Chris Godwin Goes To Bat For Mike Evans
June 15th, 2021
Having each other’s back.
It was the end of Chris Godwin’s rookie season, 2017. He just caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Mr. Entertainment, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, with nine seconds left to beat the slimy Saints.
In the locker room afterwards, the greatest receiver in Bucs history, Mike Evans, told Joe how Chris Godwin was a No. 1 receiver. Already.
(When Joe replied to Evans, “I thought you were the No. 1 receiver, Mike?” Evans said back to Joe, “I am. … Now don’t you start nothing.”)
To this day, Evans tells all who will listen to him that Godwin is a top-shelf receiver. Anyone who watches the Bucs understands this. So it seems only fitting that a classy guy like Godwin would have the back of a fellow classy guy and his teammate, Evans.
Yesterday while substituting writing the “Football Morning in America” column for hot-dog-eating-contest-protesting, mock-draft-scowling, L.L.-Bean-wearing, Second Amendment abolitionist, Mike-Florio-arguing, parrot-insensitive, chewing-with-his-mouth-open, soup-gulping, California-train-romancing, anti-football proliferation, outhouse-admiring, airline-napping, steerage-flying, Yogi Berra-worshiping, urinal-picture-taking, video-game-playing, Taylor-Swift-listening, pickpocket-thwarting, Bucs-uniform-frowning, Allie-LaForce-smitten, Big-Ten-Network-hating, pedestrian-bumping, olive oil-lapping, popcorn-munching, coffee-slurping, fried-chicken-eating, oatmeal-loving, circle-jerking, craft-beer-chugging, cricket-watching, scone-loathing, college football-naïve, baseball-box-score-reading, NPR-honk, filthy-hotel-staying, fight-instigating, barista-training, Budweiser-tolerant, baseball-scorecard-keeping, pasta-feasting, vomit-dodging scrooge, Kay-Adams-following, Coors-Light-souring, pineapple-upside-down-cake-eating social activist and NFL insider Peter King of NBC Sports, Godwin wrote how he just cannot figure out why Evans doesn’t get more run.
It seems to frustrate Godwin that other receivers like DeAndre Hopkins and Stefon Diggs, among others, get glossed more nationally than Evans. In Godwin’s eyes, Evans is elite and needs to be respected as such. And, Godwin writes, Evans has earned the respect and the run.
I think Mike Evans doesn’t get the respect he deserves for consistently being one of the league’s best wide receivers, as if he didn’t just break Randy Moss’ record for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons at the start of a career (seven).
No doubt. But you rarely hear the talking heads on BSPN or FS1 say this. When has screamin’ Stephen A. Smith hollered that Evans is elite? When has Nick Wright made the case that Evans is a top-three receiver?
Is fantasy football at fault here?
Or is it because the Bucs were mostly losers and therefore Evans got dragged down with the record before the arrival of park-violating, home-invading, NFLPA-ignoring, down-forgetting, handshake-stiffing, jet-ski-losing, biscuit-baking, tequila-shooting, smartphone-phobic, waffle-grilling, trophy-throwing, roller coaster-scared, numbers-rules-peeved quarterback Tom Brady?
Evans is a good dude. And so is Godwin. So it really shouldn’t surprise Joe that Godwin had Evans’ back when given such a massive national forum.
June 15th, 2021 at 5:32 am
A true band of brothers. They fight for each other on the field and off.
June 15th, 2021 at 6:21 am
Team Unity Rocks
June 15th, 2021 at 6:30 am
This article is spot on and solid gold!
It’s why no Bucs related is better than JoeBucsFan.com
June 15th, 2021 at 6:30 am
Bucs related website *** (my b) ^^^
June 15th, 2021 at 6:46 am
FF is def the culprit here. Evans has never been a fantasy monster. Solid and consistent and nice piece, usually incredible value as your 2nd WR. And that’s basically where fans have him on their list. Low 1 high 2.
June 15th, 2021 at 6:57 am
I don’t see Mike as 1 of the best WR but he is a weapon bcuz of his size
June 15th, 2021 at 7:11 am
Go back to bed, Pete. You need your sleep.
June 15th, 2021 at 8:02 am
Wow you guys really nailed it! As a 60 yr fan of football, i’ve learned a lot. Those other receivers are the only bait in town(Jimmy Buffett) I would challenge most fans to name one other player, other than QB, that plays on their team haha. Defending against Evans and Godwin is like plugging the leaks in Bonnie and Clyde’s car after the shootout. hahaha If they cover these to superstars, here comes Miller, Gronk, Brate, Brown and not to mention the backs. If they make the tiniest mistake, Tompa will make them pay. SO, bring it on defenses. By the time defenses realize this, it’s too late. To get the numbers that Evans and Godwin get is an amazing accomplishment
June 15th, 2021 at 8:18 am
Pete…that is like saying I don’t view someone as a number one receiver because they are faster, bigger and smarter than other receivers. And they have great hands and run great routes. Without those things, they wouldn’t be great receivers…so those aren’t characteristics of number one receivers. SMH.
June 15th, 2021 at 8:39 am
Too bad stats don’t include pass interference yardage against a receiver.
I have never seen a wideout draw as many flags as Evans does.
June 15th, 2021 at 8:48 am
Please Chris!
Sign the same extension that Mike signed!
Please!!!
June 15th, 2021 at 8:55 am
Thanks for the kind words guy. Appreciate it. 👍
June 15th, 2021 at 8:57 am
mg, where can you get one of those Team Unity rocks? I need one for my Bucs collection. LOL
June 15th, 2021 at 9:01 am
Because for some reason he keeps getting shut down by lattimore and the Saints were getting all the shine while winning the division year after year. I have a feeling all this will change now
June 15th, 2021 at 9:29 am
@Cobra: “Too bad stats don’t include pass interference yardage…” So true!!
And, I am not sure it is going to get any better for ME. With AB, CG, and Gronk, ME’s stats are NOT going to go up. And there are so many stars on our Bucs’ team, is ME going to get any more media attention? I doubt it.
June 15th, 2021 at 9:34 am
You Bucs fans KNOW the Bucs have the BEST wide receiver tandem in ME and CG! Throw in AB and we are talking 3 LEGITIMATE PRO BOWLERS!!! This is the season that it becomes very obvious to everyone else!!! Their individual stats may not make them fantasy football favorites… at the end of the day all that matters is who got the W!!! GO BUCS!
June 15th, 2021 at 9:55 am
Give me the heart and soul of 11 Godwin’s on offense…ME not so much…
June 15th, 2021 at 11:01 am
^^^^ WTF? ME played hurt a LOT last year. I would take ME’s “heart and soul” all day long. You sound like a very casual, unknowledgeable, casual, not so bright fan. And that is being kind.
June 15th, 2021 at 11:13 am
I do have a criticism of CG and ME13 … They both were duds in the playoffs. Godwin had 7 postseason drops. Evans had a huge drop and generally did nothing in the Super Bowl.
Now … the playoffs are different animal. It usually takes teams a few years in the post-season to learn how to play at the highest level when the bright lights are on.
I’m excited to see both men show out with a year of playoffs under their belt.
June 15th, 2021 at 11:20 am
@Senor…ME is a whiner…he cavetches and moans whenever he doesn’t make a play and looks for the officials to bail him out…GIVE ME 11 GODWIN’S on offense!
keep the insults to you and your family…
June 15th, 2021 at 11:38 am
Evans is a top 15 WR in the league who consistently produces 1,000 yard seasons but is rarely top 10 in production. Since he’s been in the league he’s only been top 10 in yards twice. AB, Beckham, Hopkins, Julio, Kelce, Hill, and Michael Thomas all have more seasons finishing in the top 10 than he does in that time frame.
He drops way too many passes, and how many times do we hear about a INT being caused by his route running, no matter the QB?
1,000 yard seasons are nice, but it only breaks down to 66 yards a game, thats not elite production.
Evans also gets shut down too frequently to be considered elite. Lattimore is his his Daddy.
In 2020 Evans had 7 games where he had 3 or less catches, elite WR’s do not get shut down that often.
In the playoffs that trend continued as he averaged 3.5 catches per game in the postseason and he averaged 51 yards receiving per game in the postseason. That’s not elite.
Good player for a bad franchise, but let’s not lift someone up as elite when they are very good
June 15th, 2021 at 12:05 pm
Evans is going to go down as the best Bucs player or in the top 3 before he’s done playing. He also should be in the talk of top 10 all time greats if he continues his 1000 yard year record. The biggest thing I see that kills Evans is being shutdown against Lattimore. He completely shuts him down every time they play. I really think if he had better games against the top corners and Lattimore he’d have his name talked about more.
June 15th, 2021 at 1:18 pm
It is the Bucs curse. Other teams have been perennial losers longer than the Bucs but they get more attention. Nfl.com rarely ever put up any stories about them even after what they did last season. The fact Evans put up great numbers as a rookie with a scrub like Josh McKlown and over a 1000 yards yearly with various different qbs is a testament to his greatness, however the Bucs are not media darlings even now so he suffers disrespect just like Levante David. It is really sad that Cleveland gets so much love and the Bucs don’t.
June 15th, 2021 at 1:23 pm
Odell Beacham is so over rated Evans is a better wr than him . Evans is top 5 in the NFL.
June 15th, 2021 at 1:27 pm
David I agree with you 100 % bro!
June 15th, 2021 at 1:46 pm
@ David,
Evans did not put up great numbers as a rookie. He only had 3 games with over 100 yards receiving. Great TD numbers, but receptions and yards were not great.
June 15th, 2021 at 1:48 pm
@DavidBigBucsfan99 both Evans and David are so disrespected our own fans can’t even spell Lavonte correctly! Haha
June 15th, 2021 at 1:57 pm
I’ll take the word of defensive coordinators and backs over that of “persons” like Nick Wright and Stu. The proof is in the PI’s and the double teams. With all that going on, Evans is setting franchise records that will never be touched.
June 15th, 2021 at 2:32 pm
#Rhonde 🙁
June 15th, 2021 at 3:26 pm
Good on Godwin! Mike has been the best receiver in the league five years running despite what Ira (you’re the best) and Simms may try to sell ya.
June 15th, 2021 at 4:32 pm
As good as Evans is, he is not the best receiver on the team. That list would look like this.
1 Antonio Brown
2 Mike Evans
3 Chris Godwin
That is no insult to Mike or Chris, rather 5he truth about Brown. That’s a great thing for the Buccaneers. Throw in Front ant the other talented TEs, and a probowl capable RB, a top 5 offensive line and the greatest QB to ever play the game and a top 5 defense, smells like back2back Superbowl champs. You guys shouldn’t worry about who gets credit for what, just enjoy watching one of the best NFL teams ever assembled.
June 15th, 2021 at 4:35 pm
Stu… Evans used to lose some self control when he felt he was being mugged by a d back. And Koetter sat on his hands. Since Koetter didn’t have the players back..(btw, I pointed that out in the game when Evans and Winston seemed to be out of control, with Winston flicking a players helmet)…the players figured it was up to them to stand up for themselves, when the wimpy coach wouldn’t. The combination of a real coach that has his guys back, and maturity, he doesn’t lose it anymore. Didn’t once last year or the year before.
June 15th, 2021 at 5:16 pm
Opposing defenses are well aware of who Mike Evans is. The rest of the league is a different story because the team struggled itself into obscurity. LVD and ME are definitely bright spots in what was a dark decade. May his hamstrings remain quick twitch and pliable all season long. Get him rolling early and victories are easier to come by.
June 15th, 2021 at 5:57 pm
Seven CONSECUTIVE Seasons of 1,000 yards receiving says all you need to know about ME13’s standing in the NFL and the record books . We Bucs fans DEFINITELY know who and what he means to our Team !
June 15th, 2021 at 5:59 pm
If our WR corps were not so deep, Evans would have many more stats. Most of those receivers perceived to be better than him are lone wolf number ones who are thrown to whether they are covered or not. It’s not necessary to force it to Mike that often due to our depth. Thus, the FF reference that Joe spoke of.
Really very simple.
June 15th, 2021 at 6:00 pm
Bucs bro
Well said. I’m grateful ME is on our team, but I’ve never thought of him as generational or rare…
June 15th, 2021 at 6:30 pm
“It was the end of Chris Godwin’s rookie season, 2017. He just caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Mr. Entertainment, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, with nine seconds left to beat the slimy Saints.”
How far we’ve come…
June 16th, 2021 at 10:14 am
Winning solves everything. Evans and Godwin will get their due as Super Bowl Champions. Who knows there might be more coming! GO BUCS!