All smiles.
Joe is starting to get the same vibes again.
Back in training camp, every day Joe saw rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka make plays. Every day. Hell, it was maybe his fifth practice when Joe finally saw Egbuka drop a ball.
It got to the point that Egbuka was balling out day after day that Joe tried to calm down and quit (indirectly) gassing Egbuka. This guy is too good to be true, right? Let’s not jinx the kid.
Well, in the past five Bucs games, Bucs fans are seeing what Joe saw every day in training camp, even though Joe purposely tried to ramp down observations, though that’s a bit unethical.
(Joe can just hear his very first editor back when Joe was still in college, scolding him for this, as he used to tell Joe, “Write what you see.”)
So the whole NFL now knows what Joe was seeing and Bucs types, from Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht down to Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield, were saying ever since underwear football: Egbuka has the goods. He’s the real deal.
So yesterday, Egbuka was on the “Pat McAfee Show.” There, former Bucs offensive lineman and former Bucs assistant coach A.Q. Shipley was in studio. He asked Egbuka how much Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have helped him transition from Ohio State to the Bucs.
Egbuka said they have been a significant help with his NFL learning curve.
“It’s been super instrumental in my success,” Egbuka said. “Obviously, part of the reason I was the first round pick is because of my natural talent and my ability that God gave me. But [being ready for the NFL is] just the confidence that [Evans and Godwin] put into me, just really on the mental side of things, just making sure I know my job.
“They always have an open ear for me to ask any questions. I’m a big question-asker, so I probably annoy them with how much I ask.
“But they’re always ready to answer and give me the real and, you know, they just pump so much confidence into me.”
Then, Egbuka said Evans is sort of like a football big brother to him.
“Mike is a dude who’s constantly in my ear telling me, “You know, you were built for this. You can do this. You were made for this. Like you’re that guy.’
“Just having someone like that, a Hall of Famer who believes in you to that type of level, just makes you go out on the field and really, you know, ball out and do what you were made to do.”
McAfee then lauded the Bucs culture that a Hall of Fame player and Bucs legend like Evans has so little ego that he will go out of his way to help a teammate demonstrates why the Bucs are a quality team and organization.
McAfee seemed to hint that’s not always the case in the NFL where a Hall of Famer will work with a rookie teammate to boost his confidence that way.
Joe just knows he cannot wait for Evans and Godwin to get healthy and get back on the field with Egbuka. Then, this Bucs offense will be cooking with gas (or, if you prefer, mesquite or oak).
"Mike Evans and Chris Godwin have been super instrumental in my success..
They give me so much confidence and they truly believe in me" ~ @EgbukaEmeka #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Q5JP2gMwUL
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 8, 2025
Rookies in #NFL history with 400+ receiving yards and 5+ receiving TDs in his 1st 5 career games:
• Emeka Egbuka (2025)
• Ja'Marr Chase (2021)
• Terry McLaurin (2019)
• Randy Moss (1998)
• Willie Gault (1983) pic.twitter.com/SDIwKIlErP
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) October 8, 2025