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.
Running Back Peyton Barber
Tight End Cameron Brate
Running Back Peyton Barber
(On coming into a season as the expected starter)
"I definitely feel like I have a lot of expectations for myself. There are a lot of things that I feel as if I didn't accomplish last year that I definitely want to accomplish this year. So, [I] definitely [have] a lot of expectations for myself."
(On Head Coach Bruce Arians saying positive things about his game)
"That definitely meant a lot to me. At the same time, I still consider myself to be the underdog. There's four or five other guys fighting for my job, and I don't plan on giving it up."
(On areas of his game he wants to improve)
"The passing game, staying on the field on third downs, really breaking the long runs, explosive plays. Just more things of that sort."
(On the excitement of the first day of training camp)
"I think it's just like what you said – I feel like a kid. You have little butterflies in your stomach but you know at the end of the day you're still going to be alright."
(On wanting to stay in Tampa when he had a chance to be a restricted free agent)
"It definitely meant a lot for me to come back here. Like I said, I feel like I have some unfinished business here that I can definitely improve on. And then, two, I love this city. This is a great place. I actually just bought a house not too long ago, so I definitely like it down here."
(On his comfort level in the offense on a scale of 1-10)
"I'd say I'm about a seven. I'm getting there. It's definitely a lot more complicated than it was last year and the previous years."
(On if it's more complicated for the running backs, specifically)
"Yes, ma'am."
(On working with Running Backs Coach Todd McNair)
"[He is a] cool coach. I really like him a lot. I have nothing but good things to say about him."
(On McNair working on the high school level and if that has him focused more on the fundamentals)
"I mean, coach, he just lets us play from what I can see. All the guys in the room, we kind of just see him as one of the guys in a way, but at the same time we respect him as a coach."
(On coming into camp a few pounds lighter than last year)
"Well, my weight kind of fluctuates during the season. At the start of the season, I'll be anywhere from, like, 235 to 230, and then gradually throughout the season, by the time the season ends I'll be about 222 or 220."
(On if starting out a little lighter is by design)
"Yes, sir."
(On how they approach the talk surrounding the team)
"You don't listen to it. Everybody has their own opinions. Everybody's entitled to their own opinions, but it's our choice whether to listen to it or not, and I choose not to listen to it."
(On how camp gets a team ready for the season)
"We're just stacking days, one by one, having good days – consistency."
(On the differences for running backs in the new offense)
"[There are] definitely more complicated blocking schemes. They ask more of us in the pass-protection, and they're going to split us out a little bit in the wide receiver game."
(On if he sees more passes going to running backs this year)
"Yeah, definitely, most definitely. I'm excited for that."
(On where QB Jameis Winston has improved)
"Confidence – not that he didn't have it last year, but you can definitely tell that he's thinking it's a new start. I'm definitely excited to see what the future has in store for him."
(On Arians infusing confidence in the players)
"Yeah, and he expects it from you also. He expects the most out of you. That's a big thing to players."
(On Arians telling people exactly what he expects)
"Yes, sir. I'd rather have it that way instead of somebody sugarcoating it with me. It keeps it real and, as a man, that's kind of what you want."
Tight End Cameron Brate
(On how he managed pain following his injury)
"[You've] just kind of got to rub some dirt on it and just do the best you can. Coach helped out for sure, kind of just managed my reps throughout. It was kind of just like the ultimate catch-22. You want to kind of manage the injury, but you also need to get the reps. For me, that was really frustrating, too, was not getting – I feel like I wasn't prepared the way I would've liked to have been to have played, on top of that. Working through that wasn't always easy, but I'm thankful for coach last year – he kind of helped me out a lot with that."
(On what he has noticed about LB Devin White)
"I think just watching him, the first thing that kind of pops up is just how fast he is, how quickly he processes the game. He's a very instinctive player, so he just processes everything so fast and then physically, he can fly around, so he'll make plays that other guys just can't make. Like I said, covering with his athleticism definitely gives him an advantage compared to other linebackers. I think being a rookie, it's obviously pretty hard to kind of be the leader of the defense, but as a middle linebacker, there's going to be a lot that kind of falls on him. Just talking with him, I think he's the kind of guy that's going to kind of embrace that role and really spearhead the defense this year."
(On how previous relationship with QB Jameis Winston has helped navigate new offense)
"It helps a lot. You kind of always fall back to what you've done in the past. Especially when you're learning something new. So, Jameis having a sense of security with me – even just me working with him three days. He was throwing it a lot to me Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, which was awesome for me getting back into the swing of things. But it is definitely an adjustment. You're going to run your routes a little bit differently even though it's technically the same route. Different coaching staffs have different philosophies on how they want to run it. We are going to have to continue to work on those little nuances. You know, Jameis is willing to put in the extra work. We'll have a good contingent of guys at the end of practice working on those kinds of things."
(On gained perspective from the past year)
"I would say I fell in love with the game in a different way. You know, I've always been on a kind of good trajectory – a couple of bumps in the road every now and then, but that was the first time I really had a down season for my own standards. It sucked. I wanted to contribute to the team and feel like I was playing at a high level, and last year I just didn't really feel like I was that. It was really hard, and it wore on me throughout the year. It just kind of motivated me for recovering from surgery – it gave me something every single day. You know if I do these extra reps now it's going to pay off in the end. That was kind of my motivation throughout recovery. And I'm going to continue to have that chip on my shoulder and try and prove myself again. That I'm the player that I was in the past."
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