“Hand Him A Gold Jacket”
January 1st, 2023
Canton audition.
This shouldn’t surprise many Bucs fans, but it was a pretty lively scene in the Bucs locker room immediately after the game.
The Bucs finally looked like the team they can be and have been: Dangerous. Lethal. Exciting. Quick-strike.
Music blared from the speaker system. Guys were back-slapping. Some hugging. Others showing off their new albeit wrinkled red “Conquered South” shirts.
NFC South champs, baby!
Even the players were buzzing about Mike Evans’ incredible day. Joe thought Evans absolutely put this team on his back today. Three touchdowns. Over 200 yards receiving. And, of course, he broke 1,000 yards for the season, the ninth straight season Evans has done that. Hell, he broke 1,100!
Evans has never had a season with less than 1,000 yards. Only two others have had a streak of nine straight seasons with 1,000 yards receiving. They are Jerry Rice and Tim Brown.
So when Joe approached Bucs running back Rachaad White to ask him about how Evans totally balled out, White had the perfect response.
“Hand him a gold jacket.”
For those not aware, cats who get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton wear gold jackets.
“Him and Chris [Godwin], they are just different,” White said. “I tell that to them all the time. They are just different.
“[Evans], he’s a special guy. One of a kind. It’s Mike.”
Evans’ 207 yards today was just shy of his personal best of 209 set against the WTF back in 2014, his rookie year.
Evans didn’t start the game all that well. He actually dropped what might have been the first of four touchdowns early in the game. Evans later said that sort of warmed him up.
“That’s what great players do,” Bucs right guard Shaq Mason said.
Not just great. But gold jacket great.
January 1st, 2023 at 5:57 pm
It took how long to really use the best receiver the Bucs will ever have? HOF
January 1st, 2023 at 6:00 pm
I guess they were protecting his hamstrings until they were absolutely necessary.
January 1st, 2023 at 6:00 pm
Where in the F has this offense been all season?
Mike Evans and Brady had their best games today…
Congrats Buc fans we are in the playoffs!!!!
January 1st, 2023 at 6:00 pm
He did not drop that pass. The announcers said he did but you can clearly see the DB had his left arm hooked should have been pass interference
January 1st, 2023 at 6:02 pm
Has anyone seen Julio “The Ghost” Jones????
January 1st, 2023 at 6:04 pm
What a time to get the chemistry going!!!! LFG!
January 1st, 2023 at 6:04 pm
@Irishmist…………….Keep kissing those shamrocks I guess?
Just amazing the pessimism this team faces from it’s “fans”.
January 1st, 2023 at 6:05 pm
Who cares where Julio was not every player needs to show up all the time just at the right time go bucs let’s get healthy and make some noise in the playoffs no more scared football put everything on the line.
January 1st, 2023 at 6:05 pm
All my losers in the house let me hear you scream and shout!!! Let me hear you scream and shout the House is on fire! Evans wont get 1000. Brady too old. Panthers will win! Let me hear you loud and proud!!!
See you losers in the superbowl!!!!
January 1st, 2023 at 6:05 pm
I have been preaching that all yr Marine!!!
Hoooah!
January 1st, 2023 at 6:07 pm
LOVE IT @ OLDSCHOOL!
January 1st, 2023 at 6:08 pm
Off topic but Joe – could you somehow relay to the NFL broadcasters that the cannon fires once when we get into the red zone? Each game the Broadcasters are caught of guard and confused. Educate the world.
January 1st, 2023 at 6:09 pm
Just like David, Evans doesn’t get the respect he’s due. The part that puts him on a different level is the thing that keeps him from getting the respect he deserves…. Dude is a team first non diva player. If he was a diva and demanded the ball like others he’d be more talked about. He’ll go down as one of the Bucs all time best player, if not the best. Crazy that he’s this good and never talked about nationally.
January 1st, 2023 at 6:11 pm
@Old School,
I’m starting to think you might be on to something. I mean, IF the Bucs could run the table and win out? Might be the greatest comeback story in NFL history.
I have a tad more hope in this team, now. They showed me something today, and that’s not a feeling I’ve had all season long, until now.
My biggest reason for optimism? The O-line played MUCH better today, and that’s a good sign going forward.
GO BUCS!!!
January 1st, 2023 at 6:12 pm
That Washington game I remember, he had 2 TDs that day.
January 1st, 2023 at 6:15 pm
Gold jacket is right! 💯
January 1st, 2023 at 6:29 pm
CJ Henderson will be having nightmares for the rest of his days with 13 blowing by him over and over LOL
Best Buc ever? It’s always been D players but he might just be the best Buc of all time
January 1st, 2023 at 6:37 pm
I rooting for him to be HOF like every other fan but I don’t 600 catches in 9 seasons is gonna do it. Might take awhile
January 1st, 2023 at 6:45 pm
Evans is an awesome player on the field and off.
He finished the game, did an interview and then took his shoes off signed them and gave them to kids.
This Guy is a HOF all the way around.
Class Act Mr Evans #13
Amazing what happens when the Bucs get him in the game plan
January 1st, 2023 at 6:56 pm
No Sh1t, Sherlock!
January 1st, 2023 at 7:03 pm
This was fantasy football championship weekend Evans and Brady put up MONSTER #’s they destroyed teams today! people will remember this weekend #’s forever.
January 1st, 2023 at 7:29 pm
Yet another time I’m so glad I was wrong. I wanted Evans’ QB, not Evans. I was actually mad that they took Evans over Johnny Football. I should never, ever, be asked to evaluate talent.
January 1st, 2023 at 7:37 pm
Conquered South is a Civil War reference. Way to troll the political nuts, NFL.
January 1st, 2023 at 7:48 pm
Not just gold jacket, but first year eligible gold jacket. Hopefully, that’s 10 years down the road, or more.
January 1st, 2023 at 7:50 pm
WillieG, you and me both. Glad you’re man enough to own it. I was dead wrong also.
January 1st, 2023 at 8:15 pm
I love everything about Mike!!! Great player and a great person and role model!!! One of the greatest Bucs Ever!!
January 1st, 2023 at 8:32 pm
That 3Rd TD gave me Randy Moss vibes.
January 1st, 2023 at 9:05 pm
“Only two others have had a streak of nine straight seasons with 1,000 yards receiving. They are Jerry Rice and Tim Brown.”… NOBODY has ever started their career with 9 straight hopefully y’all knew this! And Moss only had 10 his whole career and rice only had I think 14 … Mike is on his own at the top of this particular stat!
January 1st, 2023 at 9:39 pm
jackclark^^ i thought the misdirection to julio was a slick play?? Hes not that guy to go and dominate anymore.. i thought he did a great job?
January 1st, 2023 at 9:51 pm
the man is a class act, love how he gives his TD balls and cleats away to fans
January 1st, 2023 at 10:56 pm
HOF
January 1st, 2023 at 11:23 pm
I love that all four of our top receivers are healthy finally. Godwin is looking awesome, Gage is starting to show out and Scotty & Otten are just icing on the cake. Now if we can get this O line to get healthy fast and get Jensen back we might just surprise some people. 30 points needs to be our low mark for the next 5 games!! Go Bucs!!
January 2nd, 2023 at 2:42 am
I’m proud of Mike and the rest of our guys too. Coaches? Naw, we need a playoff win for that. Losing to and barely squeaking out wins against gosh awful teams just doesn’t fill me with confidence.
I know that I’m being negative after a win, but it would be just like us to bring this coaching staff back even if we get throttled in the first round of the playoffs. Two wasted years in a row waiting for a tiger to change it’s stripes would be mind numbing. If we win a playoff game against the eagles or the sell out’s team then all is forgiven.
January 2nd, 2023 at 9:09 am
I have been a Texas A&M fan just as long as I have been a Buc fan (’77) and when our time came to draft, I remember saying out loud over and over… take Mike take Mike…..
I LOVED Johnny Football in COLLEGE and to this day, I can’t recall a more electric COLLEGE QB, BUT it was pretty clear it wouldn’t translate to the pros….
Just want ME13 to be a lifelong Buc… play until he doesn’t want to play any longer… he will be in the ring of honor and he will get that gold jacket!
January 2nd, 2023 at 3:02 pm
Sometimes just having Julio on the field takes a double team or requires a saftey to pay attention to all receivers and gives ME#13 single man to man coverage. I am still amazed at just how fast ME really is when he turns the burners on. Separation speed. Wow.