not overly predictive of winning.
June 30th, 2024 at 1:06 pm
Thanks for giving us content right now, Joes. This time of the year is the worst for football fans. Hardly any news! Unless people enjoy List and Ranking Season, that is.
June 30th, 2024 at 1:06 pm
Evans never drops difficult passes, always easy uncontested ones
June 30th, 2024 at 1:32 pm
@Beeej – Exactly, very noticeable drops since many would be TDs. ME himself mentioned this in the offseason. Palmer had fewer targets but a higher drop %.
June 30th, 2024 at 1:51 pm
“Middle of the pack.”
June 30th, 2024 at 2:55 pm
Haters…lol
June 30th, 2024 at 5:35 pm
So the Steelers WRs have the least amount of errors according to Sharp’s metric.
How many high dollar WRs do the Steelers have?
June 30th, 2024 at 10:39 pm
Only 10 teams better… and Pit only 4% better.
I can easily live with that.
Godwin and White probably helped that stat % a bit.
June 30th, 2024 at 10:50 pm
Amen, Proudbucsfan. Super perfectionistic expectations are absurd. Even the GOAT remains a simple human being after all.
Go Bucs!
July 1st, 2024 at 1:49 am
Not haters, they’re idiots.
July 1st, 2024 at 4:52 am
I am remembering some throws to Mike being out of his range and some looking like they were surprised throws and possibly were not planned to go to him. In the end, we didn’t have the most drops and Evans didn’t either.
Last season Evans had the same amount of drop passes as Travis Kelce did. Is anyone complaining about him?… Look at the Chiefs stats on that.
Other teams: Nacua 13 dropped, Tyreek 12 dropped, S. Diggs, Rice, and others had more dropped passes than Evans.
Evans is one of the best. Ask Brady, Mayfield, Manziel, and other QBs. Other teams would love to have Mike on their team. We are lucky he remained with us. I give his wife huge thank yous for helping to make it happen.
July 1st, 2024 at 10:33 am
Pretty insignificant stat, IMHO. The worst team had what amounts to one per game more and the best one per game less than the Bucs.