Mike Evans Wants To Emulate Defensive Backs
May 26th, 2018
More swagger, more often, is needed, Mike Evans explained earlier this week.
On how to maintain that through a game and a season, well, Evans has an idea.
Evans says the answer could lie in the mentality of guys like Brent Grimes and Chris Conte.
“You know, I’ve always been impressed with defensive backs, like, they’ll get beat and then they’ll come back and just make more plays,” Evans said. “They don’t care about getting beat or anything like that. So I think everybody needs to have that mindset: offense, defense, special teams whatever position you are. You know, you can’t get that play back. DBs really have a good mindset when it comes to that. So I think everybody on our team should have that mindset.”
Joe feels good hearing that Evans is further exploring the mental side of the game. He’s had a history of sporadically losing his cool, which has led to penalties and even a suspension last year.
But that’s the stuff fans see. What about the times when Evans doesn’t let something go and it affects him for the rest of a series?
Still 24 years old, Evans is a maturing player on the rise. Maybe this is the year he becomes more like those great defensive backs in his approach.
May 26th, 2018 at 4:05 am
BOOM! Mike is gonna have a badass season!
May 26th, 2018 at 4:55 am
Like the sentiment (players need to be able to shake off bad plays), but IMO that’s one lesser characteristic that great players have. Learning from those bad plays and making fewer & fewer is what leads to greatness IMO. And to me, that’s where little things like talent & desire & coaching come in.
May 26th, 2018 at 5:50 am
“Evans is a maturing player on the rise”
Maturing – we’ll take. Evans has few weaknesses in his game aside from leaving too many YAC yards on the field. But hot-headedness/temper control is definitely something Mike can try to focus on within his ongoing and thus far successful pursuit of greatness.
Mike is a good man and he is smart. So these flashes we’ve seen of his emotions that come on too strong in a negative way at times – are more about misdirected competitiveness than anything I believe. Its a tough nut to crack – because its hard to simulate or contrive such moments as when we’ve seen Mike lose his temper. We did see him make some progress in year 3 with coach Monken in his ear every day regarding not arguing with refs nor begging constantly for PI calls.
Evans, however. must continue to look within and take it upon himself to find that Zen Mindfulness that works for him in order to fully get past these negative emotional displays. Meditation, Yoga, Spiritual pursuits – these are traditional means humans use to help themselves be more in “control” of their emotions and learn to make consistently good decisions in the NOW – despite what might be occurring around them or “happening to” them….
Most 24 year olds have little interest in such things – but “greatness” usually requires “balance”. Balance of mind, body AND spirit through some means or another.
Football players spend a LOT of time trying to improve the first 2. I just hope for the sake of a # of talented yet “passionate” young Buccaneers like Mike and Jameis and Kwon – that they are finding ways to achieve true balance within themselves personally – so that their immense football talents can shine as brightly as possible for this Buccaneers franchise over the next decade.
Now as far as – “on the rise” goes – My God – just imagine if its true that Mike Evans has not yet hit his ceiling…. That he will sustainably play better than what we’ve yet seen….
Coming into year 5 – ME13 has already entrenched himself as the best WR in Bucs history.
309 catches – 4579 yards – 32 TDs
Those #s through 4 years have him headed to the HOF if he can stay healthy and maintain a similar level of productivity for another 6+ years. At which point he would still be younger than DJax is now (31)….
I said in 2015 before a down was even played that the Winston/Evans connection would one day be mentioned in the same conversation as Marino/Duper, Montana/Rice and P. Manning/Harrison. That prediction thus far, is nicely on its way to being realized.
The future is bright for this franchise regardless of what the naysayers have been miserably and endlessly spouting since about mid-way through last season.
TAMPAAAAAA…..
May 26th, 2018 at 6:01 am
mike does ALL the amazing stuff you expect, from an elite top 5 wr talent, similar to jameis at qb. i feel both need to mature, together, and WILL if given the opportunity. the base group is so young, and super talented they’ll be really special in a short time
May 26th, 2018 at 7:04 am
Well said, well written.
Baaaay!
May 26th, 2018 at 8:37 am
Really Joe🤨! Conte’s mentality is to always get beat when the team needs it the most.
Can wait for the season to start and hope the bucs finally weed out those garbage players and save the spot for players that will eventually help the team.
May 26th, 2018 at 10:36 am
Please forget the YAC, he will improve the run after catch ability nonsense
Our overpaid MEME has the worst stop and go quickness/speed kobe has ever seen. when MEME stops or breaks, it takes him forever to churn his legs
When our MEME catches the ball its like a deer in the headlight look. He wants to move his feet but its stuck in quicksand….
Like has has stated many times, It resembles Donavan Smith trying to put on a pair of skinny pants
Mental game of ME?
He has the worst mentally and fragile demeanor of any receiver Kobe has ever seen. He jumps up angrily when he gets chased down by a nose tackle thinking he can actually run after catch for 20 yards. Hands? MEME drops 3 passes a game and IS NOT dependable
“Next year with the new regime, this offense will run thru OJ howard and Chris Godwin ”
Kobe Faker
May 26th, 2018 at 11:09 am
Kobe Liar – you really are a very special kind of stupid
May 26th, 2018 at 11:16 am
Evans is a very good player. My only bone of contention with his play is ongoing. That still is the hand action down the field with defenders, not so subtle pushoffs on most passes thrown to him. Sure, the defenders are sometimes guilty of that also, making it difficult to determine who the refs will call it on when the flag hits the ground. I see it and always cringe.
May 26th, 2018 at 11:42 am
yeah evans is badass, but keep your eyes on godwin, because he is really going to be something special imho, and yes he can get separation and yac
May 26th, 2018 at 1:22 pm
JL ESPN on the Bucs terrible Red Zone Offense: “Evans was targeted a whopping 18 times (25 percent of his routes run) and managed just four catches with three touchdowns.”
May 26th, 2018 at 3:11 pm
As usual an excellent post Pickgrin!
May 30th, 2018 at 9:23 am
Who is this Kobe character!?!? And is he serious!?!? Starting to think secretly he’s a titans fan that is still bitter we took Jamies over Mariota… I have no other explanation for that dumb a$$ statement…