I was a little surprised during a conversation yesterday by an issue with Mike Evans TD celebration on Sunday. The quintessential example of the no risk it, no biscuit philosophy. The 67-yard bomb from Jameis Winston in the 4th quarter to give the Buccaneers a 45-27 was a thing of beauty. The celebration by Mike Evans following it — not everybody thought was so beautiful. Why? The entire play can be seen in a tweet here.
Quiet Until Then
Last week against the Giants was Evans’ day. In Los Angeles, the Rams picked their poison and left Chris Godwin to ball out. Precise passing, solid play-calling, and execution from the entire offense made moving the ball look easy.
With the Rams playing the run as most coaches would run the ball to run the clock. Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich aren’t most coaches. The perfectly-called, perfectly-executed play was just what the doctor ordered for fans that won’t see the team play at home again until November. Nobody wants to see their team go on the road for a friendship tour. They want success.
But Did It Really?
There were those who thought that the celebration ignited the Rams come back and almost cost the Buccaneers the game. Does a team of 53 professional players wait all day for the actions of Evans to decide to start trying? Should the Buccaneers just return to the sideline and sit patiently until the next series and try not to offend their hosts as they play on the road for the next month?
Wait, scratch that. Tampa Bay is the host against the Panthers in England. The fact that it comes during a 10 trillion mile road trip makes it feel like an away game. No, the Bucs should not try to be gracious guests or humble hosts. Ball out. Kick butt. Don’t even take the names if you don’t want to. This is the NFL, not the NBA.
Speaking Of The NBA
The Lebron James-inspired TD celebration on Sunday was completely approved by the King, himself in a tweet seen here. I kid about the NBA being too nice. The celebration itself, perfected by James when he played in Miami, is beautiful. Seeing the crossover respect between professional athletes and their respective sports is admirable. Besides, don’t you remember? Evans was himself a great basketball player and would probably be balling in the NBA if not for his day job. That’s cool.
The Short Of It
A good offense is going to play the hot hand. Throw to the receiver that is not double- covered. Run the ball against a soft defense. Throw the ball against a tight one. Buccaneer fans want to see players celebrate success. Vent a little when that success comes after being bottled up a bit. They want to see a team mad when they lose. They want to see emotion. Except for Winston. Even in the thick of Sunday’s success, the captain was sitting stoically on the sideline; even-keeled as a captain should be (except for those times when he needs to be excited). Then its anything but the Ws. Don’t eat the Ws. Just feast on opposing defenses.
