Todd Bowles Doesn’t Believe Preserving Mike Evans’ Record Will Be A Distraction
November 21st, 2024
Targeting Mike Evans.
In the next seven games, Mike Evans needs 665 yards to extend his 10-year streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons. (Provided he doesn’t get hurt again).
Evans, who has never had a season without 1,000 yards receiving, is 665 yards and seven weeks away from tying Jerry Rice for the most 1,000-yard receiving seasons in a row.
Any time you share an NFL record with the great Rice, that is an incredible accomplishment.
Joe could see this getting out of hand. Joe could see the Bucs forcing the ball to Evans in an effort to pad his stats. That could greatly backfire.
As Bucs coach Todd Bowles said yesterday, the Bucs are first and foremost trying to win.
“No, I don’t think it’s a concern,” Bowles said of Evans’ chase for 1,000 receiving yards. “We’re trying to win the ballgame.
“Mike is a big part of the offense, so he’s going to be in the ballgame when he comes back. We’ll go from there – see how they’re playing us and take it from there.”
In short, Bowles doesn’t seem on board with forcing passes to Evans. And he shouldn’t be.
Bowles has to worry about the entire team. His team. The playoffs are not out of the question. Yet. And while Evans’ record is very important to him, as he often says, so too is winning.
If Evans can play in every game the rest of the way, he needs to average 95 receiving yards each game to hit 1,000.
November 21st, 2024 at 9:14 am
Get the 1,000 yards. Do it. Whatever it takes.
And I always say stats are for losers. I’m a Loser, baby!
Throw that damn ball to Mike. Early and often.
November 21st, 2024 at 9:15 am
It better not be nobody should be caring about 1 individual player’s #s we need to win games and if the #s come with that fine if not who gives A F!!
November 21st, 2024 at 9:17 am
I thought last year that Baker definitely was feeding Mike to get the 1k. If I’m an opposing defensive coach, I’m doubling Mike since the Bucs young WR’s haven’t done much. I’d like to see Coen/Baker target the young WR’s early in the game to take some pressure off Mike and then throw deep to Mike.
November 21st, 2024 at 9:28 am
Godwin being out til the playoffs gives Mike a realistic chance of getting there. Love to see him get it the 1st qtr. or by halftime of the Saints game. Then sit he and Baker and Trask comes in and throws for a couple TDs to beat the Saints. They call them “Cinderella “ seasons for a reason. It’s now time to ratchet up the optimism! GO BUCS!!
November 21st, 2024 at 9:30 am
I mean, our best chance to win is to feed him the ball anyway, so…. LETS DO THIS!
November 21st, 2024 at 9:40 am
Only 4 completions to WRs vs SF………we can’t win that way. Hopefully, Mike’s presence will help get the others open.
I really think Baker is reluctant to take chances with the backup WRs.
November 21st, 2024 at 9:46 am
58.9 ypg x 7 ain’t looking real good.
Its a shame JayMiss isn’t here to help.
November 21st, 2024 at 10:23 am
4-2 with Mile Evans. Four losses without Mike Evans. So not passing to Evans did not work.
Seems to me they should be throwing to him every chance they get.
November 21st, 2024 at 10:27 am
There is no such thing as “Forcing” the ball to Mike Evans. ME13 is 6’5″ and 230 lbs. with a catch radius the size of a B-52’s wing span so even when he may appear to be covered, Mike is much more open than any of the other smurf receivers. Just throw Mike the darn ball.
November 21st, 2024 at 10:27 am
Just need to scheme up some plays that hopefully open ME up for some long catches, then he just needs a few per game. If the Giants secondary can’t stop ME then they should try and get him 200 yds in a single game.
November 21st, 2024 at 10:57 am
Not targeting Mike at the start of the season is why he will miss 1K.
November 21st, 2024 at 11:01 am
No way he’ll get 665 yards in 7 games. In a full 17 game season, he only needed about 60 yards a game. Averaging 95 yards per game to hit 1000 is asking an awful lot.
November 21st, 2024 at 11:54 am
Toad
November 21st, 2024 at 12:04 pm
ME13 is heading for Canton. We and he know it. He just wants to win and snap this losing streak. I still wish he would rest, but that’s his decision to make.
November 21st, 2024 at 12:26 pm
Go Mike!
November 21st, 2024 at 12:31 pm
I wish the offense would force the football to Mike more often. He’s used as a decoy too often for how good he is imo. Even during the Brady years I think he was underutilized. Those contested catches are not 50/50 but more like 80/20 in Mike’s favor.
November 21st, 2024 at 12:53 pm
Go on an force it against what is currently the best passing defense in the NFL and the Bucs will be one more in the loss column with 6 games to go.
Just give the Ball to Irving against the worse Rushing Defense.
That way should the Bucs lose Joe can spend all week filling up the page with things like ” Not since Marcus Allen” blah blah blah. “Bucky and Eric Dickerson” blah blah blah.
Take advantage of another crappy defense to allow comparisons of Montana and Craig to start blowing up all over.
November 21st, 2024 at 12:53 pm
Mike evans is not playing this week.
November 21st, 2024 at 1:56 pm
Whatever, all good things must come to an end. Mike’s had an incredible run, worthy of HOF consideration. Hope it happens, but I’m sure Mike would tell you he’d trade it for a shot at the playoffs instead.
November 21st, 2024 at 2:16 pm
not happening
he had a great run — a remarkable one of a kind run
it won’t be a distraction…if they win
November 21st, 2024 at 2:24 pm
A glorious day is coming. A day that Jason sets himself free of the shackles he accepted as part of the BA Super Bowl run.
The next BA is coming in three short months (or less) as league rules permit.
November 21st, 2024 at 6:36 pm
How many seasons did we have to pad Mike’s stats?
3? This record seems very hollow to me. Artificial. Fake.
November 21st, 2024 at 10:06 pm
Not gonna happen.
But it is a damn shame, because it would have if he didn’t get injured.
November 22nd, 2024 at 2:19 am
Kind of amazing. We haszn a couch who believes in confusing his own players, sending them out to perform cluelessly, and then not practicing when they have the chance.
For real we are soooo lucky to have such a mastermind coich.