Stop The Rearview Mirror Analysis
December 15th, 2015
To use the (incorrect) vernacular of the day, there is no reason to hate on Mike Evans.
Joe isn’t sure when the word “hate” became a verb, or who did it, but please let Joe play along, even if the following is grammatically incorrect.
Why do some folks insist on hating on Mike Evans?
The rough-around-the-edges Bucs wide receiver was drafted with the seventh overall pick last year. He wasn’t even the first receiver chosen.
But last night, when New York wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. caught two touchdowns in a win at Miami, Joe just knew it was going to happen, and it took until late in the game for it to begin.
Joe got Twitters that the Bucs effed up and drafted the wrong wide receiver; that the Bucs should have drafted OBJ.
To which Joe responded, “Where were you pining for OBJ in April 2014?”
It’s awfully easy to pick apart a draft with almost two years of rearview mirror study.
Joe has issues with Evans, that is true. Joe thinks on the field Evans is very immature, but if he can get his head screwed on straight, he can very well be one of the most gifted receivers in the game. Watching his unreal footwork shows he has the talent. Evans just needs for his head to catch up with his physical ability, which is sky high.
When Evans was torching teams last year, Joe never once heard anyone whine that the Bucs chose the wrong receiver. All of a sudden once the Bucs are out of the playoffs this year, now he’s a bad choice? Please.
Joe understands how fans are frustrated. Totally gets it. That doesn’t mean people should be kicking dirt in Evans’ face already.
Calm down.
December 15th, 2015 at 3:15 am
One thing is for sure the Bucs will win. I look forward to finishing the years the off season, and finally another season. The hater will come out of the cracks like cockroaches. The Bucs will win, and just like turning on the lights, the cocka roaches will scatter to the nearest crack house. Evan, Evan, Evan.
December 15th, 2015 at 4:36 am
I don’t know about hate but Evans is making it real hard to like him lately. Between the dropped balls, penalties, and bad attitude, I don’t know if he lost more games for us or won more. Also in our rebuilding quest, if he wasn’t being such an a%s clown, WR should be a position we don’t have to worry a lot about, but now we kinda do. The NO corners were so in his head he looked like that granny punching corner we use to have when Roddy White used to school him.
December 15th, 2015 at 5:35 am
For some reason, star WRs on average seem to be the biggest prima donnas on every team. When they have a great game, they’re heroes. When they have a bad game, they whine. Mike sometimes takes that to a whole new level that even Keyshawn must envy.
VJax is an obvious exception … the consummate professional as they say. Team player and team leader. Was hoping that some of VJax would rub off onto Mike Evans, but I don’t think that it has yet (another reason to bring back VJax next year). Mike has got all kinds of talent to be sure, but until he gets “his head screwed on straight” as you said Joe he’ll never realize his full potential.
Mike plays with great passion, and I for one love that. But … it seems like he has yet to learn how to do that in the total team context and play under control like VJax has.
December 15th, 2015 at 5:55 am
I am with Dreambig and Joe. I don’t kinow what happen with Mike Evans. Perhaps the fact that he started his season late and that VJax; ASJ started well, made him feel insecure, perhaps there is a contract issue, perhaps the fact that he is not the star anymore or the leader anymore make him feel insecure but I’m sure of one point: we need his talent.
About Joe article yesterday about benching him, it can be an option but each player is different. Some need to be kicked in the ass some need to be cheers up each of them is different.
But the Mike Evans issue MUST be solved before next season. By psycholigical support, by coach meeting, by extra work, by the appropriate way whatever it is, even by trade if necessary, but we can’t have a so talented guy on the pitch, doing so stupid thing !
December 15th, 2015 at 5:57 am
Bucs have made huge strides since the first 4 games…they have a long way to go but they are set at QB and have a good solid, consistent 8-8 coach in Lovie Smith……
December 15th, 2015 at 6:06 am
I like ME but I do hate when a WR complains a lot to officials. I can excuse the drops because it is a mental thing that can be addressed and I’ve seen it happen with WRs before. He didn’t do this last year or at A&M so I’m not worried about it. What worries me is so called fans getting all over the guy. He’s young, that must be hard to deal with. Let him grow up and get it right next year without jumping down his throat every time he makes a mistake. Give him some time to figure it out because he, along with JW, could and should be the best combo the Bucs have ever had
December 15th, 2015 at 6:16 am
The Bucs like Mike for his deceptive speed and height. I liked the pick when we got him, and in the following year when I knew we would get Jameis…well the sky is the limit. Fast forward to today and it’s not so pretty. The few games I could watch this year I saw a lot of drop passes. Sure he can have cheese with that wine, but too many drop passes. For now doesn’t look like a WR that is worthy of the 7th overall selection. I do believe next year will be a better year for Mike. I think with him being more mature and Jameis developing it will be alright. Hopefully we grab another WR in draft. Even if we keep Jackson it will be more of a leadership and mentoring move. Kenny Bell may be better in the slot in the NFL. If he makes the team next year.
December 15th, 2015 at 6:44 am
The things I liked about the last game was JW breaking free for an all time rookie QB rushing TD record and instead he flipped the ball to rookie Adam Humphries for his 1st NFL TD.
I also saw JW blocking downfield on a key offensive play. I saw JW running interference between the refs and some misbehaving Bucs.
Amazing that a 21 year old can have so much class.
The antics Of Mike Evans make us think of thug behavior. Maybe a descriptive nick name will help put him in his place.
Since he aspires to be a thug, like 50 Cent, maybe we should call him, “Half A Buc.”
At least until he starts to mature.
December 15th, 2015 at 6:50 am
No joe I was not saying draft OBJ but I was saying DON’T draft Evans. Big slow receivers don’t work for anything other than average players in the NFL. Now he is not just big and slow but he drops the ball does nothing after the catch (when he does catch it) and complains non stop. Bad pick period!
December 15th, 2015 at 7:27 am
@Joe – The pot calling the kettle black.
December 15th, 2015 at 7:31 am
Mike Evans will be just fine……some players take time to mature…he is one of them….need another top receiver….that will help and send a message that Mike has to work to be #1.
It is quite obvious that Lovie is very protective of Evans and supports him totally….as he should, and as we should.
December 15th, 2015 at 7:33 am
There’s a difference between Evans being a bad choice and Beckham being a better choice. Even last year it was clear he was better. Evans is a nice player, Beckham is simply better.
December 15th, 2015 at 7:49 am
He had a good rookie year. In his second season he’s aloof, and had a case of the dropsies and is being a selfish jerk. We, the fans, went through this with Michael Clayton. No one complained during his rookie year either.
December 15th, 2015 at 8:05 am
Catch the daggum ball you idiots. Our whole receiving corps is gonna be out of the NFL by next year at this rate. I’m a fan of Mike Evan but his drops and penalties this year have far outweighed any positives. His PFF score must be abysmal
December 15th, 2015 at 8:06 am
Wasnt Evans like, 20 when he was drafted? He’ll be fine. Just so long as he can avoid injuries. And none of us really know whats going on with the drops and not finishing his routes, but so long as we get production, ill be ok.
December 15th, 2015 at 8:21 am
Evans will be fine, you have to remember OBJ and Landry were going to WR camps by the 9th grade, Evans didn’t play organized ball until his senior year in High School, he’s actually still learning how to be a receiver, I was shocked that he knew what a route tree was since like most spread offensive schools, A&M didn’t have their WR’s run the. He’ll be okay.
December 15th, 2015 at 8:29 am
A lot of fans just love playing couch GM while also looking in hindsight. Its laughable. OBJ is good. Maybe even better than Evans but Evans is very good in his own right. TO had issues with drops his entire career and he was still a dominant receiver. Evans is young and relatively inexperienced. He will get better.
December 15th, 2015 at 8:34 am
The only guy that can make the claim that the bucs should’ve drafted OBJ is booger McFarland. He called for the bucs to draft him. I thought he was crazy and being an LSU homer. I still like Evans He might end up being better yet but his light has to go on quickly.
December 15th, 2015 at 9:05 am
I challenge anyone to name one great receiver in the history of the NFL, besides Steve Largent) that cannot make plays after the catch. Mike Evans as never made anything happen once the ball is in his hands. He has zero moves and drops the ball quite often. He is like the modern day Alvin Harper.
December 15th, 2015 at 9:08 am
I wrote a WTB? draft preview in April 2014 where I said that the Bucs should drafting Beckham over Evans…just saying. And I am not an LSU fan…just saw that he was more dynamic than Evans.
December 15th, 2015 at 9:10 am
One more thing that I’ve got to get off of my chest. Clayton could only have dreamed of a second season like Evans. Lets not act like what most likely be 1000 yards and 80+ catches suck. Maybe not what could’ve been but nothing he does is unfixable.
December 15th, 2015 at 9:16 am
Tnew you cant fix the lack of ability to make a guy miss and go to the house. He cant do that and probably never will. While OBJ does it every other game. Evans was a poor pick plain and simple. Average WR is what he is and is going to continue to be.
December 15th, 2015 at 9:28 am
I actually said I wanted OBJ in 2014 if we were going to pick a WR. I was never high on Evans. Not that he can’t be good, I was just wasn’t excited about the pick. His knock in college though wasn’t his hands. He was known for great hands in college. His knock was being one dimensional, just running fly routes and getting backyard touchdowns passes from Johnny Football. Evans will be ok if he can go up a little and get his mind right. He’s still really young and raw at this point.
December 15th, 2015 at 9:46 am
People want/expect their stars to be stars. Evans was the #7 overall pick. He routinely shows how talented he is, then drops passes or has dumb penalties that show his head isn’t completely where it should be.
People are mad because they see all his talent, and then he just does dumb things that hurt the team.If it weren’t for Evans mistakes, we might have 2 more wins.
Games are often decided by 2 or 3 plays. When Evans makes 2 or 3 dumb “Where is your head… what were you thinking plays,” virtually every week, it is going to cost the Bucs wins in the future as well.
That is why people are angry with Evans.
December 15th, 2015 at 9:59 am
The only guy on the radio that I remember wanting OBJ was Booger.
December 15th, 2015 at 11:11 am
Dreambig is spot on. Hindsight has shown that ODB is a reliable, clutch receiver that has won games while ME has proven he’s not reliable. I don’t buy into the “he needs to mature” crap. ME is selfish and quite frankly not that good. I would gladly trade him and ASJ but that would mean L&L screwed up the 2014 draft.
December 15th, 2015 at 11:27 am
It’s that damned impatience that so many Buc fans have. Give a kid 3 years. 3 years then evaluate.
December 15th, 2015 at 11:31 am
We should’ve picked up tom Brady, jj watts, ODJ, the list goes on and on
December 15th, 2015 at 11:59 am
Evans is tough with nonexistant breakaway speed. He can’t handle defenders right up in his business. He will probably set a record for offensive pass interference penalties. I like the player though.
December 15th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
I’m not going to question the depth, or the talent, but rather their development. The Bucs were best back in the day when their coaching depth was their strength.
December 15th, 2015 at 1:31 pm
He has to grow up some, he is having what’s called the sophomore slump. His rookie year was great , and I think that is the player we will see going forward only better. Give him some time to grow, remember he was a basketball player in high school and only two years of football at Texas A&M.
December 15th, 2015 at 1:34 pm
Give the kid a chance to grow, everybody matures at their own pace. Remember he played basketball in H.S. and only two years of football at Texas A&M.
December 15th, 2015 at 4:11 pm
I think he played too much basketball based on his penchant for trying to draw penalties. I’m baffled by how he’s developed that way considering that he plays with Vincent Jackson, who is one of the most professional receivers to play the game.
The guy needs to go to work catching 1,000 balls a day in the offseason like Odell Beckham, Jr. and Jarvis Landry do each day. He needs to catch balls one-handed, catch them with one eye patched, catch them from the ground, catch them jumping into a pool, and whatever else he needs to do to make catching the ball part of his nature.
And no more basketball until he’s retired from the NFL. He doesn’t need that type of influence on his game.
December 15th, 2015 at 5:31 pm
Dont care about none of that he needs to be professional about his play and stop the whining. Or we will start looking to the end of his contract