Monday, April 6th, 2020

Good Evans!

Gridiron

Good Evans!

Gridiron NFL

Mike Evans has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL since being drafted seventh overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014. Now, with none other than Tom Brady heading to Florida and the 2020 NFL Draft featuring a host of promising wideouts, we look back to an exclusive interview with the perennial Pro Bowler.

You’ve enjoyed a great start to the season, and we know you spent a lot of your offseason getting your weight down. How tough was that?
I love to eat and am a big guy who puts on weight really fast, so I really had to watch my weight and put in some extra workouts ahead of the season. It was tough, but I want to be the best receiver in the NFL. I got my weight down and I feel really good.

It was something of a tumultuous offseason as Lovie Smith got fired and offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was elevated to the top job. How important was the continuity of Dirk staying on?
Lovie was a great guy, and a great coach in my opinion. We’re really comfortable with Dirk, though. He has a great offense, and we’re delighted that he stayed so we didn’t have to learn another scheme. He’s an offensive guru and he knows how to make sure offensive guys succeed. Plus, Coach Koetter brings a lot of swagger!

What’s your relationship like with quarterback Jameis Winston?
Jameis works harder than anybody I’ve ever seen. I love working with him; he pushes me to being the best player I can be, and that’s why I was frustrated that I let him down – in my opinion – last year. I’ve got his back 100% and he’s got mine; he’s always encouraging me and wants to give me the football, so I appreciate him for that.

There’s a lot of pressure on quarterbacks, especially when they’re taken first overall in the draft, to be that face of the franchise. Can Jameis be that?
That’s the guy he already is. He was a leader in college and exactly the same from day one here. He’s a very vocal leader as well, someone who is going to get the guys fired up before the games and hold you accountable if you make a mistake. I think it just comes naturally.

How important has Vincent Jackson been in your development? You almost look like a younger version of him…
He’s helped me tremendously, and that continues to this day. He watches film with me and tells me what I need to be doing with my routes on the field. V-Jax wants to give me the best chance to help this team. He’s a real pro and I am very fortunate to play with him. The main lesson I’ve learnt is just how to be a professional; it’s about playing fast, having fun and taking coaching. That’s the lesson I’ll look to pass on the younger guys like he did with me.

You’re now into your third year as an NFL player, but what was that initial process like of becoming a professional? How difficult is it for a wide receiver?
It’s a lot tougher. In college, I played in a spread offense – and that was so much easier to learn. It was a very effective offense, but it’s totally different in the NFL – where there are a lot of route conversions, and the DBs are quicker. You have to run routes a lot crisper to get open in the pros. However, I had guys like V-Jax to look up to, so that made it a lot easier.

You had a lot of drops in your second year but have managed to really bring that number down so far in 2016. We remember a game against the Giants where there were a few drops, but you still had 150 yards. What work did you do to rectify that?
It was more than a few drops; it was six!

We didn’t want to drag it up, Mike…
No, it’s all good. I know what it was and like to keep it real. I had a terrible game. I’m actually a sure-handed guy, and I made sure I worked on my technique in the offseason, but also repetitions. I had 100 catches per day.

It seemed to impact your Madden rating at the start of the year too! It was 86 when the game first came out?
I play Madden and I thought my rating should have been higher after my rookie year. They had me at 87 and I should be been in the 90s. I was like the 20th receiver and I should have been a top-10 guy, but I think this year’s was fair given what happened last year.

Do the players really talk about the ratings in the locker room?
Not as much as I thought they would. I thought people would be on about it all of the time.

Mike, we understand that you’re a big Harry Potter fan. And you live in Florida, the home of the Harry Potter World at Universal Studios. Have you been?
I love Harry Potter. In fact, I love the UK because of Harry Potter. But, yeah, of course I’ve been. It was amazing!

Okay, Mike, time for the big question… You sit on that famous seat, and the sorting hat goes on: who are you rooting for?
Gryffindor!



This article originally appeared in Issue XXVI of Gridiron magazine – for individual editions or subscriptions, click HERE

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