It’s early. No reason to draw overreaching conclusions yet. But I’m thinking Mike Evans won’t be as dominant around the end zone this season.
This is an idea I have been kicking around for months. I wrote about it in the magazine. It was shocking, really, how much they used him last year as a goal-line receiver. He caught 9 touchdowns that were shorter than 10 yards. Inside the 10-yard line, he accounted for almost a third of the team’s pass attempts. It was clear from the opener in the Superdome that he was a player Tom Brady was going to be looking for in those situations.
But the Bucs have a bunch of other really good pass catchers – Gronk, Antonio Brown, Chris Godwin. It makes sense to get those guys more involved.
In the opener, that’s how it played out. On their first drive into that area, Godwin caught 2 passes inside the 10, including a touchdown. Later he caught a pass on a play that started just outside that area (at the 13-yard line) that ended in the goal-line fumble near the end of the game.
Gronkowski caught a pair of short touchdowns.
Not that Evans is going to be ignored around the goal line, but I don’t think he’s going to be anywhere near as dominant in that part of the field.
| MOST TARGETS INSIDE THE 10 (2020 season) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Tgt | Rec | TD | 2Pt | EZ% |
| Davante Adams, G.B. | 19 | 17 | 13 | 0 | 68% |
| Mike Evans, T.B. | 16 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 56% |
| Adam Thielen, Min. | 15 | 12 | 10 | 1 | 73% |
| Travis Kelce, K.C. | 14 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 57% |
| Calvin Ridley, Atl. | 13 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 46% |
| Darren Waller, L.V. | 13 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 54% |
| Jimmy Graham, Chi. | 12 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 50% |
| Tyreek Hill, K.C. | 12 | 10 | 6 | 0 | 50% |
| Chase Claypool, Pitt. | 12 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 25% |
| DeAndre Hopkins, Ariz. | 11 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 18% |
| Justin Jefferson, Min. | 11 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 27% |
| Christian Kirk, Ariz. | 10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 40% |
| Hayden Hurst, Atl. | 10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 40% |
| Amari Cooper, Dall. | 10 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 20% |
| Brandon Aiyuk, S.F. | 10 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 50% |
| DK Metcalf, Sea. | 10 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 40% |
| Rob Gronkowski, T.B. | 10 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 40% |
| Jonnu Smith, Ten. | 10 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 60% |
| Allen Robinson, Chi. | 9 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 33% |
| Tim Patrick, Den. | 9 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 67% |
| T.J. Hockenson, Det. | 9 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 67% |
| Mike Gesicki, Mia. | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 33% |
| DeVante Parker, Mia. | 9 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 33% |
| Eric Ebron, Pitt. | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 44% |
| JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt. | 9 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 78% |
| Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 9 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 78% |
| Russell Gage, Atl. | 8 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 38% |
| Mark Andrews, Balt. | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 50% |
| Jarvis Landry, Cle. | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 38% |
| Randall Cobb, Hou. | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 25% |
| Sammy Watkins, K.C. | 8 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 25% |
| Nelson Agholor, L.V. | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 13% |
| Hunter Henry, LAC | 8 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 50% |
| Keenan Allen, LAC | 8 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 50% |
| Irv Smith, Min. | 8 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 63% |
| A.J. Brown, Ten. | 8 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 63% |
| Logan Thomas, Was. | 8 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 38% |
—Ian Allan