Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich

(On how he's seen WR Scotty Miller grow in the last two months)

"He really came in out of the gate, playing really well. It was just things that you have to just teach him. Playing on this level – no disrespect to Bowling Green – but coming from Bowling Green, that's a huge jump for him. We knew he's a guy that can make plays, but he's a young player so you've got to teach him some technique things. He's not that big, so he's really got to be on his technique. But, the thing he's always been able to do is make plays when the ball comes his way and he did a good job of that last week."

(On what he's seen from the Falcons defense in the last two weeks)

"They're really getting to the quarterback and they're getting the ball. That's the biggest difference you see in the past two weeks. You [saw] some of that in the games before, but you see these guys really getting at the ball. They've got guys turning the ball over in the red zone, so they've done a heck of a job coming out of their Bye [Week of] playing really good, stingy football. I think they only gave up 12 points in the past two games [or] something like that – 12, 16 points in the past two games – so they're doing a heck of a job. They're playing well, they're getting to the quarterback and they're playing really well on the back end."

(On what the Saints did to limit the amount of rushing attempts)

"We were just down early. [When] you get down early like that, you're not going to be in a [position to run the football]. If you're trying to win the game when it's like that, you're not going to have a lot of rushing attempts in that situation. It's just how the game went."

(On why the offense has struggled on third downs)

"We'll get there. Like I tell you about numbers, the numbers will all add up at the end of the year. Those things fluctuate from week to week, so we just want to be the best we can be in every situation – third down, red zone, first-and-10, third-and-short – we want to be as good as we can in every situation. We can be better and it's really converting, making sure we're doing the right things to convert as a whole. It's not one thing to pinpoint but it's something I do believe we're putting work on [to] get better. Hopefully we'll see the difference and we'll see it get better."

(On where he thinks the offense has improved from last season)

"You guys have been here, so it's tough for me to really talk about two years ago."

(On where the offense has improved since the beginning of this season)

"I think we're better as a whole. We're trying to win football games. We're doing things to win football games [and] to put ourselves in the best position to win football games. When that doesn't happen, that allows you guys to have this conversation, but if we're winning football games it's different because all of the numbers are not bad – it's just what you choose to pick. We've got to have awareness of where we're not as good and try to improve on that, to just try to complete this thing and make this thing whole to where we're playing better to actually win football games as opposed to trying to prove certain numbers. We're trying to win every time we go out, and whatever the situation holds within the game, we're going to do that to try to win the football game."

(On if the turnovers are frustrating him)

"Yes, no doubt about it. You don't win in this league when you turn the football over."

(On how he can prevent the snowball effect from happening within the offense)

"I didn't feel anything psychologically. I think anytime you put yourself in a hole versus a good football team, it's going to be difficult. We tried to fight our way out of it. We did a good job of fighting back and getting ourselves in position, but we just didn't finish the job or make the plays that we needed to make for us to have an opportunity to win that football game. We can correct that early in the game by not having those turnovers, by converting on some third downs to where as though you're not in that situation in the football game. So, you make these guys aware of that, of what we're going to have to do to really win football games consistently and you just keep coaching, keep teaching and then you'll see how it plays out after the game is over. Hopefully, you did enough good things to win the football game."

(On if it will be more important to complete deep balls early in the game to loosen up the Falcons defense)

"We just want to hit them. When we get our opportunity, we want to him them. Early in the game, late in the game – [if] we get opportunities to make big plays, we're always trying to make those plays. That's what we believe in. It's good when you have them early because it breeds confidence, it breeds early success and that's always a great thing. We're trying to hit them every time we get the opportunity to have a big play, we're trying to connect."

(On QB Jameis Winston's ability to get rid of the ball quickly when being blitzed)

"I think we only got sacked twice, so that wasn't an issue."

(On Winston being hit 12 times)

"Yes, but that's the game of football. That's what happens in this league when you play quarterback. It's not just Jameis – you've got to do the right thing with the football [and] get the ball in the right places. The best athletes on the whole field are the guys that've got their hand in the line of scrimmage playing defense – we understand that. We'll do a better job of trying to get him not taking shots, but for the most part, the pass protection was clean enough for us to have an opportunity to win the football game."

(On if Winston has improved at getting the ball out quick to avoid the pass rush)

"That's the thing that goes week to week, because we had just said that he was doing a good job against the blitz. So, it all depends on how you're looking at it and what you feel like the point, whoever is trying to make. They have an opportunity to do that and pull those numbers out when they want to. We think he's fine against the blitz. We're OK with it, we're going to keep putting him in situations so we respond well under that and I think he'll be fine."

(On if he thinks the hits that Winston is taking cumulatively add up in terms of pain)

"Yeah, that's the point of it. That's why you try to make sure he's always playing smart [and] make sure he's never putting himself in position to take added hits that you can avoid. If you can avoid them, you want to try to avoid them. Yes, you want to do everything you can to try to avoid hits. We are in the latter part of the season, so every player feels it [and] every quarterback feels it. He does a great job of really taking care of his body and doing the things like they all do. Today's players are exceptional at taking care of their body and doing what they've got to do day in and day out to be able to have an opportunity to survive seasons the way that they now. As you see, it's difficult for everyone across the league. It isn't just here, so it's something that we're aware of, we try to make him aware of it and try to make sure we're not taking unnecessary hits."

(On if he is seeing Winston making an effort to throw the ball out of bounds when the play is broken down)

"Yeah, it's something that you work on. It's hard to play quarterback in this league. One of the hardest things to do is to throw the ball away – trust me. It's so hard when you're trying to do what you can every single play because you never know the play that's going to win the game. You never know when that big play is going to happen. You never know when that third-and-2 conversion [where you're telling yourself], 'I can hold it. I completed two of them' [will happen]. It works – you complete three straight third downs with him being him and then he takes a shot on another one – that's the game of football. What you do see with him – you see him making the right decisions [and] learning to get the ball out of his hand. That is difficult to do when you have the ball. It's easy to say, 'Throw the ball away,' but when you're the guy that's responsible for the offense moving, responsible for the conversions on third downs, that thing becomes tougher than you think of just throwing that ball out. But he's doing an excellent job of getting that ball out of his hand, not taking unnecessary hits and hopefully we can keep getting better at it."

(On what is holding the team back)

"It's difficult for me to speak because this is our first year here. All we go off is what we know here. It's difficult to win in this league. You've got to play well across the board – especially from a situational football standpoint – to consistently win. We understand that, but it's still about getting it done when we have to get it done within the game. That's where you win the game. These guys prep as much as they can prep. They are energetic, they are focused, they lock in, they play their tails off [and] they give you everything they can, especially from a physical standpoint. Now, as we are getting into this thing, we are learning how to win together. We've got to learn how to win together. It doesn't really matter what happened in the past. I think we've got the right recipe, with the way these guys attack the game of football, to win football games. It just hasn't happened. Right now, we are going to focus in, lock in and keep working our tails off. We just want to keep getting in position to have an opportunity to win football games. I trust the guys in that locker room – the way that they practice, the way they go about football – that we will begin to get that done. I truly believe that because I believe the guys that are in the locker room and the way that they work."

(On if the feedback he is getting from Head Coach Bruce Arians is that he is 'ecstatic' with the job he has done as an offensive coordinator)

"I know him so well, like that's my guy, so I'm with him every day. He [doesn't] say that to you. I know if he felt as though I was doing something wrong, he would let me know. That I do know – if he felt as though it wasn't going the right way or something, he would let me know. That's one thing I know. I've got him there all the time to lean on if there are ever questions [or] if there is ever anything that I don't understand. That is the great thing about my situation – I have, who I believe [to be] one of the greatest minds in offensive football that I get to lean on any time I hit a speed bump or any time I am in a situation where I may not know something as well as he [does]. I always ask his opinion, 'What do you think of this? What do you think of that?' He goes back years and years of football. I've got Coach [Tom] Moore who I can ask – Coach Moore used to put his helmet in his pocket. You know what I mean? So, I've got people that have been around the game of football a long time. All of that information that I develop and that I can get from these guys – it's a blessing to have these guys that I can always lean on [and] get information from who really understand football, who really know football [and] know the ins-and-outs of football. I can hear their situations in their past, can hear their coaching stories – it's beautiful that I have that in the building every day that I can lean on."

(On if he still believes in QB Jameis Winston moving forward)

"I love working with Jameis. I think Jameis is getting better. Yes, we've got to fix the turnover thing. I know that, I understand that – regardless of if they are on him or not. As an offense, we've got to fix the turnover thing. It's not really all Jameis. We are talking that way, but when we talk as a group, anybody that touched the football is really in control – as you can see the past couple of games – in control of the ball. We've got to do a better job of keeping the ball and making sure we finish every series and every drive with a kick. If we do that, we give ourselves a chance because of the talent that we have. But we've got to have an understanding that we can't go into games having three [or] four turnovers, regardless of how they [come], especially when you're playing good football teams. It's going to be difficult to win [those] football games. We understand that, we'll get better at it and we'll continue trying to put ourselves in better position to win football games."

Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles

(On if CB Jamel Dean will be on the field for more defensive snaps moving forward)

"Yeah, he could've played last week. We had some packages. The game didn't dictate those to go, but it's my job to play him more and he will play more with Vernon [Hargreaves] gone and [Mike] Edwards playing some nickel. Dean is not a nickel guy. With Carlton [Davis] and [Sean Murphy-]Bunting outside, we played Edwards more inside, but we definitely will get him some more time."

(On if CB Sean Murphy-Bunting will predominantly play outside corner moving forward)

"We don't divulge game plans, sorry."

(On where he thinks his defense has improved over the course of the year)

"I mean I think we are best up front. Obviously, we've got some big guys up front. Just understanding what's happening – I think we've gotten a lot better there. At the inside backer spot, we've gotten a lot better at understanding what's happening, and the secondary is starting to understand what is happening to them game by game. The more they play, the more experience they get – some of it's talent, some of it's busted plays, but a lot of it is experience. I think as the games go by and the stakes get less and less, we've just got to clean it up."

(On if Dean can be used in zone coverage)

"He can play some zone coverage. It's just a matter of with [Sean Murphy]Bunting and Carlton [Davis] outside and putting [Mike] Edwards inside, it was hard to get Dean some reps from that standpoint. Then when they got ahead, it didn't really require a lot of things that we wanted to do, but we've still got to get him on the field, and I've got to do a better job of that."

(On young players making mistakes on things they practiced during the week)

"It's not just the young players – there are a lot of things that we've got to clean up. That was just one of them. He (Sean Murphy-Bunting) is a very heady player and he understands that, he'll get better next week. He understands what's getting ready to happen to him, so he doesn't make those types of mistakes very often."

(On S Mike Edwards at the nickel corner position)

"He did some good things at the spot – just putting him back in there. He did some good things at the spot. He's got some things he can get better on playing for the first time, but we were pleased with some of the things that he did and a lot of things we've just got to clean up."

(On if Atlanta Falcons WR Julio Jones and the other skill players create challenges for the Buccaneers' defense)

"They create big problems, obviously. It's not just Julio – it's [Calvin] Ridley, as well. They've got three tight ends that can play. They throw the ball to the running backs and they have two other receivers that play very well. Then Matt [Ryan] is a very smart guy. I think Dirk [Koetter] does a great job spreading the ball around and mixing up the run and the pass with those guys, so you don't concentrate on Julio. We've got our work cut out for us."

(On if he has seen growth from ILB Devin White)

"Every week we've seen flashes all of the time in practice. I think he is playing faster in the games. He had some big hits – obviously, we need a lot more of them. As it grows mentally on him, and the faster he plays, we see the progress every week, so we are happy with Devin."

(On the key to creating more takeaways)

"Fundamentals and technique, and then just aggression – going after the ball when you have the opportunity. Obviously, we've got to get our hands on more balls. We've got to pop more balls loose. Whatever we've got to do to try to get the offense the ball back, we'll try to do. Turnovers are an emphasis all year, all the time. Like you said, sometimes they come in bunches [and] sometimes they don't. They throw you the freebies, but you've got to work for a lot of them, as well."

(On how much say Head Coach Bruce Arians has on defensive personnel)

"He's the head coach – he's got say on everything. We talk about everything every week anyway. We don't do anything on defense without discussing a lot of things with him anyway. I mean, he's the head coach – he has all the say."

(On if he got more furniture in his office for all of the players that have been spending extra time preparing for the games with him)

"No, I did not [laughs]. I stay here pretty late, so they are always welcome. That's a question for another day."

(On if he is seeing a lot of growth in the development of his young secondary)

"It's day by day, week by week. That's every rookie in the league – there is going to be growth every day as the season goes on and goes forward. We've just got to keep grinding and getting them better."

-BUCCANEERS-