Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson.
Really cool story about Bucs legends Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson and how Jackson helped mold Evans to be the future Hall of Fame receiver he currently is.
Zac Keefer of _The Athletic_ did a big feature story on Mike Evans and the feature covered a lot from Evans’ father being murdered when he was young, to being an NFL star and becoming one of the most respected public figures in the Tampa Bay area.
And Evans looks back to when he was a young player, admitting he’s not sure he’d be close to the player he became if not for a guy he referred to as his “big brother.” That would be Vincent Jackson.
When Evans was drafted by the Bucs, Jackson was then 31 and in his third season in Tampa Bay and 10th season in the NFL. Jackson was one of the game’s top receivers.
Evans? He was a bit rough around the edges. Jackson helped Evans smooth over the rough patches to become a polished receiver and an outstanding member of the community.
> “You’re out of college and you don’t have any real structure,” Evans admits now. “You’ve got a little money for the first time and you’re ordering steaks every night. You’re starting to drink a little more. That’s why my weight was so high …”
>
> Evans played at 240 pounds his first few seasons. By Year 3, Jackson’s influence started to take hold. “You need to stay in shape year-round,” he stressed to Evans, “that way you won’t get hurt.” To this day Evans’ offseason training program commences two weeks after his last game, no questions asked.
>
> He dropped to 220. He copied Jackson’s routine. He learned to temper his aggression in practice, then unleash it on game day.
>
> “Vince was helping me with this stuff _while_ I was taking targets from him,” Evans says. “He was my big brother in this league.”
>
> Who would have guessed that it was Evans who put up better numbers than his big brother and should have a bust in Canton?
Evans details where he was and what he was doing when he heard of the death of Jackson. Evans was still buzzing from the Bucs winning the Super Bowl when he learned Jackson was found dead.
Jackson began showing signs of CTE, the scourge of former football players. Jackson, against the advice he gave to Evans six years prior, developed a drinking problem and his life succumbed to Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, chronic alcohol abuse.
Jackson’s battles with CTE likely led to his heavy drinking.
Keefer has a touching story that he typed that has loads of elements in the story, both shocking and fun.
In the article, Evans addressed retirement. He does not know if this is his final season, something Evans has repeatedly stated in recent months. He is in a contract year.
But Evans did tell Keefer his end of football days are “close.”