Bucs Like Throwing To Mike Evans In The End Zone
October 15th, 2024
Major target in end zone.
Joe is a big, big, big, big believer in getting the ball into the hands of your best players. It seems the Bucs are trying to do that in one regard.
Though he’s not having his best season, and his streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons seems on the brink as a result, Mike Evans is the best player on the Bucs offense, Joe believes. He certainly has the resume to brag he is.
And either Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Coen or Baker Mayfield (or both) is of the mind Evans needs to get the ball when the Bucs want six points.
Rich Hribar of Sharp Football Analysis notes that Evans is one of the most targeted NFL receivers in the end zone after Week 6 games.
Evans has a full half of the Bucs’ end zone targets. Only Diontae Johnson of the Stinking Panthers has a higher percentage of his team’s end zone targets (64.7 percent).
Despite that, Evans’ is having a really down year. Through six games, he has only 310 yards receiving. So to keep his streak alive, Evans is going to have to rack up 690 yards receiving in 11 games.
League leaders in end zone targets (and team target share)…
Diontae Johnson 11 (64.7%)
Mike Evans 8 (50%)
Terry McLaurin 7 (58.3%)
Nico Collins 7 (43.8%)
Gabe Davis 7 (31.8%)
Courtlan Sutton 6 (66.7%)
Marvin Harrison 6 (46.2%)
Jauan Jennings 6 (33.3%)— Rich Hribar (@LordReebs) October 14, 2024
October 15th, 2024 at 12:03 am
Kinda looked like he was favoring an injury of some kind…..
October 15th, 2024 at 12:06 am
Why wouldn’t you? I do think they’ve telegraphed the corner fade a couple of the times though which has led to a few incompletions.
Mike needs to get his hammy healthy so we can take some more deep shots with him too. ESPECIALLY if the run game keeps rolling. Play action will be deadly.
Also it says McLaurin has a higher percentage of his teams end zone passes too (58.3%), but Mike has 1 more total target (8 vs 7).
October 15th, 2024 at 12:29 am
Baker threw a bad ball to Mike in the left endzone. Should have been back corner lob. Maybe Bake was temporarily concussed.
October 15th, 2024 at 12:33 am
Ego. As Joe often says, the biggest thing he has learned covering the NFL is to never underestimate egos in the NFL. Even the rotten NFL coaches think they’ve reinvented the game.
October 15th, 2024 at 12:45 am
Fair
October 15th, 2024 at 1:26 am
Crazy but the only critcism of Brady I thought was legit was the lack of Evans targets in the red zone/end zone. A guy with Mikes skills, it was almost criminal not to target him in the end zone. He often looks like he is boxing out defenders like he was playing basketball. Advantage ME13!
Go Bucs!
October 15th, 2024 at 1:48 am
Damn that Coen better get Evans his 1k. Even leftwich was able to do that
October 15th, 2024 at 1:56 am
With the riseof our running game it would be really tough to maintain that 1000 yard
October 15th, 2024 at 2:41 am
Mikes clearly hurting unfortunately 😕 Hope it’s not a nagging season long hamstring issue
October 15th, 2024 at 3:08 am
as long as he plays monday night, i see tuddy #100 definitely coming at home in front of the ray jay crowd
October 15th, 2024 at 4:26 am
Totally doable
October 15th, 2024 at 5:35 am
Well said, Joe. We all want to see Mike reach 1,000. If anyone can persevere, it’s Mike Evans. He keeps showing us that about him over and over again. Need to make it happen.
Also, agree with garro. Teams are heavily covering him. Mike does look like he is in a boxing match to get free many times.
October 15th, 2024 at 5:44 am
I’m concerned, but also happy.
As Joe noted in another post, we’re doing a lot of dink and dunk passing this year. But it’s working. That’s a good thing! (If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…)
I am concerned about Mike getting 1K yards this year. He’s not getting the targets and the ones he is getting are, as noted, shorter passes. Lots of reasons for that and I won’t go on a diatribe about it, lol.
I just know we’re good enough to find a way to continue to be successful with our passing game and get Mike to 1K yards.
I’d be heartbroken if we didn’t.
October 15th, 2024 at 6:11 am
Also agree with Garro for the most part, but in 2023 Brady’s short passes included too many targets to backs that didn ‘t result in first downs. I added it up once and there were 140 targets to running backs in 2023. With Mike and Chris
that was not the best use our weapons, IMO.
October 15th, 2024 at 6:30 am
correction: 2022
October 15th, 2024 at 8:15 am
ME13 is a future HOFamer. We all know it. He needs to heal that troublesome hamstring. So what if he doesn’t get a billion TDs and yards this season. He needs to get 100% healthy. When Mike first came here, Bucs didn’t have all the quality offensive players like they do now. He needs to rest. Let his bud CG14 and the rest pick up the slack. That’s what they’re paid for, Coen, too.
October 15th, 2024 at 9:05 am
Tuddy?
October 15th, 2024 at 9:40 am
STILL no intel as to the exact reason why he was ineffective, slow and kept waving to the sidelines more than he normally does. Are they not disclosing his injuries? He’s either injured or lost a step. Which is it. So, if you’re good enough to play then why is it that Lattimore continues to lock him up. I love Mike, arguably the best offensive player in team history, but he can be frustrating. And don’t give me the two high safety bs, EVERY team does that nowadays and Coen was lining up up everywhere. Baker didn’t even bother to look his way, and for good reason. Being a decoy helps no one, Palmer and Jalen needs to be on the field more next week if Evans isn’t good enough to be effective or get separation
October 15th, 2024 at 9:45 am
It’s take your poison to double team Mike or Chris. Coen can scheme up plays to get Mike Evans open so his record of ten straight 1,000-yard seasons is still in play
October 15th, 2024 at 10:10 am
Tuddys=touchdowns per gronk era.
October 15th, 2024 at 10:11 am
Mike is hurt rest him now we will need him down the stretch. Get well man!
October 15th, 2024 at 11:41 am
They should give him a rest and allow him to heal (if at all possible) leading up to the ‘bye-week’ by only using him inside the RedZone and maybe on the field as ‘decoy’ from time to time, & during ‘big-moments’ in the 4th Quarter. We need to get him as healthy as possible for that stretch run going into the Playoffs. Maybe we can do that, if/when JMac and Palmer are back and ready to step up… Also, use White just like they did Sterling Shepard against the Saints.
October 15th, 2024 at 12:36 pm
In other news, water is wet.
October 16th, 2024 at 3:58 pm
I’m sorry but I don’t see him getting 1K yards as a priority. Get the man the ball for sure. Start the game by targeting him and getting him hot for sure, target the man in the end zone for sure but who really gives a rip if he doesn’t get 1K yards receiving. That shouldn’t be the focus. Winning the games and getting into the playoffs should be the focus. 1,000 yards should be a byproduct of this. Mike is definitely injured and I’m guessing it’s the hamstring, get him healthy for a Super Bowl run. He will rack up the yards against the lesser opponents coming later in the schedule. We need a healthy Mike for him to be effective. But for Mike to sit out a game I think we need a healthy Palmer so I guess we will see