“Mike Catch Two More Balls, [It’s] A Huge Day”
September 14th, 2023
Drops.
Joe made this point on the Ira Kaufman Podcast: don’t blame Dave Canales for Mike Evans dropping an early bomb from Baker Mayfield and then a short throw later.
And don’t point a finger at Canales for Mayfield overthrowing Ko Kieft at the goal line.
The CBS camera crew didn’t show a replay of Evans’ early drop of a go-route in the red zone, but the film doesn’t lie. Canales, at his news conference today and on the Buccaneers Radio Network on Tuesday, multiple times referenced the Evans drops without saying the word “drop.”
Today, Canales was asked to rate the state of his offense from 1 to 10. In his answer, he noted Evans.
“Mike catch two more balls, [it’s] a huge day,” Canales said after rating the offense a “6 or 7.” … “He could have had a really big day; I know he’s pissed about it.” …
“Baker hit a few more, we got a really fantastic day, you know. And the running backs will find their way to turn a couple of those efficient four-yard runs into those big ones as the seasons on and as they feel it.”
Joe brings this up because a lot of darts were fired at Canales during the first half on Sunday. It wasn’t perfect, but Joe can’t pin it all on a coordinator when a Hall of Fame receiver drops passes.
September 14th, 2023 at 1:48 pm
Yeah, he also said Mike was pissed at his own performance.
He could have ended the day with three touchdowns (and us not needing that offside on the defence for our second one)
September 14th, 2023 at 1:50 pm
Having said that, first half of a new offense. Constant improvement is more important, which we will hopefully see against the bears.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:02 pm
So which @joe told me not worry about a blown pi call on izen because we won but you guys are constantly bringing up a drop catch 🤷🏾‍♂️ it’s the same logic right?
No, considering it’s a completely different context. Joe is talking here about coaching responsibility. Plus, it’s certainly not 100 percent that the Izien PI was a blown call. —Joe
September 14th, 2023 at 2:04 pm
Mayfield was under a lot of pressure early in the game. Got to pick up those blitzers better.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:17 pm
“And don’t point a finger at Canales for Mayfield overthrowing Ko Kieft at the goal line”
Why not? Ko Kieft shouldnt be in the game on passing downs. Thats on Canales.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:19 pm
I’m glad I don’t hear a lot chatter about “growing pains”. These guys seem confident in the system and Mayfield seems all in. I wasn’t expecting much from the offense, especially early in the season, but they may surprise me. I hope so.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:26 pm
Lukrazs nailed it: ‘first half of a new offense’. New OC, new QB, new LT, new LG, new RG, new RT, new lead dog at RB. Plus several others (Hainsey, Otton, Kieft, Palmer, Thompkins) still relatively inexperienced. It’d be foolish to expect it to gel overnight.
The improvement in the 2nd half passing game was dramatic IMO, and that’s the biggest story of the offense to me. Just took awhile for everyone to settle in, and for the opportunities to start presenting themselves. But I think that it bodes well for the future.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:32 pm
Funny – I was called every name in the book for saying the same exact thing a few days ago…
Some of you people are ignorant sycophants.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:32 pm
If Mike Evans wants to be paid like a top ten receiver he better start catching the ball.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:34 pm
To my inexpert eyes and opinion, there seemed to be a definite progression from the first quarter to the last.
How much of that was Canales “growing up” -vs- better player execution can be debated.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:34 pm
problem is mike has a history of doing it. I didn’t watch all the games last year….but I know he did the exact same thing with Tom Brady. deep ball hits him in the number with nothing but endzone and he drops them. every time early in games! 2 TD’s he cost us last week. That is NOT a big money WR.
3 years 5 Million gauranteed. Tie the rest to to a matrix of catches, drops and TD’s. to hell with his thousand yards if they are just being fed to him for the sake of the team. All he is good for is 10 yards out and turn around these days.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:37 pm
The part I liked most about the 2nd half offense is how methodical it was. Vikings had less than 10 minutes to play. To the point where we won overall time of possession despite constantly getting fast outs in the first half.
The only reason the second half even got close was because of the nonesense PI call on Izien. Otherwise they would have needed a touchdown. Didn’t even matter though, because despite there being nearly 5 minutes on the clock they didn’t get a chance, because once again we kept that ball in OUR hands.
Yeah, I loved that second half. Freely admit it. Hopefully its a sign to come.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:38 pm
That deep ball was one of the patented lackadaisical looks from ME. It’s my only pet peeve of him, but he has a history of it. You know JJ goes up and gets that 100%.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:40 pm
if mike pulls a hammy and trey palmer goes in at his spot, I bet he blows right past the DB!
Thompkins or Jarrett in the slot.
September 14th, 2023 at 2:58 pm
This is the same ME that stated he didn’t need preseason games right?
September 14th, 2023 at 2:58 pm
No Marine, you and others were called ignorant for acting like Mike Evans is always dropping passes every game every season.
According to 2 different sources, the following WRs all had more drops than Evans in 2022:
Amari Cooper – 12
Ja’Marr Chase – 11
Gabe Davis – 9
Deebo Samuel – 9
Davante Adams – 8
Tyreek Hill – 8
DeVonta Smith – 8
Stefon Diggs – 7
Jaylen Waddle – 7
Michael Gallup – 7
CeeDee Lamb – 6
Justin Jefferson – 5
DeAndre Hopkins – 5
Mike Evans – 4
(And there were even more that I left out, those were just the bigger names who everyone seems to think catches every single ball thrown their way)
September 14th, 2023 at 3:02 pm
And all those same guys had more drops than him in 2021 too.
In fact, in 2022 – Evans ranked 73rd in the league for highest number of drops.
In 2021 – Evans ranked 130th in the league for highest number of drops.
Meanwhile guys like Tyreek Hill, Amari Cooper, JaMarr Chase, Gabe Davis, Deebo Samuel, CeeDee, etc., are all in the top-10 or close to it both years.
September 14th, 2023 at 3:27 pm
so mike had almost a 100% regression from 21 to 22′
at that rate he will be in the top 30 this year. and those other cats you mentioned actually catch live balls on hard roures and at speed. mike drops those…but he helps his case with as 90% of his completions are curl routes.
September 14th, 2023 at 3:35 pm
@Boss – Mike Evans had 4 drops in 2022, according to 2 different sources.
In 2021, he also had 4 drops. Pretty consistent actually.
Meanwhile in both those years guys like Amari Cooper and JaMarr Chase had over 10 drops each.
Tyreek Hill, Deebo Samuel, Gabe Davis, Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams all had 7 or 8.
September 14th, 2023 at 3:35 pm
Sorry, in 2021 Evans had 3 drops.
So not even close to a 100% regression. You’re confusing the ranking with the actual stat.
September 14th, 2023 at 3:44 pm
@Marine Buc
I disagree with your view, but I didn´t calle you any kind of names.
Just a disagreement no more no less.
September 14th, 2023 at 3:44 pm
I would question our numbers.
I see him drop that many in a couple games.
September 14th, 2023 at 3:46 pm
Canales is responsible for the offense. He chose the QB and every other player on it. The offense is loaded and it underperformed. So yes he underperformed in week one. Let’s hope they over perform next week.
September 14th, 2023 at 3:49 pm
TB12 says it takes years for a QB to create rapport. Let’s not expect perfection in game 1.
September 14th, 2023 at 3:50 pm
fox sports has him having 1 drop last week…so those stats are worthless or massaged at the very least.
Maybe the sun got in his eyes-not a drop
Maybe a bug landed on his visor-not a drop
Maybe a defender was within 5 yards-not a drop
Maybe mike was looking at a butterfly-not a drop
Maybe thats how it works.
September 14th, 2023 at 3:53 pm
Between 21-22 Mike had 236 targets with 8 drops that’s a 3.3% drop rare for the past two years which is well above average.
However, I still understand the frustration with Evans some times because a couple times a year it just looks like he either loses the football or isn’t concentrating/ looks a little lazy tracking the football in on some routes.
I first noticed it myself when Jamies threw a beautiful pass ME13 dropped against the Cowboys years ago.
Still the best WR in team history and franchise player. No one’s perfect. I hope he can correct it and tighten up his game for the remainder of the year.
September 14th, 2023 at 3:58 pm
Boss- or maybe professionals who’s job it is to do statistical data analysis are more accurate than biased fans?
September 14th, 2023 at 3:59 pm
This offense will be decent! ME13 will be great! (Another season over1000 yards). Patience!!
September 14th, 2023 at 4:09 pm
Don’t piss Mike off anymore Dave!!!
September 14th, 2023 at 4:10 pm
I just don’t believe the only drops have been the times when I tune in….and I get mostly miami and jets games.
I can think of more than a few (TD passes and/or hit him in the numbers) off the top of my head in the last 2 years
I’m not the biased one
like marine said.
“Some of you people are ignorant sycophants”
September 14th, 2023 at 4:10 pm
The easy and random drops in games have always been mostly the case w/ Big Mike. Hall of Famer – which he is – or not.
The 2 things that have been different from Evans this off-season was not sustaining the annual TC hammy injury 🤞 and the new stance on contract and status w/ team. So in that way it’s been a smidgen unusual from him this year.
One of my favorite Bucs players/people of all time, but that’s the truth lately.
September 14th, 2023 at 4:10 pm
Boss by your logic, all those other guys would have way more drops too.
Like I said earlier- Cooper, Chase, Hill, Kupp, Smith, Lamb, Samuel, Diggs, Davis, Waddle, Brown, Hopkins all had more drops than Evans the last 2 seasons. And some of those guys had more drops on less targets / less “catchable balls”.
But you’re welcome to your own opinion. Just know that the stats don’t back it up.
September 14th, 2023 at 4:12 pm
Buc fans are the greatest. Evans by far is the greatest receiver we have EVER had on this team and yet because of some small thing called drops that all receivers do from time to time and so many treat him as some kind of pariah. People say he can’t get separation and yet he got great separation on his touch down and owns some of the longest catch AND run tds in our history. Even America’s Turnover Machine hit him on one of the greatest crossing routes I’ve ever seen for almost 70 yards. Then another poster says all he’s good for are 10 yard curl routes. Are you serious??? Are you people aware that he doesn’t call his own routes? How much do you wanna bet Patrick Mahomies would be ecstatic to have him on his team even now at his age???So many people think they’re smart when they really aren’t!
September 14th, 2023 at 4:23 pm
@ ZZ and unbelievable
It is very simple.
10 targets – 2 drops = 20% drop rate. 66 yards – 1 TD.
Is that performance really worth $25 MILLION DOLLARS PER SEASON?
Is that performance really worth $20 MILLION DOLLARS PER SEASON?
My answer is – NO.
IF – IF – If Mike Evans wants to be paid as a top ten NFL wide receiver – he better start catching the ball.
September 14th, 2023 at 4:23 pm
He has concentration drops for sure (Carolina last year off the top of my head).
Lattimore gives him fits.
He is below average YAC receiver.
He is top 5 contested catch possession receiver.
He is a big target (necessary for an inaccurate or inconsistent QB.)
He is consistent and reliable.
Ultimately you can poke holes in every wr game if you look hard enough. You can also find positives in every wr if you look. They are pro athletes for Pete sake. All I know is that this team is much better with him than without him.
September 14th, 2023 at 4:23 pm
When Evans is in traffic like the slant that hit him right on the numbers he sometimes isn’t using his hands. Prior to Arians coming here Mike ran many routes and was a master at the foot tap and catching the ball and falling out of bounds. He was a master at doing that.
For the last 3 years his target are primarily go routes for deep balls, fades in the end zone and comebackers in zones.
I don’t understand why he isn’t used more on the sidelines intermediately and more jump balls. He certainly can do more with his body than the Bucs have used him for. The guy who played for the Bucs and quit on them, Antonio Brown, ran the best sideline and comeback to the ball route of anyone who ever wore a Buc uniform. He was a douche but when he’d get the DB backpedaling, his abilty to cut and turn to the sideline was remarkable. He never dropped an easy catch.
September 14th, 2023 at 4:29 pm
@marine- let’s not look at 1 game to determine value. We all know that is flawed logic. If that’s the case, Jets should sign whitehead to a record breaking safety contract for his 3 int game.
September 14th, 2023 at 4:33 pm
@ ZZ
I wasn’t calling you any names.
You were one of the more respectful JBF members to debate with.
It’s all good and I don’t have a problem with healthy debate. We don’t have to agree on everything. I have my opinion and you have yours and that is totally cool with me bro.
Go Bucs!
September 14th, 2023 at 4:36 pm
@ godlovesbucs
“let’s not look at 1 game to determine value.”
I agree with this 100%.
However – we have one game to watch and study.
So I will just copy and paste the rest…
“It is very simple.
10 targets – 2 drops = 20% drop rate. 66 yards – 1 TD.
Is that performance really worth $25 MILLION DOLLARS PER SEASON?
Is that performance really worth $20 MILLION DOLLARS PER SEASON?
My answer is – NO.
IF – IF – If Mike Evans wants to be paid as a top ten NFL wide receiver – he better start catching the ball.”
September 14th, 2023 at 4:38 pm
First game. I don’t think he played much, if any, this preseason. And of course he made the play of the game that turned the game around.
September 14th, 2023 at 4:43 pm
Unbelievable – NO sense in trying to explain the facts to people who have their minds made up already. They are the bandwagon fans who jump ship on any player or the entire Bucs team. Last year it was Devin White , now he’s back to being the greatest ever. Go Bucs and Mike Evans
September 14th, 2023 at 4:51 pm
Hope Mike can limit the drops as the Bucs have to remain as mistaken free as possible to win games.
September 14th, 2023 at 4:56 pm
Players gotta make plays. Coaches have a role to play in designing and calling plays, but dropping two balls and some not very accurate passes in the first half are on the players, not the coaches.
But at the same time, both Dave Canales and Todd Bowles made some great adjustments in the second half to nullify what the Vikings were doing well … and of course, players made plays.
September 14th, 2023 at 4:57 pm
When I look across the NFL WR landscape over the last 40 years or so, all WR’s drop passes. Heck, early on in his career, Jerry Rice was known for dropping passes – then he corrected it with hard work.
I don’t have a problem with drops from ME. It’s football, it happens. Overall, he actually catches most thrown his way, and let’s not forget the ridiculous 50/50 balls he grabs that MOST other WR’s wouldn’t catch. He is elite IMO.
I think he drops the easiest of passes sometimes, and perhaps when it’s a non-contested catch and easy TD, maybe he loses focus for a split second.
I’ll take ME’s talent, drive, and determination over most WR’s in today’s game. No QB makes every pass, and no WR catches every ball. Mike is elite to me.
September 14th, 2023 at 5:16 pm
Evans has been dropping balls, many of them in pretty big situations, for as long as I remember. It’s part of the Mike Evans experience and it’s still a fantastic experience. His drop statistics have never seemed up to the eyeball test.
September 14th, 2023 at 5:18 pm
I mean, geez, did you all SEE that Carolina game last year? I mean, I know it was Carolina, but dang – Mike single-handedly took over that game, which is by definition, elite. Oh and might I mention we HAD to win that game? Win and we win division and go to playoffs. Lose and we …well, we just lose.
One of the better games I’ve seen a WR play, with everything on the line.
September 14th, 2023 at 5:24 pm
Marine@. The team has a lot more than 1 game to look at.
They have 9 years.
They also need to look at where the team is in regards to overall talent, future contracts and player value.
They should also take into account his leadership in the locker room (a plus) and age (a minus).
I do not envy the bean counters that have to make the decision on how valuable Evans would be to the future of this team, along with the negative impact of not paying a player who has consistently produced.
It could be wise to cut bait now.
It could also be wise to resign for 3 more years.
No one knows.
September 14th, 2023 at 5:36 pm
@Marine Buc – if he had a 20% drop rate over an entire season, you might have a point.
Fortunately for us, you don’t.
September 14th, 2023 at 5:51 pm
^^^^^^
I love Mike Evans.
I just want him to rise above mediocrity and stop dropping passes that hit him in the hands.
He wants a new contract which will pay him top 10 wide receiver money.
So far he has not yet earned it.
That is all.
September 14th, 2023 at 6:02 pm
Need a whole new stat for dropped sure-thing touchdown passes
September 14th, 2023 at 6:20 pm
unbelievable Says:
September 14th, 2023 at 2:58 pm
No Marine, you and others were called ignorant for acting like Mike Evans is always dropping passes every game every season.
According to 2 different sources, the following WRs all had more drops than Evans in 2022:
Amari Cooper – 12
Ja’Marr Chase – 11
Gabe Davis – 9
Deebo Samuel – 9
Davante Adams – 8
Tyreek Hill – 8
DeVonta Smith – 8
Stefon Diggs – 7
Jaylen Waddle – 7
Michael Gallup – 7
CeeDee Lamb – 6
Justin Jefferson – 5
DeAndre Hopkins – 5
Mike Evans – 4
(And there were even more that I left out, those were just the bigger names who everyone seems to think catches every single ball thrown their way)
____________
A true comparison of drops should include number of targets as well.
September 14th, 2023 at 7:03 pm
Remember the Joes calling Mike KY Hands?
September 14th, 2023 at 7:33 pm
Unbelievable,
Can you provide the number of targets for each of your WRs on that list?
September 14th, 2023 at 7:53 pm
Canales deserves a lot of credit for going short quick passes and increasing the tempo . Well done .
He may very well be the Bucs next head coach if they can’t continue to improve . If not here somewhere .
September 14th, 2023 at 9:08 pm
Joe please inform these so called fans kio has he best hands of all the TE on the team. It’s not kio fault baker couldn’t hit him.
September 14th, 2023 at 10:31 pm
Marine Buc Says:
September 14th, 2023 at 5:51 pm
I just want him to rise above mediocrity and stop dropping passes that hit him in the hands.
___________________
Well he’s already well above mediocrity.
But I agree about passes that hit him in the hands.
I’ll remind you that in the Super Bowl against us, Tyreek Hill had at least 4 passes hit him in the hands that he dropped, including 2 that went through his hands and hit him right in the face. Point being- every receiver drops passes from time to time.
@Doosh – you can check on FantasyPros or pro-football-reference, they list total targets as well as “catchable passes”. Like I said, some of those guys had more, some had less.
FWIW, both sites list Evans with 1 drop last week, not 2. So I assume they consider the defender did enough on one of them that it doesn’t constitute a “drop”.
I can’t remember if the ball got tipped on that slant pass or not, and can’t find a replay to see for myself. The bomb was definitely a drop.
September 15th, 2023 at 6:11 am
“Joe brings this up because a lot of darts were fired at Canales during the first half on Sunday.’
Who was throwing darts Joe? Maybe they were watching replays of Leftnut instead of tthis year. I think his debut went much better than some think. He faced a DC who threw the kitchen sink at him and won.
I can’t recall seeing any team blitzing us as much as the Vikes did. When they were not doing that they had 8 in the box. Very agressive and Canales was scheming against it well. Baker missed some throws that would have forced them to abandon what they were doing.
Go Bucs!
September 15th, 2023 at 6:14 am
Evans knows he missed one for sure. The other one…He gets that one too nine out of ten times. Bakers pass should have been a tiny bit better as well.
Go Bucs!
September 15th, 2023 at 7:42 am
Lighten up… he’s not the WR that he used to be, and also has many things on his mind. Still a fairly solid option though!
Bucs should be fine and am looking forward to seeing us move up to .500 or even slightly above average win % for ’23. Go Bucs!!!