“We Should Win Early When We’re Fresh”
December 28th, 2019
Mike Evans speaks
Is there any reality to the notion of a Week 17 game being meaningful in a season that was lost long ago?
The best receiver in Bucs history tackled that question this week.
Evans was asked whether he feels there’s any substance to the idea that there can be a carryover of momentum from one season to another.
He wasn’t very enthusiastic in his response, but Evans agreed that it can make a difference.
“Yeah. Yeah, I do,” Evans said. “It’s hard to win in this league as it is. But to know that you can win late in the season when guys are banged up, it shows that you can compete. It’s a battle playing 16 games, you get little injuries here and there that people never know about. And sometimes it’s hard to play, but knowing that you can win late in the season, it means a lot. So we should win early when we’re fresh, and play better at the end of the season, too.”
When it comes to momentum and building on this season, Evans’ line about winning early when you’re healthy that should be the lesson here for the Bucs.
The following are Tampa Bay’s records in the first halves 2013-2019 seasons: 0-8, 1-7, 3-5, 3-5, 2-6, 3-5 and 2-6, respectively.
Evans literally does not know what it’s like to win early in an NFL season.
Momentum sounds nice, but the best momentum is making your own early in a season.
That’s the next hurdle for the Bruce Arians regime.
December 28th, 2019 at 11:23 am
The same thing also goes in games……win early…..or struggle…..and we can’t seem to win early…..wonder why?
December 28th, 2019 at 11:28 am
No more handicap points next year Jameis!!!!!!
Go Bucs!!!
December 28th, 2019 at 11:30 am
If Kevin Cash were head coach, he would have Ryan Griffin come in to open for the first series, and then let Jameis take over the rest of the way.
That just might WORK!
Haha
December 28th, 2019 at 11:30 am
As far as the slow start to SEASONS…..
I am hoping that ends next year with the 2nd year under Arians.
December 28th, 2019 at 11:36 am
That really is pathetic. The goal should be to win 75% of your games each quarter. Finish with 12-4 and likely win your division. Any more it seems like if you don’t have at least 10 wins, you probably won’t make the playoffs. Unless, of course, you’re in the NFC East.
December 28th, 2019 at 11:44 am
Feed the narrative that much of Winston’s bloated numbers come when nothing is on the line.
Garbage time in games and garbage time in the season.
December 28th, 2019 at 11:55 am
Play consistent. Not early. Not late. Consistent.
December 28th, 2019 at 11:55 am
EEK, that holds no water. You know that a huge amount of those yards and td’s by Jameis came when the BUCS were still within striking distance of a winning season and/or playoff spot.
December 28th, 2019 at 11:57 am
EEK, I also don’t remember one single game this year where there was “Garbage Time”. What game did you have in mind? When were they blown out?
Blow Outs went by the wayside with Dirk’s regime.
December 28th, 2019 at 12:01 pm
We can rip JW all that we want for the interceptions. We are ALL tired of them.
But EVERY SINGLE one of his TD’s and Passing Yards this season came during a competitive football game, whether ahead or behind.
There WAS NO “Garbage Time”.
December 28th, 2019 at 12:04 pm
Jameis tries to win early when hes fresh, but he threw a pick 6
December 28th, 2019 at 1:14 pm
No doubt Winston can make plays and no question he has incredible abilities.
I see his numbers as empty calories.
Some of those wins his numbers look good but he actually played poorly and the D made a play or we didn’t lose in spite of him not being able to close out 3rd downs in the 4th quarter.
His most impressive game to me was against Detroit when the season was already over. He was a beast.
The following week when there may have been a little more on the line he pooped his pants while stil throwing for over 300 yards.
He has too much talent to be so inconsistent. I am not in the enabler camp to keep making excuses for him.
December 28th, 2019 at 1:26 pm
@Joe … “The following are Tampa Bay’s records in the first halves 2013-2019 seasons: 0-8, 1-7, 3-5, 3-5, 2-6, 3-5 and 2-6, respectively.”
THAT’S more on MANAGEMENT Joe than on anything else IMO. In those 7 season, we’ve had FOUR different HCs, 6 different DCs and someplace between 4-6 OCs (if you count Tedford & Monken as OCs). That’s hardly what anyone could call CONTINUITY. It takes TIME to build team CHEMISTRY, as well as decent TALENT & quality COACHING.
Our musical coaching staffs & constant personnel turnover explains pretty well to this simple mind why our record in the first half of those 7 seasons is 14-42.
December 28th, 2019 at 1:51 pm
8-8 would be a successful season. Major improvement over another loosing season. Baby steps towards consistency. Problem is i never seem to get what i want with the Bucs. 7-9 just sucks.
December 28th, 2019 at 1:52 pm
Same lame story with this lame qb as the starter. We will have another terrible record this year. We would be 11-4 with a different starting QB. Cut the whack job and move on.
December 28th, 2019 at 2:05 pm
If you’ve given up on FAMOUS …then you have what they call a business decision to make…either you ride another year with T B BUCS or find yourself another watering hole. When the winning starts early next season,…it’s a free country, come on back, we’d be glad to have ya! Like I say all the time…KEEP GRINDING FAMOUS…it’s all about you and I know you do it BIGGLEY!!! STAY THE COURSE, MAN THE TRENCHES…ALL HANDS ON DECK next season with a few new draft choices and free agents and we lock down the 2020 season and find ourselves kicking that playoff door wide open!!! I CHOOSE TO RIDE WITH FAMOUS…THE ONE AND ONLY FAMOUS!!!
December 28th, 2019 at 2:25 pm
The only thing that is consistent with Jameis Winston is that he is a slow starter. With the current CBA there isn’t enough training camp to get him up to speed before the season starts.
One of the reasons that he is not the top of the pops for me is that he has done little to better himself. His idea of off-season conditioning seems to be tossing balls to Louis Murphy.
With IMG just down the road he could do a lot more. Go there and have a QB whisperer work on his mechanics and field vision. It is the only way he will not start slow if he ends up back here.
December 28th, 2019 at 2:58 pm
That JW3 pads his stats in garbage time IS complete garbage. Totally agree with you TBDemon.
This article got me thinking of the idea of changing the season to 18 games with only 2 preseason games. Can the player’s body’s take it? Could the league require each position starter 16 maximum starts. Starting Qb for example would have to give way to the backup for 2 games if he is healthy throughout the season.
December 28th, 2019 at 3:05 pm
So Jameis had a slow start week 15 and 16 when he threw for over 900 yards 8 passing TDs and one rushing? If I remember correctly the week 15 game he had 3 TDs and 350 yards in the first half. So I would say he’s that consistent at slow starts.
December 28th, 2019 at 3:24 pm
Since Jameis is a lock to get 30+ million whether fans like it or not, shouldn’t we, as a learning tool, see what we actually have in Ryan Griffin? Let him start, and finish his first full game? Let RoJo take the lead back role. Give him 25 carries.
We need some answers ..there’s still way too many questions.
December 28th, 2019 at 3:39 pm
An interception on the second pass of the week 15 game and a pick 6 to start game 16 are things I would call a slow start. I don’t know what weeks 15 and 16 have to do with the start of the season.
December 28th, 2019 at 3:45 pm
Worst decade in the history of the franchise. 5 coaches in ten years. Long gone season ticket holders like myself. The glazers have no one to blame but themselves. Better sign all these players back, no more Michael Bennets please.
December 28th, 2019 at 6:18 pm
How about that Joe Burrow!? Man i wish we could draft him!!! What happened to JW? Why cant he throw like that?? Oh well, $120 coming my way from my cousin up north….we bet a 100 and then i bet him 20 more 3 nights ago LSU would win by more than 14 haha.
December 28th, 2019 at 7:05 pm
I’d like to see the Bucs draft Grant Delpit, Safety LSU.
December 28th, 2019 at 8:14 pm
Im all about Delpit if Love is gone….Raiders may target Love.
December 29th, 2019 at 8:18 am
Defense Rules Says:
December 28th, 2019 at 1:26 pm
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Glad to see a fellow highly educated fan pointing out what I’ve been screaming about since egomaniac Chucky got canned. AMEN, Bro!!!!!!!!