Even a diminished Mike is still our best option in the red zone by a WIDE margin.
We have a good WR room but NO ONE on the roster outside of mike is a big bodied RZ target like him.
I think he can get one more ring here, i feel it...
if that isn't the most homer take lol
i honestly dont think Mike cares about another ring. Sure he wants to win, but if he plays, it will be to pad stats in his Hall of Fame career
the hope is he does it here so he doesn't blemish his resume
wonder given the crowded WR room and inept front office/management if we even want him back
boy would that be the icing on the cake for me with this regime.
I'm an optimist lol
For those saying there’s no way evans leaves Bucs, what’s your morale/view if he does indeed leave and Bucs don’t really try to keep him?
Nothing changes.
He's a HoF'er and if he leaves, then ownership failed him by keeping the loser HC.
For those saying there’s no way evans leaves Bucs, what’s your morale/view if he does indeed leave and Bucs don’t really try to keep him?
are you really thinking that’s not a possibility? Matt matera raised in on pewter report
EDIT: just brace yourself because you are potentially going to feel like you got hit by a Mack truck
Matt Matera has content needs, just like Pauline. lol
But the scenario you suggest ("if he does indeed leave and Bucs don’t really try to keep him?") would never happen because the Bucs will try to keep him. They could, hypothetically, get out bid, but they will try.
If you subscribe to the prevailing view around here he is already gone, so yes everyone should brace themselves lol
For those saying there’s no way evans leaves Bucs, what’s your morale/view if he does indeed leave and Bucs don’t really try to keep him?
are you really thinking that’s not a possibility? Matt matera raised in on pewter report
EDIT: just brace yourself because you are potentially going to feel like you got hit by a Mack truck
Matt Matera has content needs, just like Pauline. lol
But the scenario you suggest ("if he does indeed leave and Bucs don’t really try to keep him?") would never happen because the Bucs will try to keep him. They could, hypothetically, get out bid, but they will try.
If you subscribe to the prevailing view around here he is already gone, so yes everyone should brace themselves lol
i hope you are right...but i can see them trying to outsmart themselves; just extended Godwin a year ago; spent a 1st and 3rd round pick on guys last 2 drafts; a pretty crowded room.
none of those guys match up to Evans, except maybe a pre injury Godwin can be formidable but just saying, i can see the team being stupid and saying, no we need that money elsewhere when really Evans is what makes the offense click
none of those guys match up to Evans, except maybe a pre injury Godwin can be formidable but just saying,
Both of those guys healthy (Godwin and Egbuka) probably more critical to the offense moving than Evans, but Evans is a HOFer and a huge leader and still an incredible match up problem. He should be an almost unstoppable RZ target. And a critical chain mover, when needed.
So much 2 safety zone though that key WRs these days are more like Egbuka than Evans. Watch Egbuka's highlights from Seattle win and you see a lot of smart zone busting. The top WRs in the league are Nacua (6' 2"), JSN (6' 0"), ASB (6'0"), Chase (6'0")
The real question mark though is the play calling. JSN is awesome on his own, but just look what Kubiak did for him. So can our OC have a similar impact with a (hopefully fully-rested ) Egbuka?
"Garafolo quoted Gilmore in what felt like a dramatic reading: “Mike [Evans] started the season in great shape. Most people in the organization said he probably had the best [training] camp of everyone. He finished feeling better than he has in several seasons. I think his competitive nature leads to more football. That is my hope. Like most fans, I love watching him play!”
kirwan
To me, they didn’t have the ability to adjust to when Mike Evans was there,” Kirwan said.
kirwan
To me, they didn’t have the ability to adjust to when Mike Evans was there,” Kirwan said.
is this suggesting that the coaching staff was so poor they didn't know how to incorporate Mike Evans into the offense or is this referring to something else?
kirwan
To me, they didn’t have the ability to adjust to when Mike Evans was there,” Kirwan said.
is this suggesting that the coaching staff was so poor they didn't know how to incorporate Mike Evans into the offense or is this referring to something else?
I took it to mean that the offense was being forced through him when he came back. I dont think that is correct, to be clear, but I think one reason an outsider (and Bowles friend) might argue that is the last 3 or 4 games.
I only posted it because it at least raises the question of whether the Bucs offense struggled down the stretch, in part, because Grizzard and Bowles game plans
kirwan
To me, they didn’t have the ability to adjust to when Mike Evans was there,” Kirwan said.
is this suggesting that the coaching staff was so poor they didn't know how to incorporate Mike Evans into the offense or is this referring to something else?
I took it to mean that the offense was being forced through him when he came back. I dont think that is correct, to be clear, but I think one reason an outsider (and Bowles friend) might argue that is the last 3 or 4 games.
I only posted it because it at least raises the question of whether the Bucs offense struggled down the stretch, in part, because Grizzard and Bowles game plans
i mean Mike was only back for 4 games during the turd like decline
first game back....12 targets, 6 catches for 132 yards. I'd say that wasn't a negative on the offense
next game, 9 targets, 5 catches for 31 yards and a touchdown
versus Miami 7 targets, 3 catches for 31 yards and a touchdown
monsoon game, 2 targets for 34 yards
the offense was long shit before Mike's return. hadn't looked right since the Seahawks/49ers back to back games in October and if we are being honest with ourselves, those are 2 of maybe 5 games where the offense actually looked half decent all year
kirwan
To me, they didn’t have the ability to adjust to when Mike Evans was there,” Kirwan said.
is this suggesting that the coaching staff was so poor they didn't know how to incorporate Mike Evans into the offense or is this referring to something else?
I took it to mean that the offense was being forced through him when he came back. I dont think that is correct, to be clear, but I think one reason an outsider (and Bowles friend) might argue that is the last 3 or 4 games.
I only posted it because it at least raises the question of whether the Bucs offense struggled down the stretch, in part, because Grizzard and Bowles game plans
i mean Mike was only back for 4 games during the turd like decline
first game back....12 targets, 6 catches for 132 yards. I'd say that wasn't a negative on the offense
next game, 9 targets, 5 catches for 31 yards and a touchdown
versus Miami 7 targets, 3 catches for 31 yards and a touchdown
monsoon game, 2 targets for 34 yards
the offense was long shit before Mike's return. hadn't looked right since the Seahawks/49ers back to back games in October and if we are being honest with ourselves, those are 2 of maybe 5 games where the offense actually looked half decent all year
Yes as I said i dont think Kirwan is right. I have just said that you can at least see why an outsider might reach that conclusion and its a fairly common question that arises with older players. That was the reason for the Detroit example in the other thread. Mayfield does sometimes force the ball to Evans. It even works sometimes. In the Falcons game his great jump ball catch is an example.
Evans also helps in other ways, but we are now mostly past the days when his mere presence on the field pulls the best corner and a safety. hes often facing zone defense to begin with but even the Flacons jump ball I mentioned above is, I think, him singled up against UFA. Could be wrong, but either way he does not beat the CB deep. He high points it. In his day that CB is toast and its a TD with Evans almost walking into the EZ and the CB on the ground having tripped trying to keep up lol
i am not sure outsiders know what to make of it
i think most view Bucs as pretenders when they lost 3 games in a row to winning teams to fall to 6-5. Same ole Bucs; but with that expected Bucs to rebound with 6 winnable games coming up and getting all their horses back - Godwin, Bucky, Evans, McMillian, etc.
2026 will tell alot as to the story of 2025
If Baker continues to be "meh" than, his clock just struck midnight in that Detroit game and pedestrian like performance.
if Bowles defense continues to be "dreaming to be meh" but actually atrocious, then yeah the team was never going to be a serious contender with poor coach and talent on defensive side of the ball.
there you go
"Evans’s agent Deryk Gilmore told multiple reporters that Evans plans to play in 2026. Evans is set to become a free agent in March and Gilmore said that he plans to explore all options for where he will play."
there you go
"Evans’s agent Deryk Gilmore told multiple reporters that Evans plans to play in 2026. Evans is set to become a free agent in March and Gilmore said that he plans to explore all options for where he will play."
In 2024 Evans signed with the Bucs about 4 or 5 days before FA began. This year doesnt FA begin on March 9?