Buccaneers’ Mike Evans on not clicking with Tom Brady: ‘I have to be better’

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has pointed a finger only at himself for why he isn’t completely clicking with quarterback Tom Brady this fall. 

“Obviously practice helps, but we’ve been getting some good reps in,” Evans said on Thursday, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It’s a game of inches and everything matters, so I have to be better. I’m used to getting two, three yards of separation on multiple routes. I’ve got to get back to that.” 

Evans was speaking less than a full week after he caught just two of nine passes thrown his way in this past Sunday’s overtime loss at the Cleveland Browns that dropped the Buccaneers to 5-6 on the season. Across 10 games, the 29-year-old has 51 receptions for 702 yards and only three touchdowns. Evans and running back Leonard Fournette currently share the team lead for touchdown grabs. 

Evans insisted on Thursday that Brady is reading coverages correctly. 

“It’s on me,” Evans said. 

Evans suggesting he needs to get more separation is interesting because Cale Clinton of Football Outsiders noted for a piece published on Oct. 25 that certain Next Gen Stats seemed to indicate Brady was more so to blame than Tampa Bay receivers for the team’s passing struggles at that time. ESPN numbers show Brady is fourth in the league with 3,051 yards through the air but also tied for 17th among qualified passers with a 53.9 total QBR. 

Evans and the first-place Buccaneers host the 4-8 New Orleans Saints in a massive “Monday Night Football” showdown early next week.