Head Coach Bruce Arians

(Opening statement)

"Not practicing today – Jamel Dean with an ankle, Chris Godwin with a hip, Ryan Jensen with his back, Vita Vea [with a] groin and Devin White [with a] knee. They'll just be day-to-day [and] we'll see how they go. [I was] really pleased with the way the guys bounced back. [Today was a] very good practice. Obviously, we have a heck of an opponent this Sunday. I think when you start talking about the Rams, you start with Aaron Donald, and then Todd Gurley and all the rest of the players they have – but I think they have one of the best special teams units in the last four or five [years] since Bones [John Fassel] has been there. They do a great job, so it's all three phases. It's going to be a great challenge and I look forward to it."

(On if the team practiced as well as it did last week)

"Yes, very much so."

(On how much DL Ndamukong Suh can help in giving inside knowledge of the Rams)

"They're really not that complicated – they're just really good. Individuals – he just talked to the offensive linemen about the guys and he's talked to the defensive linemen about the offensive players that he knows, so yeah, that always helps a little bit."

(On if Suh knows tendencies that certain Rams players have)

"Yeah, just what moves beat a guy. [He's] gone against all those offensive linemen, so that adds to it [and] helps a little bit. As far as the scheme – no. That's not going to help any."

(On how much he saw the Rams improve since hiring Head Coach Sean McVay)

"Sean's done a heck of a job. They were not very good, and then they became good quick. They had a great draft, got a quarterback, I think Aaron Donald was a big hit – that was a great hit for them. They've hit on some other guys, but they put some really good pieces together. They're really strong in both lines of scrimmage and they're really good in special teams."

(On if he is surprised at the amount of success McVay has had as a young head coach)

"Yes and no. He grew up in the business. Kyle [Shanahan] grew up in the business. It's totally different than a guy just growing up not playing – being there with your grandfather, with your Dad and just living in the business, being around really good people. They were with Jon [Gruden] for a long time and Mike [Shanahan] and all those guys that they were with, so they were trained and they're more than ready."

(On if it helps QB Jameis Winston for Rams Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips' scheme to be similar to Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles')

"Yeah, they're similar in that they're a 3-4, but they're really totally different defenses. Wade's evolved a lot in the last two to three years to different schemes, so yeah, they're a challenge. There's a lot of number one picks in that front, so that's the biggest problem. It's not the scheme – it's the individuals."

(On if the defense will have the same approach to stopping Rams RB Todd Gurley as it did with Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey and Giants RB Saquon Barkley)

"Yeah, it starts with stopping Todd Gurley or the game's over for us defensively. [If] we don't stop him, it's going to be a long day. Just like the other two, we've got to plan for it, rally to the ball, make more than one guy make the tackle and force the quarterback to beat us."

(On how Gurley is different than the previous running backs they've faced)

"Yeah, Todd's more of a downhill slasher. [If] you give him any little crease, it's to the house. Those other guys are shiftier maybe, and Todd's also a heck of a receiver. I don't think he gets credit for how good of a receiver he is out in space. We're talking about three of probably the top five backs in the league, and they're all different, but they're all really outstanding."

(On OLB Shaquil Barrett's start to the season)

"No one's done it – it's a first. To me, when you put that in the history of football, that's big. What he's done is big and hopefully he can continue."

(On if he saw Barrett having as strong a start to the season as he has)

"I was hoping, but I don't think anybody saw it coming – eight [sacks]."

(On what the defense has done to be effective in stopping the run)

"I think they've got a good plan – really good plans. Todd [Bowles] has put them in position to stop the run and we're tackling well. We're not missing a lot of tackles and we're not giving up a lot of yards after the catch other than that one the other day. The safeties have tackled well. Jordan [Whitehead's] done a good job in there, and so have our nickels when they're coming in to plug gaps. When you have those type of guys tackling, it helps."

(On what the secondary needs to do differently this week)

"Communicate better – just communicate better, do your job and quit trying to do somebody else's job."

(On the run-pass options)

"That all stems with the running game. If the running game's not going, the RPOs aren't going. If the running game is going, you're coming harder, guys are inside [or] outside leverage and that's where they come up. But I don't really think we got hit with an RPO last week or the week before. They're not really an RPO team."

(On Daniel Jones' first touchdown pass)

"No, it was just a straight play-action pass."

(On Running Backs Coach Todd McNair and what he brings)

"He's got great communication skills, especially with running backs, and having played for so long he knows exactly how I want it taught because I taught it to him as his running back in coach in Kansas City. He's just got a great teaching rapport with the players and I think those years in college he learned to father figure them a little bit more and still be the cool uncle that he is with them."

(On Todd McNair coaching in the NFL again)

"Yes, I mean what happened to him at USC was a disgrace the way it came out on him. It was a hard struggle to get back in, but I knew when I had the opportunity, I was going to get him back in."

(On balancing when to run or pass on first down)

"For me, it's yardage. We're in the top, I think top ten now, in first down yardage because we've hit our shots. We're starting to hit our shots on first down. That's a setup. It may be a three-to-one, but that one is big. It's a give and take. Can you throw quick passes? Yeah, but I'd rather pound it and throw it down the field and get that big number. "

(On calling nine consecutive run plays late in the game vs. the Giants)

"Yeah, I don't think any were unsuccessful until third-down. They were all successful."

(On getting spooked as a play-caller after having an interception)

"As an old saying of mine, 'You find a mud hole, you stomp all the water out of it before you go to the next one.' And we were stomping that water pretty good until that third-down call."

(On what from his time as a broadcaster is helpful to him now coaching again)

"Yeah, just watching all those different teams practice. The tempo of their practice was so different from city to city, good teams to bad teams. It's funny because some of the bad teams had some of the best Friday practices and some of the good teams looked like they were just loafing all over the place, but they knew what they were doing. There weren't any mistakes. The tempo of the practice was totally different, but yeah, and all the music."

Quarterback Jameis Winston

(On if he is not being decisive in deciding when to run)

"Yeah, I've taken a couple sacks, but that's what I do – I try to make plays – and I just haven't been making a lot of plays. I took a lot of sacks last game, but eventually I'm going to scramble and we're going to make some big plays."

(On if he tries to keep his eyes downfield as opposed to running)

"That's what I always do. I'm always trying to make a play downfield, but sometimes when you extend plays, you've got a good side – you have big plays – and sometimes you take some sacks."

(On facing the Rams defense)

"It's a good defense – very sound. They play where they play, so we've just got to execute how we execute."

(On if he has met Rams QB Jared Goff)

"I've met him before in California. [He's a] good kid … good guy – we're the same age."

(On being aggressive offensively. while being balanced with the run game)

"I just think it's such a positive when you're able to run the football, no matter if it's first down or what. The more effective we are and if we continue to be efficient, eventually it will open up some big play-action shots for us. But as long as we keep running the ball effectively, I'm happy."

(On how he will approach traveling to the next five games)

"I enjoy traveling, just because I like being on the plane and being with the guys for an extended period of time – you actually get a chance to see them and talk to them. But I think coach B.A. has done an incredible job with having our guys – Dr. Greg [Skaggs], Dave [Hamilton] – those guys have done a tremendous job – and Bobby [Slater] in the training room – of giving us these tools to travel effectively. Whether it's compression socks, whether it's different exercises before we get on the plane, I think they've just been doing a great job."

(On if this is more thought put into traveling than he's used to)

"Yeah, this is the most thought into travel that I've ever experienced in the league, so it's pretty big."

(On if he can sleep on a plane)

"Yeah, I can sleep sometimes. It depends – sometimes, I'm just so excited, but typically [before] a 1 o'clock game, I try to get a nap."

(On RB Ronald Jones II's improvement this season)

"I think he has been working his tail off all offseason and it's showing. He has continued doing what he's doing. All of our running backs have been running very efficient, but RoJo has been dominating and I'm proud of him, and I'm just going to keep on giving him the rock."

(On what defenses are doing to take certain receivers away)

"It's different from week to week. The first two weeks, they were adamant of taking Mike [Evans] away, but Chris [Godwin] proved how talented he was, so he had some great spurts in those first two games. Last week, they just threw a lot at us, left Mike on some one-on-one occasions and we were able to find ways to get him the ball. Whatever they have for us, Coach Byron [Leftwich] does a great job of preparing, trying to get guys open, trying to put us in the right situation for us to be effective."

(On if he felt the play calling went away from him when seven consecutive run plays were called during a fourth-quarter drive on Sunday)

"I think we were just running the ball effectively, and it really steps on a team's will when you're able to run down their throat. You think about that drive we had against Carolina where we just ran that ball. We really were one block away from scoring a touchdown against the Giants, so it's definitely a team effort. I got my chance at the end of the game and we executed there. We're going to have some games like that. Now, we've just got to bounce back, focus on this game and try to get a victory."

(On what he can take away from having a 5-3 record in road games in 2016)

"Yeah – it's one game at a time. We have to come with a different sense of urgency when we're on the road because we know the other team is defending their own territory. But we have to finish strong here. I'm not looking ahead, but we have to finish strong for our fans and get some wins at home, because we've got to defend our home court. But right now, we have a great away stretch, so we just take it one game at a time and we've got to do our best in every one of those games."

-BUCCANEERS-