The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have the most talented group of wide receivers in the NFL on paper. Mike Evans is a sure fire Hall of Famer, Chris Godwin would be a WR1 if he were not in Evans’s shadow, Emeka Egbuka looks like the next great WR1 in the NFL himself, and Jalen McMillan would be getting way more hype if he were not the No. 4 wide receiver behind this gauntlet of superstars.
But as last weekend’s horrid loss to the rival Carolina Panthers served as a reminder to Buccaneers fans, even the best wide receivers cannot dominate a game like they should if the guy calling the shots is not doing his part.
That’s why it is so funny to see these uninformed national takes about Egbuka. The supposed rookie wall he hit is not a sign that he was overhyped or overrated, and while, yes, he still definitely has things he can improve on as far as consistency goes – like literally every single rookie receiver who has played this incredibly difficult sport – the big fall off has more to do with a curse placed upon him.
Emeka Egbuka is not being used right
No, no, it was not former Buccaneers superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski calling him “Egbigboo” on national television. The curse is very real and way more scientifically sound, and it is simple and easy to say: Josh Grizzard.
The Buccaneers young, embattled offensive coordinator has plenty of promise himself, but the growing pains have been so excruciating over the past few weeks that it is fair for Buccaneers fans to doubt if he is the right man to take the reigns long term from Liam Coen.
His misusage of Egbuka has been particularly appalling. Here, Grizzard has one of the most dynamic young receivers in the NFL and a talented gunslinger at quarterback in Baker Mayfield, yet the two can not connect because both the Grizz Who Still Christmas and Todd More Boring Than A Bowl Cut Bowles are too busy playing like cowards who run every first down and dink and dunk checkdowns.
Egbuka is getting lapped by Tetairoa McMillan over in Charlotte in the rookie wide receiver rankings and stats column, and, taking nothing away from the Panthers’ McMillan, but that has nothing to do with Egbuka being an inferior player. It has everything to do with the Bucs wideout getting two targets against Carolina, even though one of those targets was a massive play for 40 yards.
Grizzard is not making Egbuka a central part of the game plan, and even when Evans and Godwin were out, he still did not tailor the routes and the playbook in that time for Egbuka and Mayfield, speaking to his laziness and lack of individualization in coaching for his players.