Where’s Godwin?
July 22nd, 2020
Wide receiver chatter.
Think Bucs receiver Chris Godwin is a top-10 receiver? A guy who used to throw passes for the Bucs doesn’t.
It’s the time of year where everyone has a list. Top-this, top-that. You get the drift. And former Bucs quarterback Chris Simms is no different.
In his list of top-10 receivers, Simms, now a star at NBC Sports, ranks Mike Evans at No. 4. That’s hard to quibble with if you see Simms’ list (see below). Joe maintains Evans is on a path to the Hall of Fame at his current pace.
And Simms, who led the Bucs to one of their last playoff appearances (second-last to be exact), took to his “Unbuttoned” podcast to detail why he doesn’t believe Godwin is a top-10 receiver.
If you extend the list in order of the receivers Simms talked about as honorable mentions, Godwin would have been his No. 16 receiver overall. Simms likes Godwin; he just believes the league is loaded with strong receivers.
“He was second in the NFL in receptions,” Simms said of Godwin. “He is a really good, awesome slot receiver. But I don’t think he has the physical abilities of the guys we’re talking about.”
Well, Joe won’t argue with the abilities angle, but hey, Joe is more about production than ability. And ability doesn’t always mean production (see: Howard, O.J.).
Simms added an interesting point: Godwin should be thanking Evans for keeping defenses honest and not seeing so many double-teams or a defense’s best corner on each snap.
July 22nd, 2020 at 7:44 am
I hope this is good posting for the locker room for Godwin.
July 22nd, 2020 at 7:48 am
That’s a lot of talent in that list.
If he’s not in the top 10 then he damn sure is number 11!
July 22nd, 2020 at 7:53 am
Godwin lit it up last year, no doubt, and the double-teams soaked up by Evans is a good point Joe. If Godwin repeats his success (or close to it) this year, he’ll get more love, and quite possibly replace numbers 7, 9 or 10 on this list. As bucs fans Godwin has passed the eyeball test for a few years now, but for the national types he’s only got 1 great year of stats to show for it on a team that didn’t move the needle outside of the Gulf Coast.
Fantasy football types on the other hand? Godwin ranked AHEAD of Evans in most cases at #6, 10, 6 again, 5 and 6 yet again in the small sample I’ve seen. He was a steal in the 7th round for me last year, this year it’ll take closer to the 7th pick in the draft to get him.
July 22nd, 2020 at 8:08 am
Interesting. Three of the top 4 are in the NFC South.
July 22nd, 2020 at 8:25 am
Simms’ list is a yawner. Godwin is a tougher SOB than anybody on that list and has no fear MAKING contested catches. He’s going to be electric with Brady delivering accurate passes
July 22nd, 2020 at 8:26 am
One could argue Godwin needs to repeat it. Then why is Cooper at #8? OBJ at #6 is an absolute joke. He’s maybe in the 15-20 range. He disappears way too often and doesn’t have the numbers to justify #6. Otherwise I believe the list is very solid.
July 22nd, 2020 at 8:29 am
9 and 10 are ridiculous choices.
July 22nd, 2020 at 8:29 am
What do people look at when judging ability?? The guy only catches EVERYTHING thrown his way. That tipped pass he caught in the end zone as he was being crushed by a DB and adjusting back to the ball was insane!! He’ll get his props and he’ll keep doing what he does which is be absolutely reliable.
July 22nd, 2020 at 8:40 am
Accurate passes, you people should check your sheets!!
July 22nd, 2020 at 8:44 am
I’d rather have Godwin over the bottom 5 dudes for sure, and could be persuaded to have him over Julio now that it’s 2020.
July 22nd, 2020 at 8:50 am
I’ll give Simms a pass on this list. Godwin has never had to operate as the number one guy. He has #4 on the list on the field taking attention. Until he can prove or as the top guy on the field he really doesn’t belong on the list. I would rate Godwin as the #1 second receiver in the league though
July 22nd, 2020 at 8:56 am
If Godwin played all 16 games last season…he would be on that list. At that point, his stats would make him undeniable.
July 22nd, 2020 at 9:09 am
Evans-Godwin is the best one-two punch receiving duo in the NFL…gotta be anyway. I’d not trade that away for any others. Given the Bucs have not been on primetime much, and given Godwin really is a rather quiet and humble guy, too many people still don’t know him, depspite his big perfomance. But that’s about to change. I think HE and L. David are going to get well-deserved big-time recognition this year.
July 22nd, 2020 at 9:56 am
LOL Simms is basing his rankings on combine stats like size speed etc. So people like Michael Irvin with just heart grit and want to dont count while your Odell Beckhams (team wrecker, coach killers) are worshipped. Whatever Simms get your head on straight your smarter than that.
July 22nd, 2020 at 9:59 am
Julio is way past his prime and in my opinion isnt the monster to cover he once was. I could be wrong but I remember him being way more dominant his first few years in the league and now hes big and fast but not uncoverable by any means.
July 22nd, 2020 at 10:00 am
Based on that list, I would have Godwin somewhere around 6 or 7 at the least.
July 22nd, 2020 at 10:15 am
Simms is a PC kinda guy, like his dad. He is just speading the wealth…Godwin is clearly better than several of the guys on the list.
July 22nd, 2020 at 11:00 am
In many ways Godwin looked better than Mike Evans last year. He does not have the height or physicality as Evans but he is faster, quicker and does a great job separating from the DBs.
July 22nd, 2020 at 11:41 am
AlabamaBucsFan
Godwin has very good physicality. Last year he was knocking off DBs all day and moving up field.
July 22nd, 2020 at 11:42 am
…But of course not as much as Evans.
July 22nd, 2020 at 12:07 pm
Well at least 3 of the top four reside in the NFCS. This is one tough conference.
July 22nd, 2020 at 12:17 pm
Chris Simms is dumb just listen to him speak. He hates Brady and always takes shots at him so leaving off godwin is more of a shot a Brady not Godwin. Godwin is going to be great. Major Applewhite didnt choke like Simms at texas
July 22nd, 2020 at 12:21 pm
Godwin is a beast and sucks he doesn’t along with some other Bucs get the PUB he deserves especially since we all know some of their bonuses and incentives come from things like that. Things will change this year🤞🏿. I’ll call it now because of the Brady affect Mike Evans won’t get 1000yds this year because Brady will hit the open man but we’ll have a better record and hopefully make the post season so Mike along with the entire team and fans will be much happier with that.
July 22nd, 2020 at 1:56 pm
Hey Bucsfan, Chris Simms was smart enough to be Bradys Coach while with the Patriots for a season. Have you ever been a NFL coach at any position?
July 22nd, 2020 at 3:06 pm
I am expecting both Godwin and Evans to get at least 1,000+ yards apiece. I have no guess as to who will get the most TDs. The addition of Gronk does not mean a subtraction for them in my thinking.
Who will be considered the best WR between Evans and Godwin by the end of this season remains to be seen. It is a tossup as far as I’m concerned. I would favor Evans only because I have watched him play longer.
July 22nd, 2020 at 3:24 pm
LOL Pulling the Major Applewhite card!
Has to be a Sooners fan. Maybe A&M.
July 22nd, 2020 at 3:45 pm
Julio is at the end of his career & who is OBJ? He sucked last year!!! Some of these names are yesterdays news…
July 22nd, 2020 at 5:14 pm
this is a pretty standard take on WRs who are not freakish size\speed guys or highly touted coming into the league. until they do it for a few years in a row like stefon diggs, antonio brown, or michael thomas the talking heads chalk it up to a guy playing over his abilities for a year or two.
OBJ belongs on no top 10 lists until he is healthy and reliable
July 22nd, 2020 at 7:40 pm
I disagree with Chris Simms here, but I like him.
July 22nd, 2020 at 10:47 pm
Simms is entertaining, usually has good opinions, and I give him extra leeway since he is a former Buc. That said, as soon as I saw Tyreek Hill at number one, I knew this list was hot garbage. I won’t even lower myself to explain why Hill at one is ludicrous.
I’ll never understand the weird wideout fetish that people have for “where’s the touchdowns dude?” Julio Jones. Very good not great player. Hopkins is another one that I can’t wrap my head around. Great receivers simply do not get shut down by Carlton Davis, especially when they have an “all world” quarterback throwing them the ball. Again, very good but not great and not even close to as good as Mike down the sideline.
Mike is hands down the best receiver now and best receiver since Randy Moss and Antonio Brown. Tecmo Bowl numbers this year and he will almost assuredly get the record for consecutive one thousand yard seasons to begin a career this year.
I almost understood Simms’s take on Godwin (even though I tend to be a homer) since last year was his first big year, but then I saw Courtland “are you freaking high Simms” Sutton at 10! 10 for gods sake. Hey, I still like Simms, but this is some gobbledygook bullspit and almost makes Ira’s opinion of Mike look sane.
I can’t wait until these idiotic lists come out next year with Mike and Godwin not only mentioned as the best one-two punch, but as the best two wideouts in the league period.
Courtland Sutton! Lol, where the hell is the respect?