Below is a selection of Tampa Bay Buccaneers quotes from today's earlier media availability. Full video of press conferences can be found on Buccaneers.com.

Head Coach Dirk Koetter

Quarterback Jameis Winston

Wide Receiver Mike Evans

Head Coach Dirk Koetter

(On defensive tackle Gerald McCoy being nominated for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award)

"If there's a more giving, generous person that I've been around in the NFL I'd be hard-pressed to name a guy that gives more of his time and money. Both he and his wife, his whole family. Very well-deserved and it's quite an honor in the NFL to be one of the 32. Proud of Gerald for representing the Bucs."

(On the progression and improvement of wide receiver Mike Evans)

"Mike's not afraid to say he wants to be the best. He knows he's good, but he wants to be great. We're in a league of outstanding quarterback and receiver play, and Mike's in the upper echelon of that group and his numbers bear that out. His consistency – Mike's an extremely hard worker. I think he's in the best condition that he's been in in my four years here. I think he consistently runs his route at a faster tempo. His catch radius and his natural athleticism, those are what they are. Mike's continued to work on his game and tried to be the best he can."

(On what stands out about the Saints' defense compared to Week 1)

"I think they've been relatively injury-free on defense, so they've played together. I think they play extremely hard and extremely fast. They don't make very many mistakes and they're aggressive. They give you a lot of five-man pressure and a lot of man coverage. You're going to make some big plays and you're going to have some negative plays. In game one, we hit a lot of big plays on them and I'm sure that's what they'll be trying to stop in this game. They've reduced those and they've pressured the quarterback consistently throughout the year, throughout their 10-game winning streak."

(On the performance of offensive tackle Donovan Smith this season)

"I think when you start looking around the league, I know Donovan is a guy that get graded down by the football gurus out there, but when you start looking around at the left tackles in the league and the guys you can get, my challenge would be – who do you want to take his place? That's a very small number. It's extremely small. I think Donovan is always there, he'll play through injury, very smart, powerful, athletic. I think the only knock that you could get on Donovan Smith is that he could be a little bit more consistent, but you could probably say that about every player on the field."

(On how guard Ali Marpet is playing this season)

"Ali's playing extremely well. He's playing at an extremely high level. I'll go back and say whether Ali was playing left guard, center or right guard he'd be playing that way because he's just a good football player."

(On running back Ronald Jones' progression as a player)

"I just think Ronald is coming along. I think that's just the best way to say it – he's coming along. He's improved tremendously in two areas, in catching the football and in pass protection, but he just really hasn't been able to break out as runner. Let's face it, that's what he was brought here to do. Part of it is we haven't been able to get him to any open grass. It seems like he's always running into the back of the O-line. Part of that is luck of the draw, part of that is defense and blocking, part of it might be him. It's hard to say. One thing I have learned in my experience is it's hard to coach a runner that you've seen do it and tell him to do it different. These guys got to where they are by being naturally gifted. Some of them have speed, some of them can break tackles, some of them have vision, but I think it's tough. I've been around some really good players and I've just seen it enough to know that I think you've got to let it work itself out. I'm a big believer that if you've seen it on tape consistently in college – which we did – that it will eventually show up in the NFL."

(On if it's difficult to get a young player enough opportunities to 'get them going')

"We've had a hard time running enough for one guy, let alone for two or three. Now, part of that is the way the season's gone we've been behind a lot. I think part of that just is based off how your season goes and if you consistently move it. Our team is built to be a throwing team right now. That's where our bread is kind of buttered right now. Like I said, I don't think you've seen the true Ronald Jones yet, and for now I'll just put that on me. Know that he's progressing."

(On if he was expecting more out of this year's rookie class)

"You can't judge anything when injuries come into play. I don't ever look at it as a rookie class or a sophomore class. I mean, your team is your team and you're trying to get the best out of your team that you can. Where guys are drafted doesn't necessarily mean that's how they're going to progress in that order or that's not necessarily the way they're going to show up in production. We have had some rookies that have showed up big time. Jordan Whitehead, in the games that he's been healthy and been in there, he's showed up big. Carlton Davis has had big games. M.J. Stewart has had some good games. I think still this class will work out fine. I think most of those guys will be here for a while, but we'll just have to see."

(On wide receiver Justin Watson's performance this season)

"Yeah, he's doing a good job. He's doing good. He's fifth [or] sixth on the totem pole right now. When you draft a guy where he was drafted, we think he's got a future. I would look at this as somewhat of a developmental year for him. I'd say he's right on track. He's playing more on special teams learning a lot of positions. Coming from the Ivy League to going out there and covering kickoffs in the NFL and making a tackle inside the 10 [yard line] last week, there's kind of a big adjustment."

(On what he learned from Week 1 that has helped this season)

"The two things that pop in my head are number one, we have an explosive offense. We've done a really good job in that area of being explosive – we're in the top of the league. The other thing is, as a football team, when we win the turnover battle, we're hard to beat. When we lose it, it might go the other way."

Quarterback Jameis Winston

(On facing the Saints pass rush and defense end Cameron Jordna)

"Well I know he has Demar Dotson, Caleb Benenoch, Ryan Jensen, Donovan Smith and Ali Marpet lined up across him too. Pretty confident about that matchup. Every team has great players. I'm privileged to be in this league to play against the best of the best every week. Our main focus is to do our job. If we do it well, we're pretty tough to compete against too."

(On being compared to Saints quarterback Drew Brees)

"First of all, I admire Drew Brees for the man he is and the quarterback he is. I've always looked up to him. I always tell this story every year – I had Drew Brees' first autograph when he went to the Saints. I [saw] him at a place in Birmingham and he gave me his autograph. I still cherish that to this day. He probably [doesn't] remember it but I do. In terms of numbers, it's just really about winning. I know from a career perspective I reflect on that at the end of seasons. Right now, I'm just focused on this week seeing what I can do to get better this week. Other than that, I don't have anything to say about it. He's the G.O.A.T. (Greatest of All Time). If I'm being compared to him in any way, it's a blessing definitely."

(On what he does before or during a game to keep control of his emotions)

"Something I do, I meditate weekly – daily, actually in the morning – just to get control of [my] emotions and to be present. I use an app called Headspace. It's a pretty good app. It just puts everything in perspective, slows things down. It always talks about how self-talk is not necessarily good because you're not present. Sometimes you've just got to live in the moment and trust your instincts and go out there and play."

(On where he has seen wide receiver Mike Evans elevate his game)

"He just gets better every year. I think that's so cliché, but that's all our goals – to get better every single year. He's just very dominant. He's blessed – God blessed him with incredible talent and incredible gifts and he's using them to the best of his abilities. I'm blessed to be able to toss him that rock. He does it ever single week, so it [isn't a] surprise to me."

Wide Receiver Mike Evans

(On what's challenging about the Saints)

"Obviously they're offense is explosive. They've got an MVP candidate over there in Drew [Brees], who is having a phenomenal season, probably the best season of his career, and he's on the back end of it. And their defense has gotten much better since we played them; they look kind of like they did last year. I think we have a really good game plan. We have to win our one-on-one matchups. That'll be key."

(On how he has improved his game this season)

"I think this season my run-after-catch has been a little bit better and my route-running has been so much better. I'm able to bend. I wasn't able to bend like this a couple years ago but now I'm able to bend. I've been more healthy, I'm in better shape, so I think that's been key for me. I'm a much better route-runner because I'm in better shape."

(On the importance of maxing out every offensive possession)

"Oh, it's huge. We want to make the game easier for our defense, because this is an offensive league. We want to make the game easier for them and we want to do what we're supposed to do. We have some of the top skill guys in the league and there's no reason why we shouldn't score a lot of points. We've been doing a good job of taking care of the football, and I think that's key. Take care of the football and we'll be hard to beat."

(On how the Buccaneers have been able to beat New Orleans twice in a row)

"I don't know what it is. I think we've played complete games when we've played them. I think they're the best team we've played this season and we beat them, so hopefully we can repeat that and put ourselves in a better position."

(On what is was like in Week One when the offense was so prolific against the Saints)

"I just remember everybody was just on. Offensively, that was one of our best games since we've been here, just on the offensive end. We rarely made any mistakes, we took care of the football and we won our one-on-one matchups. I think that's going to be key for this game as well."

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