Head Coach Bruce Arians
(Opening statement)
"The only two guys that are out for the ball game [are] Jack Cichy and Alex Cappa. Both guys did not practice – everybody else practiced in some limited form, and I don't really have anything else to say, so start firing."
(On OLB Jason Pierre-Paul getting re-acclimated to the physicality of the game)
"Tomorrow will be a big day. They were getting after it pretty good today – especially in that pass rush drill – and he took a bunch of reps on the scout team. So, I'm anxious to see how he feels tomorrow."
(On how Pierre-Paul looked in practice)
"Really good."
(On why TE O.J. Howard has been limited in the passing game)
"Part of it's game planning, part of it's opportunities in the game. He's got to catch it – he dropped two balls last week. That hurts, so seeing (inaudible) catching it and getting 15 yards – that's big. But [the] other [part] is opportunity. A lot of stuff that we've had for him in the red zone just hasn't happened. We go into a game with 100-and-some plays and the game dictates sometimes what happens, but part of the time when we have game planned for him, they take it out of the way."
(On what has been the biggest surprise over the first six games)
"I don't know if there really have been any surprises other than, on a really bright side, how hard these guys work every single day. They give us everything [with] how hard we play. Probably the most surprising thing is I thought we'd be a little smarter by now. We still have some growing pains that I was hoping would be gone by now."
(On how the team has handled the wins versus the losses)
"The work ethic on the practice field – I really can't tell if we win or lose, which I like. It's not real high, it's not real low – it's just solid work. Hopefully, we can start stringing wins together."
(On how QB Jameis Winston has responded after the Week 6 loss)
"He's come out just like it's water off of his back. I like that about him. It's not like he's sitting around sulking or hesitant in any way. He had a really good two practices, so I think he'll play really well."
(On if there is a key to effectively using the time off during the Bye Week)
"I think sometimes it's knowing your team. My first year, we went back to training camp. We had two hellacious practices in pads, and it set the tempo for the rest of the year. The years after that, we didn't even need to practice. I think this team – with our schedule – there's no way we could go out there and have two physical practices and expect to get on a plane and keep playing. The padded practice today, I was really pleased with."
(On how difficult it will be to make decisions on the future of a quarterback when they have played for multiple coaches)
"A lot of times, that is the case – too many systems. This one [Jameis Winston] has only been in two, so you can't use that as an excuse. For me, it's just, let's play it all out. Let's see – can we correct mistakes, can we get better, can we play like we did in Los Angeles six weeks in a row – or in Carolina – and not have that game like we had the other day? Again, that's a lot of guys around him. That's part of the part about being disappointed and sometimes, the guys around him are making mistakes that are affecting him."
(On if it will be important to stop Titans RB Derrick Henry before he picks up momentum)
"Yeah, because this cat's really fast. [If] you give him a crease, he can take it to the house. He's a different – more like [Todd Gurley] – you've got to get him, and get him before he gets started. He's a really good outside-zone screen runner, and they play to his strengths."
(On if he wants to get back to having a balance between the running and passing game)
"You always want to have balance, especially through three quarters. You can play the fourth quarter to win the game – with the lead, you're going to run it more – when you're down two touchdowns, you're going to throw it every down. The running game gets out the window when you go down that many points, but we'd like to stay 50-50 – at least through three quarters – and then see what we've got to do to win the game."
(On if he will give his honest opinion of QB Jameis Winston when it comes time to evaluate him)
"I will not lie – that's for sure. They'll get my honest evaluation. That's who I am, so I don't think they have to worry about that."
(On how CB Sean Murphy-Bunting has handled increased playing time)
"He's done really well. He's played as solid – he's given up a play or two – but he's playing really solid."
(On if OLB Shaquil Barrett not having a sack in the last two games is a function of opponents double-teaming him)
"Yeah – he's in the big leagues now. Everybody knows who he is and where he's at."
(On how much OLB Jason Pierre-Paul's presence will help Barrett)
"It will help a bunch if we can get it done."
(On how he envisions using OLB Carl Nassib when Pierre-Paul is back in the lineup)
"That's the beauty of Carl – he's very position-flexible. He can play inside [or] outside, as JPP (Jason Pierre-Paul) can, and we've played Shaq [Barrett] off the ball some, so it's fun toys to play with when you start rushing the passer and you have that many guys."
Quarterback Jameis Winston
(On what he did to recharge during the Bye Week)
"Spent time with the family – that was crucial time to get with them. It was amazing. I had a great time."
(On if the Bye Week came at a good time due to the amount of travel the team has had in recent weeks)
"Yeah, it was good. We needed it, but also, we're excited. We are excited for this week to play against the Titans. It was good."
(On if it is important to move to 3-4 rather than 2-5)
"We always want to win. In those one-game competitions, we want to win that one game. This is the game we have up this week and this is the game we have to win. We can't look forward. It really doesn't matter; we have to take care of business. If you take care of business, everything falls into place."
(On the challenge that the Tennessee Titans defense presents)
"Different looks – Dean Pees is a great defensive coordinator and they have great talent, so we have to be ready, and we will be."
(On stringing good performances together to create a winning streak)
"My main goal every game is to give our team a chance to win. When I do that, we win, so that's my main goal."
(On if he is surprised with how Titans QB Marcus Mariota's career has played out in Tennessee)
"I've got to focus on me. I've got to make sure I'm doing the things I need to do for this side. We're focused on getting a win versus Tennessee."
(On opposing teams keying in on TE O.J. Howard)
"I can see that they are getting a lot of hands on O.J. O.J. has been in a lot of positions where he is attached to the line of scrimmage, so every chance they get, they are whacking him and they're getting their hands on him, trying to slow down his tempo. We're going to get O.J. the ball. That's just the type of player [he is]. Him and Mike [Evans] – they are going to get the ball. We're going to find a way to do it and it's going to happen."
(On bouncing back from rough performances)
"You've just got to. You're going to have good games and you're going to have bad games. The only thing is when you have bad games, you have to hope that you won it. This is just a key game [with] us coming back from the Bye Week, getting back together as a team [and] building on the positives that we had from the first six weeks, and going out there and executing."
(On what it means when Head Coach Bruce Arians says the team needs to prepare better)
"Just overall preparation – putting more time into the playbooks [and] going over and beyond in terms of what can we do to pull wins off as a team."
(On what OLB Jason Pierre-Paul's return means to the team)
"His energy and his enthusiasm for this game is remarkable – it's incredible. We're definitely happy to have him back on the practice field and we hope he gets a chance to play because he will shine."
(On if he is amazed with how Pierre-Paul has again returned from a significant injury)
"He's favored. He has tremendous faith and he is relentless, so no, I am not amazed, but he is blessed."
(On seeing his teammates overcome challenges in their careers and their lives, specifically in the case of Pierre-Paul)
"We have some incredible people on this team. His story is just one of the many stories we have on this team, [of people] who have overcome something like him. If you look at the guys in our locker room, we have guys that have overcome a lot through their lifetime. We just know of what he overcame right now as an NFL pro, but I'm pretty sure he's been through worse."
(On Pierre-Paul's leadership ability)
"His biggest tool is he will call you out. He takes no prisoners, he doesn't discriminate and he leads by example. He will tell you [that] you need to fix something, and you will see him fixing it if you do mess up. He always has your back and he is just a realist. He is a realist with you."
(On if he learned anything from having joint practices with the Titans in the 2018 preseason)
"Yeah, you got a chance to see the different ways they've got to play different techniques in terms of their man coverage and their zone coverage. You see if they like to play inside leverage or outside leverage, things like that. It's always good to practice against guys like that. It was kind of more vanilla toward the preseason game, but [in] the practice we got a lot of different looks. It's good to have played against them."
(On what it takes mentally to go on a winning streak)
"We've just got to keep it simple. Come in every week and win every week, win every day, really. I know it might seem cliché, but that's how you win football games. Good teams don't waste days. That's what we are going to do here and that's what we have to do."
(On how he applies that approach to his job as the quarterback)
"It's the same thing – I have to make sure I am making the most of every single day, whether it's extra film work [or] whether it's that more-detailed preparation. Whatever it may be, whether it's taking a checkdown, it's just making every decision based upon if this is going to help us win or not."
(On if he has kept track of Mariota's career)
"I keep track of all of the quarterbacks in this league. The main person that I keep track of is myself. I have to focus on how I can get better. Everyone has something they can get better at. Every single quarterback has something they can get better at, but I am pretty sure they do more self-scouting than scouting other people."
-BUCCANEERS-