Jason Licht Talks Frying Pans And Waffle Irons
October 12th, 2016
BY IRA KAUFMAN
By the numbers, Mike Evans turned in a very good season in 2015.
But No. 13 knew better.
After catching 74 passes for 1,206 yards, marking even more production than his record-breaking rookie year, Evans kept thinking about the ones that got away.
He dwelled on the dropped balls and all the times he allowed his emotions to get the best of him– vowing to be more focused and mature in 2016.
The results have been rather spectacular.
Through five weeks, Evans has emerged as Tampa Bay’s best player … and it’s not even close.
“He’s certainly been impressive,” says Bucs general manager Jason Licht, who selected Evans out of Texas A&M with the seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft. “He’s come through for us in the clutch all year.”
Evans is well on his way to a third consecutive 1,000-yard season and his 32 receptions rank No. 1 among NFC wide receivers. With 449 yards, Evans is second to Julio Jones in the conference, and the 26 first downs he has generated ties him with Antonio Brown for most in the league among receivers.
In Monday night’s crucial 17-14 victory at Carolina, Evans and Jameis Winston combined on the game’s biggest play. Facing 3rd-and-7 from their own 17 in the final minutes, the Bucs sent out only one target for Winston.
Guess who?
Evans grabbed an 11-yard pass near the Tampa Bay sideline to trigger the game-winning drive.
“One of the things we liked best about Jameis coming out of college is that when he has one foot in the frying pan and one on the waffle iron, that’s when he rises up,” Licht says. “Mike Evans is the same way.”
Just ask Daryl Worley.
During his collegiate career at West Virginia, Carolina’s rookie cornerback didn’t see any double moves quite like the one Evans unleashed in the third quarter, when he sped past the third-round draft pick en route to a 26-yard scoring catch.
On his key third-down reception, Evans turned corner Robert McClain inside-out for a catch that left former Bucs coach Jon Gruden stunned in the ESPN broadcast booth. Gruden couldn’t believe the Panthers didn’t load up their secondary in an effort to stop Evans, who has scored a touchdown in four of Tampa Bay’s first five games.
“We knew what they were going to do,” McClain lamented. “I wish I could’ve broken inside instead of outside on that third down. I broke to the outside shoulder and he threw it inside.”
The reason McClain broke outside was that Evans sold the play by running a precise pattern. His attention to detail has been impeccable during Tampa Bay’s 2-3 start.
“Mike’s had a flashy career, but if you know Mike you realize he’s not a diva,” Licht says. “He’s doesn’t complain about opportunities — he’s all about the team. Mike’s a tough-minded guy and he was probably more disappointed with last season than anybody. He had a lot of pressure on him to not drop the ball as much this year.”
Evans has a quiet confidence about him. He knows the kind of challenge he presents to opposing defenses and he knows the faith Winston has in him, especially in crunch time.
“I think this game will boost a lot of people’s confidence,” Evans says. “Jameis is clutch. He’d rather play from behind. I know he’d never say that, but he’s very resilient and we’re a very resilient team.”
October 12th, 2016 at 9:05 pm
BOOM!
October 12th, 2016 at 9:07 pm
Nice piece…per usual…Ira…or IKEA ( Ira Kaufman Entertains America ). 🙂 Evans really is doing well…I didn’t realize THIS well. And it’s the only true threat out there now ( sorry V-Jax ). Evan’s maturation was no more evident than when he was mugged on 3rd and goal and per usual…he didn’t get the call. For a split second he started to protest…but quickly shut it down and headed for the sideline. I can’t imagine how limp chimp this offense would be without him right now.
October 12th, 2016 at 9:57 pm
He’d rather play from behind? That’s scary. Probably contributing to this team’s consistently slo starts.
October 12th, 2016 at 10:04 pm
Great article-really enjoying Ira on the site. Would love if the podcasts were on iTunes
October 12th, 2016 at 10:08 pm
It was a one player draft
October 12th, 2016 at 10:09 pm
I loved seeing Evans look left….then look right for a flag on an obvious PI in the end zone…..not seeing any flags….he quietly walked off. Wow, what a difference….I don’t know if Evans simply matured or Monken straightened him out.
October 12th, 2016 at 10:18 pm
I think our targets for #3 are better than our “fans” give us credit for.
ME is obviously a stud no matter who you compare him to…Julio is still top dog but Mike is nipping at his heels. He’s easily one of the top 3 or 4 receivers in the league.
So you start with a real stud. Then you get to quiet dependability. Hump and Brate get the job done especially when the entire league is focused on ME.
And Brandon Myers is a professional TE who has had 79 and 47 receptions in back to back years.
And it seems as if VJAX is starting to regain form…thought he played well in Carolina.
October 12th, 2016 at 10:22 pm
BOOM is right!
Love it IRA!!!
How many people wanted to tar and feather ME? Yes, ME was in the trenches and guess who was in there with him JW3 pay attention people. They are young, determined men, are they there yet, NO! Will they be there, YES! The young buc TEAM showed up in prime time for MNF and over came adversity. Just wait 4 it!
October 12th, 2016 at 10:26 pm
Hey Destin Johnny for the negative nellie award. He’s so freaking negative he’s looking like a dumbbell.
It was a one player draft
Some of you downers have your heads so far up your rectum you can’t even see what’s in front of you..like that incredible catch and run for a TD by Sims against Atlanta. So Sims is hurt he’ll be back and no he’s not a guy who is going to run between the tackles but get him in space and you saw what can happen in Atlanta.
And oh btw JOHNNY perhaps you can pull it out in time to get some air and see what’s really going on!
Kevin Pamphile had a great game against Carolina causing Chucky to go off with praise because Pamphile was doing this against a tough DL. How the hell do you think we ran the ball so well!!!
ASJ was the only bust in that draft. Hey Johnny how about telling us the % of draft picks that actually make it in the NFL.
There was three starters…one of them ME…incredible…another Pamphile has blossomed into a studly OG…and Sims is great when he’s healthy which was all of last year. He’s the perfect compliment to Doug or Jaquizz…no he’s not the guy to pound it between the tackles…that was not why he was drafted!
It’s getting pathetic here!!! Some of you are so anxious to be negative and put down Licht or Koetter or #3 that you’re looking literally uniformed!!!
October 12th, 2016 at 10:30 pm
We are so good at top 10 picks. Wow! Awesome
October 12th, 2016 at 10:56 pm
@destinjohnny Kevin Pamphile? And idgaf what u mf’ers are saying, Charles Sims is a good complentary change of pace back.
October 12th, 2016 at 10:59 pm
@I know why, better than whiffing on top 10 talent like the browns do every year. Also, Donovan Smith, Ali Marpet, Kevin Pamphile, Kwon Alexander, Vernon Hargreaves. All taken outside of the top 10. So suck it hater.
October 12th, 2016 at 11:03 pm
St. Pete we needed o line and wideouts in that draft
With asj we passed on so may wideouts with that pick
Sims is a dime a dozen player and can u tell me I am wrong?
We passed on so many o lineman that have gone onto be pro bowlers with that pick.
Kevin is a marginal player.
Here is your question. Would you rather have a pro bowl guard right now over sims??
Would you rather have allen Robinson over asj?
October 12th, 2016 at 11:06 pm
Another nicely written piece Ira. Evans is having a great year thus far.
If we could find another receiver in his class for the other side (hopefully with a tad more speed) in the 1st or 2nd round next draft – we will be set for years.
October 12th, 2016 at 11:08 pm
@destinjohnny Name one offensive lineman taken after Charles sims that has gone to the probowl. Please.
October 12th, 2016 at 11:38 pm
Trai Turner from Nola played at lsu
Geaiux Tigers
He was selected to the pro bowl last year but couldn’t go cause he was playing in this thing called the super bowl. It’s a big game you might have heard of it.
Being a bama fan he killed us when we played.
I fell over when we picked sims not him. Sims is okay to good as a pass catcher but he is slightly below average as a runner.
If kevin is such a baller why do we sign sweezy to a 7 million dollar contract?
Maybe cause the glazers like to waste money??? That’s prob it I’m sure
We had Mike james and Bobby Rainey and i think both were better all around backs but we kept Charles due to the 3rd round pick status.
Then as much as we needed a wideout we draft Asj.
So imagine mike 13 and allen Robinson as our wideouts.
Imagine trai tuner and Ali Marpet as our guards
Like I said a one player draft
October 12th, 2016 at 11:51 pm
@ destinjohnny. Hindsight is 20-20 bub. Call it before the draft and people may be impressed. Just another Wikipedia hero, lookin up draft order and saying “we should have drafted so and so in the 3rd and so and so in the second!” Purethane nonsensemail. There is a reason those guys weren’t first rounders.
October 12th, 2016 at 11:51 pm
Pure nonsense*
October 13th, 2016 at 12:11 am
I watch turner play for 3 years
He killed bama all 3 years.
We needed a guard so bad
I couldn’t believe he was still there
And we take a 3rd down back.
I have to be honest I liked Jarvis laundry over Robinson.
So I was a bit off on that one but I’d takes Jarvis over asj.
My draft this year was
Shaq Lawson
Spence I was cool with
If we were going to trade up
I would
Have taken juran reed dt bama
Over the kicker
maybe I’m the crazy one wanting a dominate d line
And drafting d lineman in the deepest draft for that position in 20 years
I want the others teams qb watching the rush with grass stains on his back
October 13th, 2016 at 12:58 am
I wanted Aaron Donald over Mike Evans back then, and I would take him over Evans now.
October 13th, 2016 at 5:19 am
StPeteBucsFan & DestinJohnny … You’re both right. I’ve been down on Jason Licht for using our #3 AND #4 picks last year to draft a kicker, but overall he’s done a very good job of drafting. Especially since his first draft (2014) was probably driven more by Lovie than anything. ME13 has turned out to be a stud, and Pamphile & Sims are both at least ‘adequate’ (not super-stars, but they get the job done). His second draft (2015) he hit a home run: Jameis Winston, Ali Marpet, Donovan Smith, Kwon Alexander … wow! Jury’s still out on his 2016 draft but Hargreaves for sure is standing out, and Noah Spence looks like he’s got potential. The rest at this point … meh.
But that only tells part of the story far as I’m concerned. Right now we have 11 rookies on the active roster, plus Bond on IR. We’ve got 10 second-year players and 3 third-year players on our active roster, plus Sims & Jack Smith on IR. That’s 27 total players on our active or IR rosters that Licht has selected … half our roster. He’s missed on quite a few FAs (Collins and Ghost come to mind for starters), but again I tend to think Lovie drove that train more than Jason did. Still, we’ve got quite a few ‘keepers’ on our current roster who Jason either had a hand in drafting one way or another, or who he picked up as FAs. Overall, he’s done quite well.
October 13th, 2016 at 9:08 am
name me another Buc GM that put together a team that won with 2 starting
defensive ends,two starting defensive tackles,one starting Tight end and the second string running back injured.The Bucs have lost with one key player being out in the past.
This could be a defining moment for our team.