Evans torching of Redskins reminiscent of Texas A&M days, As a wide receiver at Texas A&M last season, Mike Evans played a big role in a prolific offense.
Teamed with Johnny Manziel, Evans routinely torched SEC opponents for hundreds of yards and numerous touchdowns. Sunday against the Redskins, it felt like Evans was back in school. The rookie wideout grabbed seven catches for 209 yards and two touchdowns, video game numbers and the highest output ever for a rookie receiver against the Redskins.
"When I have a game like that, I had a couple of those in college, it feels like getting hot in basketball," Evans said after Tampa's 27-7 win.
Evans dominated the game from the receiver spot, having his way with Redskins defenders regardless of who he was matched up against. On his longest grab, a Redskins blitz forced Perry Riley to cover Evans. Riley, a linebacker, had little chance against the speed of Evans. Even when he was matched against cornerbacks like David Amerson or Bashaud Breeland, Evans still did what he wanted on the field.
"They leave a lot of whole shots open on the outside," Evans said of the Redskins defensive scheme. "We get happy about stuff like that - man coverage and one-on-one."
Evans should be happy, as he became the first rookie with more than 100 receiving yards in three straight games since Randy Moss. Yes, the same Randy Moss that recently was in the news after ESPN aired an hour-long documentary on his exploits. Evans admitted to watching the documentary Saturday night, and he paid tribute to Moss with a touchdown celebration.
"Randy Moss was my favorite receiver," Evans said. "It's great to be mentioned in the same caliber as him."
It's premature for Moss comparisons, but Evans' teammates showered the young wideout with plenty of superlatives.
"That dude is incredible, he's just special," Bucs defensive lineman Gerald McCoy said of Evans. "He's special."
No surprise, but Tampa QB Josh McCown had high praise for Evans.
"It's a great pleasure to throw to Mike," McCown said.
His coach voiced similar remarks.
"I've been around the league a while and I haven't been around one [rookie] that has been able to do the things he has done," Bucs coach Lovie Smith said of Evans. "He is still young. I've seen him grow so much."
Though he torched them, the Redskins couldn't help but compliment Evans as well. Amerson and Breeland said that Evans was a good player, along with Bucs wide receiver Vincent Jackson.
"You win some, you lose some," Breeland said after the game. "That's what happened tonight."
