Distracted Bucs
January 7th, 2025
Is it logical to believe the Bucs were distracted Sunday against the Saints, overly consumed with Mike Evans getting his 11th consecutive season of 1,000 or more yards?
Joe thinks the Bucs were distracted. Significantly.
First, Evans seemed overly focused on his record. Go watch Evans’ reaction to Jalen McMillan’s Week 17 touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Panthers. And then go watch him in the seconds after McMillan’s game-winning TD on Sunday. Both times you’ll see a player who doesn’t look happy, and one that is not celebrating with his teammate.
Joe loves Evans as much as any fan, but Joe has to call it straight. It sure seemed like the streak was weighing Evans down.
Todd Bowles gave SiriusXM NFL Radio insight yesterday into how important the streak was to the club.
“I think the team and the coaches were more excited than Mike was,” Bowles said. “In the locker room, there was so much emotion.”
Joe admits to fishing for reasons why the Bucs came out terribly flat against the woeful Saints, trailing 16-6 at halftime.
There was no good reason for that, so Joe keeps coming back to the streak. Defensive players as well as offensive guys told Joe after the game that the Evans streak was a constant on their minds throughout the game. That’s highly abnormal.
Joe’s glad the streak-freak is over. Hopefully, all involved learned a valuable lesson or two for next year’s 1,000-yard chase.
Ira Kaufman Grades Todd Bowles, Talks Mike Evans, Locker Room Chatter, Saints Win, Inconsistency And More
January 7th, 2025 at 11:59 am
Simply, this just sounds like caring
Stuff like this and the hurricane is what brings teams together to do special things. They truly love one another which is awesome.
As a fan, I can’t help but be proud to root for my team win or lose.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:02 pm
Yeah get the man his yards early in the season
January 7th, 2025 at 12:06 pm
Jags wants to interview Coach Liam….
They can HAVE Bowels for free!
January 7th, 2025 at 12:11 pm
Maybe with the extra $$ Evans can buy some better hamstrings, let’s not wait until week 18 to clinch and worry about this record any longer.
LFB!!!!
January 7th, 2025 at 12:12 pm
Geez if they let Liam Im gonna be so pissed take Bowles instead please
January 7th, 2025 at 12:12 pm
I believe this game Sunday night will define whether this season is a success or a failure. Fair or not that’s what will be perceived.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:12 pm
Coen to interview with Jags. Sucks but likely first of many. Hope this is not a distraction for him or the team. Canales interviewed before the lions game last year and we saw how that worked out.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:14 pm
This team has come out flat after every big win.. which we all know and which Joe has chronicled more than once.
The best way to have gotten Mike the record would have been to come out on fire and ready to play against a weak, hated division opponent.. He would have had it by halftime if not sooner.
Excuses don’t do anyone any good.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:15 pm
I remember seeing Evans body language after McMillian’s TD vs. the Panthers. It did not present a good look for him. Perhaps Evans was still miffed at Bowles for accepting the penalty the play before that wiped out an Evans catch. Either way, it was definitely a distraction on Sunday, and the Bucs are very lucky they got out of that game with a win.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:16 pm
Show me some data points. Was the Defense worse? The Offense? Yeah, the 1st quarter offense didn’t meet expectations or hit it’s stride in the 1st half. But extrapolate the previous 20 or so quarters…SIGNIFICANTLY distracted? Nah…. the defense did what it does and has done. The offense was “off” for the half but finished with numbers we expect.
You want to argue it was a distraction, maybe the playcalling looked toward forcing to Evans…maybe Baker had to make some decisions he usually wouldnt consider?…sure But the numbers don’t bear out a significant distraction IMHO.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:21 pm
Well Mike’s record must’ve been affecting them all season, because this isn’t the first time the Bucs have come out flat. Dallas, the 49er game, that one was coming off a bye! I guess it affected them last season too, because there were many games they came out flat, or distracted. Well next year Mike will be going for the record, I guess they’ll being distracted next season too. Maybe the Bucs came out flat Sunday because they were distracted by Mike’s record. Maybe they came out flat because for seven games this season they just do.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:22 pm
$3 million is a lot of money. That’s why they came out throwing instead of getting Bucky going early against a terrible run defense. It WAS a distraction.
Again, I’d love to keep Bowles and Coen. If Coen is offered a new HC job, I’d reluctantly give Bowles an opportunity to retire or fire him and hire Coen.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:23 pm
Is what it is imo just be ready for snf
January 7th, 2025 at 12:25 pm
This thought has crossed my mind a few times and we’ll never know: had the Bucs won the Dallas game, they would have clinched the NFC South going into the final week. The 3rd seed I think still would have been in play but I’d have to double check. Nonetheless, given the injuries, including Mike’s previously, and Godwin’s, just to name a few…do the starters even play against the Saints? We’ll never know. Perhaps it was just meant to be that way.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:29 pm
The 🦆 duck had to safe the day!😉
Yes…she was there and she got to meet Tom Brady.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:37 pm
They certainly seemed to be pressing hard and seemed nervous in the 1st half. Hell I was nervous and anxious about Mikes records for a few weeks too and im just a fan…. I wasnt even happy when Bucky scored I was only thinking about Mike.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:38 pm
Hopefully next year he gets his 1,000 by the 10th week or sooner.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:40 pm
Honestly it was disappointing to see how irked Evans has seemed the last couple of games when his teammates succeed, I understand the record is a big deal and you get 3 million in incentives, but it’s just not a good look at all. Evans is important to the team and the community so I’m hoping since he has the record he will be more part of the team when someone else scores or has a big play. Also the record did cause the slow start. We should come out with more intensity Sunday with the record behind everyome
January 7th, 2025 at 12:43 pm
Also on the Liam cohen front, obviously he’s gonna get request for head coaching positions, but I really hope the glazers do whatever they can to keep him. That’s all baker and this offense needs is to learn another offense. Also baker is becoming a head coach maker, sure oc draws up plays that benefit baker and the offense but if baker don’t produce, then those head coaching jobs don’t come so easily
January 7th, 2025 at 12:49 pm
“fishing for reasons why the Bucs came out terribly flat against the woeful Saints, trailing 16-6 at halftime.”
At least you didn’t drag out the “C” word as in their collars tightened.
IMHO there is no single cause for Sunday’s first half. Distracted a bit by the record, probably, distracted or pressured by win or go home duh…
But how about a novel idea. It’s the NFL and on any given Sunday not just any team but any player can go off. Spencer Rattler played lights out that first half but he missed some passes the second half and the Bucs Offense finally showed up.
In the first half even Brady was amazed by Rattlers’s throws being through such tight windows with players covered so well on one completion Brady commented neither he nor most Vet NFL QB’s would have even attempted the pass.
Sometimes you lose sometimes you get whipped, in the first half Sunday the Bucs were whipped not because they lost but because the Saints were PREPARED!!
Saint’s DC Joe Burns had Liam Coens playbook and it almost looked as if he even had the specific calls as Saints antipcated EVERYTHING. So Coen got horribly outcoach for ONE game. One game does not a season make and a little wakeup call for the Talented Coen right before the playoffs is probably a good thing.
I’m not saying this about Coen but it’s human nature. Remember the slaves on the chariots in ancient Rome who rode with Conquering hero getting his parade.
As they rode through the rapturous crown cheering the hero’s glory…
“‘Remember that you are a mortal man, not a god’, so the cheers of the crowd and the pomp of the occasion did not go to the general’s head and make him think he was on the same level as the gods.”
It’s all good! The Bucs will be ready, the Commanders likewise, and I expect a great game with two pretty evenly matched teams.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:51 pm
Evans wasn’t upset his team mates were succeeding. That is different than realizing it was an opportunity gone. He and Shep were the first to be there and congratulate Bucky when he scored.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:51 pm
Oops apologies. I forgot the blog meme. The Bucs will be lucky to win because of the burden of Coach Dangerfield.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:53 pm
Coming out flat has nothing to do with it. Take a second and think about that. How does coming out flat help him gain the yards he needs? It doesn’t. Stop fishing and looking for something negative. It’s tired.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:54 pm
Be happy ..Jerry Jones and McCarthy screwed Cooper Rush out of $500,000 by sitting him on Sunday
January 7th, 2025 at 12:56 pm
He also comes out after a catch…..alot. I’ve yet to see anyone who’s a top 10 guy do this crap. Dude makes a play and it doesn’t matter if it’s a important drive he pulls himself out. And I think that’s a terrible look.
January 7th, 2025 at 12:58 pm
Not just last Sunday, several preceding games!
.
HEY JOES !
Let’s meet so you can see what a miserable multiple attempts to get to the story without a face full of Ad’s some of which I can’t imagine sponsoring JBF
January 7th, 2025 at 12:58 pm
Jmarkbuc…..I wouldn’t worry. While this was a big game record-wise, it was a fortunate game score-wise. The flat games typically come after blow outs. Sunday’s win was more hard fought and the team should not be over confident. GO BUCS!!!
January 7th, 2025 at 1:07 pm
You are accurate on your observation. I have noticed Evans body language hasn’t been great the last couple weeks and I have sensed his frustration at not having been targeted more. There was a pass early on in the game that felt forced and I feared it was going to throw Baker off more than it did. When he or any qb pre-determines to go to someone it can have a negative impact. I love Evans but am glad the record is over. His quick departure from the field after the record seemed a little odd to me as well. He could have handled it more gracefully.
January 7th, 2025 at 1:08 pm
They completely got away from their offensive identify in the first half and it was obvious.
It’s awesome to go for the record but secure a lead first lol.
This was extremely irresponsible:
First drive – 6 passes 1 run
2nd drive – 3 passes 0 runs
3rd drive – 7 passes 3 runs
This doesn’t include multiple scramble plays that were technically pass plays as well that ended up as rushing attempts.
2nd half we got back to our identity and Bucky had 4 carries on the first drive and we scored a TD.
January 7th, 2025 at 1:08 pm
SPBF
How in Heck is a professional football team “ distracted “ by the pressure of winning an extremely meaningful game?
Detroit looked pretty motivated against the Vikings, and they clinched a berth a while ago.
The excuse making for a team that is largely lackadaisical is ridiculous.
January 7th, 2025 at 1:21 pm
Hodad, you made me laugh.:D
January 7th, 2025 at 1:27 pm
I know it’s professional football but come on these guys are human of course they were distracted not saying it shouldn’t have happened but if ME13 was like most WR and such a diva none of this distraction prob happens cause he’s such a great dude everyone wanted it for him that just shows how great he is
January 7th, 2025 at 1:52 pm
Jmark.
We can quibble about the vocabulary choice of “distracted”. I accept your criticism.
The major thing all athletes and performers everywhere in all calls of life actually need to concentrate on is the NOW. And while that seems obvious the DISTRACTIONS of the future combined with fears of the past can get players out of the present moment! They are thinking ahead to the playoffs instead of the single play coming up.
January 7th, 2025 at 1:54 pm
Lesson: launch bombs early and often
January 7th, 2025 at 1:56 pm
Mike’s record is not the reason the Bucs came out like a wet turd on a turtle. This is the head coach’s MO. Follow up a great game with a total stinker. OK the lone exception was Lions in week 2 but at that moment no one knew Washington was a playoff team and Goff threw for over 400 yards. Dan Campbell under-coached Bowles, but at least he admits it and took accountability.
The garbage defense in the first halves of games is the Achilles heel. C’mon coach — anyone watching knows you’re tightening up coverages in the second half, don’t pretend like you don’t know why. (Unless you really don’t, then that is a much bigger problem.)
January 7th, 2025 at 2:12 pm
SPBF
That’s what coaching is for.
Again, Dan Campbell has his team ready to go.
January 7th, 2025 at 2:14 pm
There is no salary cap for paying coaches. Glazers need to pay their OC and promote him to Assistant head coach.
Also hire a real full time defensive coordinator with authority to run the defense so that Coach Toad J Bowels, may concentrate fully on my Head Coaching duties. Also give Toad a bonus for each playoff game the Bucs win
January 7th, 2025 at 2:14 pm
Grasping at straws Joe
January 7th, 2025 at 2:15 pm
Fortunately Evans was going against the 6th worse passing defense. Helped not have to fight Lattimore for the yards.
Based on the last time they squared off and their love affair he might have held him to 40 yards again or gave up 100 PI penalty yards just to deny him.
January 7th, 2025 at 2:25 pm
I’m calling b.s. Mike Evans was barely Targeted in the first half. Give me a break. This team has been up and down all year. I blame that on Bowles and Bowles alone.
January 7th, 2025 at 2:31 pm
This would be believable but like some have already said, the team has played like this repeatedly since Bowles became coach. Yes they have had some big games but for the most part we should expect the Bucs to come out flat for big games because thats what Bowles teams do. Squeak by bad teams and lose to good ones.
January 7th, 2025 at 2:35 pm
AK says the 3rd seed was in play.
Ummmm, we got the 3 seed.
January 7th, 2025 at 2:56 pm
Joe, I couldn’t quite find the full clip of the tuddy, but the catch on 4th down you can see Evans looks kind of like “man I needed that”
January 7th, 2025 at 2:56 pm
Speaking of which, I fully believe the Bucs will come out full bore this next weekend and blow out the commies
January 7th, 2025 at 4:25 pm
Seems many have a short memory & completely forget how flat the team played in the 2 final games last season with a playoff berth on the line. Losing to the Saints and barely getting the W on 3 MCLaughlin FG’s over by far the worst team in the league in Carolina. This isn’t anything new… short term memory is real among Bucs fans.
January 7th, 2025 at 4:33 pm
Billy Bucco I know they are the 3 seed- what I was saying was, had the Bucs won the Dallas game and had the division clinched going into the final week vs NO-Would the starters have rested, thus denying Mike the opportunity to break the record? We’ll never know. I mentioned the 3 seed because had that not been sewn up in that circumstance, they would have had something to play for. This is all hindsight and wondering about what ifs on my part that’s all because we saw Philly with their 2 seed locked up rest Saquon.
January 7th, 2025 at 5:03 pm
Give it (the stupid) a rest on here, bozos. Coen called a sh1t game in the first half. If he’s dumb enough to jump at a HC offer, go for it. He is not ready. We’ll replace him. Distracted? Well, since all these guys are human, not Elon Musk robots, I guess so. Bucs adjusted in the second half, and won the game and the Division. We have a lot of yahoos on here whom I’ve never seen before. Meanwhile, genuine Knowledgeable fans like DR are MIA. Why is that?
January 7th, 2025 at 5:16 pm
Couch Fan Says:
January 7th, 2025 at 2:31 pm
Yes they have had some big games but for the most part we should expect the Bucs to come out flat for big games because thats what Bowles teams do. Squeak by bad teams and lose to good ones.
——————-
someone else who hasn’t been watching this season at all. their losses didn’t come to good teams other than the overtime loss to the chiefs. and if not for a bad call on the coin toss they might have squeaked by on that one.
this season the bucs have played to their opponents level. played lights out against the good opponents that no one expected them to beat, and lost to the teams everyone thought they’d blow out-falcons twice, dallas, broncos, etc.
January 7th, 2025 at 5:22 pm
sunny Says:
January 7th, 2025 at 5:16 pm
Couch Fan Says:
January 7th, 2025 at 2:31 pm
Yes they have had some big games but for the most part we should expect the Bucs to come out flat for big games because thats what Bowles teams do. Squeak by bad teams and lose to good ones.
——————-
someone else who hasn’t been watching this season at all. their losses didn’t come to good teams other than the overtime loss to the chiefs. and if not for a bad call on the coin toss they might have squeaked by on that one.
this season the bucs have played to their opponents level. played lights out against the good opponents that no one expected them to beat, and lost to the teams everyone thought they’d blow out-falcons twice, dallas, broncos, etc.
—–
Someone else who doesnt read very well. I said they had some big games but historically since Bowles has been here, they crap themselves. Do I need to explain further?
January 7th, 2025 at 5:36 pm
@JMark
“Again, Dan Campbell has his team ready to go.”
Dan Campbell is a good coach for sure. But that is one game.
Here is my overall problem with most of the bloviating that doesn’t get backed up with context and facts.
Sports are not FACTS until AFTER the game. IE At the snap of the ball NOBODY really knows for sure what the result will be. That’s perhaps the greatest appeal of sports in general. They know tendencies, historical stats, but literally on EVERY play something different can happen. LUCK, Officiating, player talent, more factors than I can even type go into the result of that play.
But some sports fan don’t like that. They need certainty. They need scapegoats for losses and heroes for victories. For some reason a significant plurality of posters here have selected Todd Dangerfield for all that is wrong with the Bucs.
And even that would be OK if it wasn’t so freaking ONE sided!!! EVERY mistake Dangerfield makes is amplified and every success in ignored or minimized. FACTS BE DAMNED.
January 7th, 2025 at 6:22 pm
Not the first time this year or last year, that the defense has allowed long clock eating drives that keep the offense on the bench watching. Bucs had only 3 possessions in the first half Sunday resulting in 2 field goals. The time of possession in the first half was 21 minutes NO; 9 min TB.
That can’t happen in playoff football. Bucs offense is the strongest part of the team. Need the ball. Bucs defense really bad at forcing turnovers or just making the opponent punt.
January 7th, 2025 at 9:00 pm
Really Joe just stop you have no shame.
January 7th, 2025 at 9:07 pm
I agree 100%. Offense stalled hard first half staring at evans and trying to force feed into double coverage. Getting McMillan involved and more Bucky changed everything. Awesome that Big Mike got his yards, but I was starting to think his yards were more important than a win for awhile.
January 7th, 2025 at 9:09 pm
If someone wants facts on Todd and the facts are listed, the poster listing the facts gets called a hater. So what’s the point. The candy cane and pink pony brigade won’t accept any objective criticism of the head coach. Most objective, football knowledgeable fans realize that a head coach like BA or DannyC. would have gotten 12 wins minimum from this roster. Not botching end of game situations (Atlanta twice, SF, JC) for starters.
Whatever makes people happy.
Is Shamu still in Orlando? Asking for a friend.
January 7th, 2025 at 9:14 pm
@Jethro
“The candy cane and pink pony brigade won’t accept any objective criticism of the head coach.”
“Most objective, football knowledgeable fans realize that a head coach like BA or DannyC. would have gotten 12 wins minimum from this roster.”
Jethro that is a prime example of a NON FACT. Publish your link with documentation that “most objective football fans”. How do you know this.
Do you not simply pull that from where the sun doesn’t shine?
Jethro apparently you have difficulty establishing the difference between FACTS and OPINIONS. So for example the number of WINS is a freaking FACT!
How the coach gets them is an OPINION.
January 7th, 2025 at 9:53 pm
This is so late that I’m not sure anybody will see this, but what did Team Glazer REALLY think (deep down) about that 3 million dollar catch, lol.
January 7th, 2025 at 10:09 pm
SPBF – the facts are there. Public domain. Head coaching W/L record, defensive rankings, passing yards allowed, number of QBs having career days against — journeymen – Tom Brady had one losing season in his life guess the coach —. not knowing why his defense looks like dwarves against giants in the first halves of games when anyone besides you and Ray Charles can see that he’s finally tightening up the coverages and calling more pressure, less obsession with stopping the run in the second halves. And so much more. A good game followed by a flat game. I’m not going to soil the page on JBF with a lot of copy paste. The data are there, go look at it. Then bring all your excuses.
Have another candy cane and saddle up your unicorn.
January 7th, 2025 at 10:59 pm
Jethro
Nice try but no cigar
“Tom Brady had one losing season in his life guess the coach”
I haven’t checked “the public domain” for verification but I’ll take your word for us. So effing what? The fact that ONE player had ONE bad season is the fault of an HC and means ALL of the work of that HC is bad? One means all?
You provide zero other facts you literally did not provide another single fact just a lot of ad hominem insults.
Perhaps you can explain these FACTS Jethro
The Bucs have won 10 Division Titles. In his THREE years Bowles has won 30% of them. 3 for 3 Jethro how does that happen?
FACT 0ut of 13 Buc Head Coaches Dangerfield is one of only four who have brokent the .500 mark and if he continues at his current pace he’ll blow by Jon Gruden next year. How did this happen.
FACT It’s not just the Bucs. Dangerfield is the only HC in 15 years to have a winning with the Jets.
FACT He was the DC of the Bucs last SB winner helping that same Tom Brady win his 7th.
Perhaps you can purchase some candy canes and pink ponies to help with your posts or at minimum at least teach you difference between facts and opinions and mere observations.
January 7th, 2025 at 11:15 pm
I absolutely think there is logic to this! How about the reaction Bucky got on the bench after scoring to secure the win and it looks like he is almost defending his actions. I will admit, I was very sad when it looked like Evans wasn’t going to get it but this team had mixed up priorities in that game! Bucs won…. Plus Evans got it… please figure out how to have everyone on the (correct) focus moving forward!
January 8th, 2025 at 12:46 am
Joe I think you are spot on! However,I think the whole team may have been pressing a bit focused on the record and beating the saints all the while Atlantas outcome still wasn’t known and also addi g pressure.
I think evans and the Bucs are going to go off on the commanders Sunday night ! Go Bucs
January 8th, 2025 at 12:39 pm
Blah, blah, blah. You people wear me out.
Let’s go Bucs, beat the hell out of Washington Sunday night !