Gage Thinks Bucs WR Group Is “Maybe The Best Ever”

The excitement about a deep receiver room for the Bucs led by Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage and Julio Jones has been a bit marred during the preseason. We haven’t seen every receiver available at the same time in training camp or the preseason.

Bucs WRs Julio Jones and Russell Gage – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

They’ve been called the “Fantastic Four” of wideouts, per Pewter Report’s Scott Reynolds. But it’s been tough to see them all together for a variety of reasons.

Gage And The Bucs’ Preseason Injuries

Evans tweaked his hamstring early on before the Bucs even had their first preseason game, so he had been held out until about a week ago. Godwin is rehabbing his torn ACL and is slowly getting integrated into full team drills.

Julio Jones, who’s had a long injury history has ironically been the healthiest of group with some veteran days thrown in. And Gage also suffered a hamstring injury in joint practices with the Dolphins. That kept him out of the entire preseason until coming back this week.

Has the lack of playing together made us forget how dominating this group could be? The good news is everyone is getting healthier and is on track to play in Week 1 against the Cowboys with only Godwin as the question mark moving forward.

Speaking in the Bucs locker room on Thursday, Gage updated how he’s feeling heading into the season opener.

“Things are good,” Gage said. “I’m loving it here, the teammates are great. Things are real good. I’m feeling well. Practice today went well so yeah, I feel good.”

Extremely Complimentary Of The WR Room

Gage commented on what a four-wide look what be like whim Evans, Godwin, Jones and himself out on the field together.

Bucs WR Russell Gage and OC Byron Leftwich – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

“Pick your poison is kinda how we see it,” Gage said. “We understand, we’ll see a lot of zones and things like that. But as a group this is probably one of the best groups – maybe ever. So we’re excited to get out there and play, whatever the role may be.”

Gage’s Plan For The Weekend 

With a couple of days off to regroup, Gage is going to take that time for two things – heal his body and rest, and watch tape for Tampa Bay’s first opponent of the regular season.

“I’m going to check out the family stuff over the break, over these few days,” Gage said. “It’s kind of hard when you’re so excited for the season to just completely take a minute to relax from everything. Definitely going to take time for my body to heal completely or get those jitters out a little. Man, I’m so excited. I know I’m gonna be popping the film every chance I get.”

How Does Godwin Look?

The Bucs start off their season on Sunday night football on the road against the Cowboys. It’s a rematch of the season opener from last year, in which the Bucs won 31-29 on a late drive by Tom Brady and a game-winning field goal by Ryan Succop. This time, though, the venues switch and the Bucs are the away team.

Godwin was a very important player in that game, as he scored a touchdown and made a key catch on the last drive. He’s the only receiver who’s status in uncertain for next Sunday. With that said, Gage likes how Godwin looks when practicing as a group.

“He looks really good,” Gage said. “I know you guys have checked him out, too. He looks really good, I’m excited to see Chris. [He’s a] great mentor, he teaches me so much. He’s a huge part of me grasping everything, taking me under his wing. I’m excited to see him play.”