“Just Scratching The Surface”
December 1st, 2016
The best?
If one is to believe the “Custodian of Canton,” eye-RAH! Kaufman, prized columnist of JoeBucsFan.com, Mike Evans is the best wide receiver in the NFL.
That’s what Ira told the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo of SiriusXM Radio fame yesterday
Russo, in a rare display of restraint (probably because he is good friends with Ira), disagreed but did agree with Ira that Evans’ impact on the Bucs may be bigger than any other wide receiver in the NFL.
Yesterday at One Buc Palace, offensive coordinator/wide receivers coach Todd Monken suggested Bucs fans have not seen the best of Evans.
“I just know what Mike is capable of and he’s just scratching the surface, I really believe that,” Monken said. “We have a huge tendency and that is to throw it to a great player. I like that tendency, that’s what you should do. If you have a really good running back, you give him the ball, if you have a really good receiver, you find way to get him the ball.
“We’ve had to move him around a little bit, he’s embraced that role and he gets excited about going up against top-caliber competition. So, you can see that in warmups and you can see at the start of a game. I wouldn’t say every catch that he had was on [Seattle cornerback] Richard Sherman, there were some zone looks, there was some crossing routes that inverses zone. But again, we’re excited at the progression that Mike has made, not only as a player, but controlling his emotions and the way he is every day with his practice habits and then game day.”
Later, America’s Quarterback, Pro Bowler Jameis Winston, echoed his coordinator’s sentiments.
“The sky’s the limit because Mike is so good at so many different things,” Jameis said. “He can run past you, he can go up and get a ball, he can make you miss when he catches a short pass. So, the sky’s definitely the limit.
“I’ve just got to continue to get him the ball and also the other guys around him, they’ve been playing good too. The better they play, the more we can get guys off Mike and the more they have opportunities to showcase what they can do. So, that’s been working for Mike as well.”
When the Bucs drafted Evans in 2014, Joe thought Evans would be a fine player but Joe was praying the Bucs, instead, would draft a quarterback. Sure, Joe publicly wanted Johnny Football or Teddy Bridgewater, and also was hoping for Derek Carr. That didn’t happen.
The way it worked out, Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht hit a home run, drafting a guy likely will go down in history as the franchise’s best receiver.
Yeah, Joe typed it.
December 1st, 2016 at 6:52 am
He already is the Bucs best wide receiver ever. 10 years from now he will have put out of reach of anyone ever catching him. Of course the Glazers are going to have to step up and give him the biggest contract ever for a wide receiver probably close to 20 million a year.
December 1st, 2016 at 6:52 am
WOW, Lovie left us loaded for the future on offense. Jameis, ME, Brate, Humphries, Ali, Donovan, (Sims), too bad ASJ didn’t work out. Just need Licht to keep adding to the pot of youth we have and for Dirk to keep stirring
December 1st, 2016 at 7:10 am
It’s about time u admit it!!! That’s y I love your website Joe. U can admit when your wrong. I wanted Evans in that draft bad and to watch u write about Johnny D Bag was very frustrating to me. All I have to say though is there is no other website like JBF. U guys are the absolute authority on all things Bucs. Between Ira and the Commish this website is a must read/listen everyday for me. Thanks Joe!!!
December 1st, 2016 at 7:30 am
…and the franchise’s best Quarterback! They are an awesome combo
December 1st, 2016 at 7:30 am
And to think Joe spent an entire year berating him as KY hands. This type of season was easy to predict. Playing in Tampa he won’t get this and type of hype as obj or dez but he is in the mix as a top 5 WR
And he deserved every bit of the K-Y intro. –Joe
December 1st, 2016 at 7:51 am
I was hoping for Carr also but sure like the way things turned out.
December 1st, 2016 at 8:08 am
Currently only behind J
December 1st, 2016 at 8:19 am
Told you he would make you eat that ridiculous moniker. KY hands??? How about one the baddest in the league. And just getting started.
December 1st, 2016 at 8:47 am
RjBucnu:
Thanks for the kind words!
December 1st, 2016 at 9:05 am
Easily the most talented WR we’ve ever had and I thought that was obvious after his rookie year. Even defended his drops last year because he still was our only offense at times
December 1st, 2016 at 9:09 am
Joe is fair, he called Mike KY hands until he proved otherwise, and Joe will continue called Ray Jay the Den of Depression until the franchise proves otherwise. Keep calling out the problems where you see them and hopefully this team keeps fixing them like they seem to be doing lately. Great time to be a bucs fan and shoutout to the Joes for always keeping it real, be it positive or negative.
December 1st, 2016 at 9:28 am
And he deserved every bit of the K-Y intro. –Joe
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Not really Joe. He had six drops in the NY game. Obviously something was going on with him emotionally that day.
11 drops on the year means he only had 5 drops during the other 15 games.
Not KY ish at all
Your numbers are off, since there is no reliable source on drops. Second, that’s not what Evans and Bucs coaches would say about his drop total based on the in-house stats kept by the team. Evans even spoke about various drops-related issues all season long on his 2015 radio show. Additionally, the Bucs hired a coach (Todd Monken) for one specific purpose and one goal: “Fix Mike Evans.” If Evans had such glue for hands, why did he need to be “fixed?” Those quotes are coming straight from the mouth of the current offensive coordinator. –Joe
December 1st, 2016 at 9:30 am
you could see flashes of some truly rare skills as he grabbed double digit TDs for a dumpster fire team as a rookie with very little football background. given his youth, only 1 year of HS football, and 2 years of Johnny Football sandlot plays there was a lot he needed to learn about the game. When i saw he was working out with Randy Moss and some other dedicated pros in the offseason after that rookie year, it started to show me he’d put the work in to fulfill his potential. now that the drops have diminished and his QB has better chemistry with him, it’s coming together on a Hall of Fame trajectory
December 1st, 2016 at 9:34 am
@rsrq, if you think lovie was behind those offensive draft picks, you haven’t been paying attention to lovie’s draft history. i might give him credit for seeing some Matt Forte in in Charles Sims and for demanding a dangerous return man (kaelin clay?), beyond that Licht and Tedford scrutinized that draft board and picked their guys. Lovie’s contribution to the offense was all those amazing NFL players he scouted in his basement – McCown, Collins, EDS, and the like
December 1st, 2016 at 10:21 am
While some of you are cheering and counting the days until ME13 makes the pro-bowl!!! The Buc Realist is watching with a worried eye!!!!! Get this man some help!!!! He is the most targeted WR in the League!!!!! Which means he gets tackled the most in the league!!!! We cannot have ME13 be like Calvin Johnson and be a 1 man offense, putting up franchise numbers only to retire early due to injuries!!!!!!! I know that NFL GM Licht top priority is taking the pressure of ME13 by finding other weapons!!!!!
NFL 2017 draft WR, TE, Safety!!!!!
December 1st, 2016 at 10:29 am
Greatest in Bucs history isn’t saying much. Even though to me the most underrated and never mentioned Bucs draft pick and player was Mark Carrier. TE will not be a priority in the draft. DB, DL, WR, OL.
December 1st, 2016 at 10:57 am
Hope Randy Moss’s garbage character doesn’t rub off on ME13. ME13 is turning into a great wide out. He’s got others growing with him: Brate and Hump, for starters. Plus, the rest of the offense: DM22, Sims, Payton, Marpet, Shep (when he’s not on ST), DD, and of course: Famous. DK is developing an offense that will rival the great Tampa Bay defenses. We’ve never seen that before. Scary thought if you root for one of the other 31 teams. Go Mighty Bucs on Sunday in the Desert!!
December 1st, 2016 at 11:15 am
Joe if there is no reliable way to track drops, then how can you say SB’s numbers are off?
11 was the consensus number from several different sources last season. I agree that drops were a problem because they came at some Critical moments, but KY was a little ridiculous.
December 1st, 2016 at 11:28 am
I knew Evans would be legit this year. That is why I have him in all of my fantasy football leagues. Needless to say, I’m going to the playoffs in them all.
I am also confident that since ME is balling and we have vastly improved in all facets, that we are going to land some great free agents. We have a ton to spend and are seemingly becoming and intriguing destination. We are going to get a great receiver in free agency IMO to assist Mike and if that happens, our offense could escalate very very quickly. Then we could go bpa dback in the first round, OL in the second, DL in the third and WR in the 4th. IMO
December 1st, 2016 at 2:21 pm
@joe
Johnny Manziel would have ruined our franchise.
Can you please stop hating on our guys?
KY hands was so unfair. Mike made numerous miraculous catches last year.
You even made fun of Logan Mankins for talking about the importance of bonding with the O-lineman.
Our O-line is tight today because Logan Mankins played here for 2 years. He put his mental stamp on Pamphile, Marpet, and Donocan Smith. He taught them how to be pros and he taught them about the Patriot Way.
You even hated on Conte a lot. And V-Jax. And LaVonte David for Christ sake.
And you wonder why our fans are so negative?
With power comes responsibility.
@joe
You have the power to really help our team. Please start supporting our guys more. We need our fan base to become more loyal and loving.
FAMILY!!!
December 1st, 2016 at 2:30 pm
Mike Evans is the best receiver I’ve seen in a Bucs uniform since Mark Carrier. In fact, I’ll say he’s even better.
December 1st, 2016 at 11:03 pm
unbelievable Says:
December 1st, 2016 at 11:15 am
Joe if there is no reliable way to track drops, then how can you say SB’s numbers are off
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I was kinda wondering the same thing ub. But this is Joe’s site so ……………………..
December 1st, 2016 at 11:06 pm
Joe does not have that kind of power. But thanks for suggesting that. 🙂
December 1st, 2016 at 11:09 pm
Even though drop stats fluctuate wildly depending on who is keeping them, the folks who tried to track drops were pretty consistent that Evans had some of if not the most drops in the NFL.
Shoot, the Bucs are very open about this. You know, the team that employs him? Heck, Evans has even talked about improving his catch skills before the season. It’s hardly a state secret.
December 2nd, 2016 at 12:56 am
Joe………Respectfully we are stating that HALF of ME’s drops came in One flippin game. Why do you deny this and treat his drops as a Trend rather than an abnormality. I know you are a Journalist but we trust you to be True and not a Shock value Journalist. That is why we are all here.
December 2nd, 2016 at 1:02 am
NVM you built a great website and I don’t want to be on your bad side again. ME had troubles last yr. He is much better this yr. As BUCS fans let’s just all be happy. GO BUCS