Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka has a message to the locker room after the 31-25 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles - don't wait to start fast.
With the Eagles bursting out of the starting gate and holding a 24-6 lead at halftime, it was only then that the Buccaneers woke up, released the handbrake, and started playing. And wouldn't you know it, good things happened.
But the comeback fell short as the Buccaneers left themselves too much to do in such a short space of time, and Egbuka knows the team can't wait to be punched in the mouth before they get rolling.
“We just can't come out like that,” Egbuka said. “We can't have the block kick, can't let them drive down, and offense can't go three and out or whatever we did. We need to be able to execute better and not have to wait for some adversity to strike before we want to get ourselves back in the game. We got to come out fast and start fast.”
More: Buccaneers urged to take 'accountability' for poor Eagles loss
When will Mike Evans return from injury?
Having not completed the game against the New York Jets due to a hamstring injury, Evans, as expected, was out against the Eagles.
It is expected that the veteran receiver will miss multiple weeks with his injury, and given his age and the fact that he had a hamstring injury last season, too, maybe Tampa will take a cautious approach to his return timeline.
The Buccaneers appeared to be fine without him in the second half against the Eagles, with Egbuka stepping up, along with Bucky Irving, so don't expect to see Evans for a little while just yet.
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