Mike Evans explains the thought process behind the decision to help him get another 1,000 yard season under his belt
Man, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season finale against the New Orleans Saints couldn't have ended any better.Not only did the Bucs pull off the comeback win and beat their toughest division rival, but they also managed to get Mike Evans the five yards (plus three more) he needed in order to cross the 1,000 yard […]
Man, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season finale against the New Orleans Saints couldn't have ended any better.
Not only did the Bucs pull off the comeback win and beat their toughest division rival, but they also managed to get Mike Evans the five yards (plus three more) he needed in order to cross the 1,000 yard mark for the 11th-straight year.
It was wild how they got to that point, too. Literally everything had to go right after Bucky Irving scored to make it a 27-19 game. The Bucs defense had to stop the Saints with enough time left on the clock in order to get the ball back to the offense, which obviously would've given Evans one more shot at the record.
The Bucs defense did just that and the offense got the ball back with :36 left in the game. Liam Coen called the perfect play – a short pass that had two receivers open up a running lane for Evans to make an easy catch and then get the needed yards after the catch. It all went to perfection and Evans added yet another milestone to his illustrious career.
It was still an interesting situation, though, as the Bucs only led by eight points. An interception and even worse, a pick-six, would've put the game right back in jeopardy. So, there was certainly a question of whether or not the Bucs should've gone for the record, or take the knee and guarantee the win.
As for the discussion that was behind the decision? Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield both talked about how it all went down after the game.
"I was hoping we get this out, because I can't pass up history, and Coach Bowles won't let it pass up or Liam, so I'm happy that they had me go out there and get that because it's been hard to do for 11 straight years," Evans told reporters. "… It was amazing, man. That made it that much sweeter, you know, NFC South champs, and then I'm tied in history with Jerry Rice…
"… I was getting that no matter what. I knew we were gonna get this ball [back], no matter what. After we got the ball back, I knew I was getting it, so I looked at coach Bowles and Liam, and they said, 'Go out there. We're about to try to get you this record.' So I wasn't worried at all."
"The conversation was like, 'All right, well, obviously we can't turn the ball over. Can't give them another chance, but how do we want to formate this play to get Mike the ball to where he can't get double covered?'" said Mayfield. "And that was what we came up with, and Mike did the rest, and he deserves that. This guy means so much the community, this team, this organization, for years, and for him to be able to reach that feat 11 years in a row and tie Jerry Rice is it's unbelievable."
Fairytale endings are certainly a part of football lore and this is about as fairytale an ending as one can get. Now, we'll see how much magic the Bucs can take with them into the postseason and how far it will get them.
