Getty Tom Brady wants to get the ball more to Mike Evans.
There has been no bigger puzzle this season for Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans than why Mike Evans is not getting the ball more. Earlier this week, Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians threw fuel on the fire by admitting Evans has been open during games, essentially calling out Tom Brady for not getting the star receiver the ball. Brady offered his thoughts on the subject calling Evans an “incredible player” and admitted the receiver needs the ball in his hands.
“He’s a spectacular player and I think from my perspective, it’s just me giving him opportunities to touch the ball, catch it and figuring out different ways based on different styles of defense that we’re getting that enable him to touch it,” Brady noted, via Pro Football Talk. “He’s an incredible player when he gets it and he’s an incredible player before he gets it. [We’re] working hard at it and again, I wish I’d be making every throw exactly the way I want. The only thing I can say is we’re trying to get it right, trying to figure out how to get everybody involved and put together a lot of different pieces that have never been together – including myself.”
Arians on Evans: ‘Just Throw It to Him’
Arians is not one to hold back, even when it comes to his new star quarterback. The Buccaneers coach offered a simple solution for getting Evans the ball.
“Just throw it to him,” Arians noted, per Pro Football Talk. “The key is where the quarterback reads it out. Some guy may be open on this side, but the coverage tells him to go to the other side. It’s just a matter of we have plenty of weapons – throw to the guy that’s open.”
Evans has been a favorite of Brady’s inside the red zone scoring a touchdown in the Buccaneers’ first five games. It is the number of targets Evans has received that is the problem, as you have to look back to October 4th to find a game where Evans had more than five receptions. Evans has had two or fewer receptions in four of the Buccaneers’ nine games, almost half of the Bucs’ matchups this season.
Brady Admitted There Have Been Challenges With the Receivers Given the Lack of Familiarity
Brady picked an interesting year to play for a brand new team after two decades with the Patriots. The lack of formal on-field workouts combined with other COVID-19 restrictions made it a challenging offseason for Brady to work with his new receivers. Now, the Buccaneers added another star receiver who wants the ball in Antonio Brown. Despite all the challenges, Brady believes things will come together with Evans the longer they play together.
“I think the great advantage in football in continuity,” Brady added. “I’ve learned a lot over the years [and] continuity in the NFL is so important with coach [and] quarterback [and] what you’re trying to be as a team. A lot of situations you’re in over years and years – we just haven’t been in those together. I might’ve been in a lot of situations, Byron [Leftwich] has been in a lot of situations, [Bruce Arians] has been in a lot of situations [and] the receivers here have been in a lot of different situations, but we’re just trying to make it happen together.”
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