For once, it isn’t just about the quarterbacks.
For once, the highlight matchup in a Tampa Bay Bucs’ game will feature Jameis Winston in a supporting cast.
This week, when Seattle visits the Bucs on Sunday afternoon, the marquee matchup will be between Mike Evans, the NFL’s third-leading receiver, and the Seahawks’ Richard Sherman, who recently ranked second in a Foxsports.com rating of the league’s top 10 corners.
Can Winston get open? Will Sherman shut him down?
“I would think so (that Sherman will be matched against Evans,” said Bucs’ coach Dirk Koetter. “He’s done that sometimes this year. I think that’s going to be one everybody wants to watch, two of the best players in the league at their position, should be a great matchup.”
Evans, too, thinks the matchup would be a good one. So far, Evans has 65 catches for 917 yards.
“I play some of the best athletes in the world, going at it one-on-one,” Evans said. “That’s great. Hopefully he’ll match me. I’m a big fan of his and I think it will be a fun day.”
Wilson will present a huge challenge for the Bucs.
“I’d say that our fans see the most (similar), probably (Carolina quarterback) Cam Newton is the closest and of course we didn’t have Cam when we played them this year,” Koetter said. “I think Russell Wilson maybe – we’re in one corner of the country and Seattle’s in the other corner of the country – he’s not talked about maybe like some of the elite quarterbacks in this league, but make no mistake: Russell Wilson makes Seattle go. This guy, he’s an unbelievable playmaker, almost impossible to sack him. It’s been well documented they’ve been through a lot of different offensive line combinations and this guy won’t go down. They’ve only turned it over six times all year, they’re one of the lowest sacked teams in the league and the other thing, not only can he break contain and get outside, but his accuracy with balls – running right, throwing left, running left, throwing right – incredible. It really is, when you watch the tape. If Jameis was making some of those throws, we’d be screaming at him.”
Of course, Evans depends on Winston to get him the ball. Winston’s own matchup against the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson should be interesting. Wilson is playing at an MVP level. Just ask Bucs’ defensive coordinator Mike Smith.
“They’re not turning the ball over – he’s thrown two interceptions,” Smith said. “He has been sacked, but he’s a guy that can get away from trouble and he can extend plays and I think that’s when they’ve had a lot of their success. He’s got an uncanny ability to move in one direction and throw in the opposite. You can see that he was a baseball player because he can throw on the move. It’s almost like he’s coming across second base and slinging the ball to first on a double play and he’s very accurate. I think he’s one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the National Football League, I really believe that. He makes plays when he improvises. He can do it with his feet and he can do it with his arm.”
Winston is coming off two solid games against Chicago and Kansas City.
Koetter said Winston is superb as a motivator.
“He does have a really good understanding of that and I’ve got to admit, I haven’t been around – you usually don’t think about that coming from somebody younger than you,” Koetter said. “I’m getting old, but Jameis is really young and he has a great feel for – Jameis motivates me. He has a great feel for what to say, when to say it and how to say it. He’s really good at that.”
Game time is 4:05 p.m. At Raymond James Stadium.
