Mike Evans says he has put the feuds behind him after being kicked out, suspended and banned from restaurants

Mike Evans says he learned his lesson from picking fights with Marshon Lattimore. Previous feuds with the New Orleans Saints cornerback have cost the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver dearly – more than $100,000 in fines, an ejection, two different one-game suspensions and a lifetime ban from a New Orleans barbecue restaurant.

Still, it remains a spirited rivalry, and Evans said he will take the right path. But that doesn't mean he isn't looking forward to a duel with Lattimore as long as their teams remain division opponents.

“As long as it’s, you know, in play,” Evans told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “I've done a poor job in the past of making sure I got through the game when I shouldn't have. But I'm more mature now and our team is focused on winning the ball and you can't win the ball winning the ball when you get kicked out and things like that.”

Evans added that while you want to bring fire, energy and passion to the game, that doesn't mean you act irrationally and hurt your team. That's a balance he's struggled to maintain in the past, and it doesn't help that Lattimore constantly shuts him down. Evans had a nice career. Over the years, he averaged 4.9 catches and 75.2 yards per game. But in a dozen previous games with Lattimore, he only had five or more receiving yards once, while only exceeding that yardage average twice.

“But I definitely want to have that fire and be physical, and a little chirping never hurts. But you definitely have to be smart,” Evans added.

There's something to be said for letting your hands do the talking, but Evans would be better off catching passes than throwing punches.

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This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Mike Evans says he's put feuds behind him after eviction, suspension and restaurant ban