Below is a transcript from Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians. Full video of press conferences can be found on Buccaneers.com.
(Opening statement)
"Not a lot to say. Not a lot of news on the injury front – a lot of MRIs [are] taking place. We'll know more this afternoon. I think two things for sure: Anytime you start a sentence with, 'In the history of the NFL,' it's big. And for Jameis [Winston] I'm really, really happy for us and for him to be able to put his name in the record books. And then the same thing in franchise history, Shaq [Barrett] tying Sapp's [Warren] record in sacks. Injuries are something that everybody's got them in December, so it's never an excuse, it'll be the next man up. We're actively looking at who's going to be healthy and who is going to be able to play receiver for us this week and have a game plan for what they can do."
(On C Ryan Jensen's injury)
"Ali [Marpet], they were in a double-team block and he got more of Ryan's elbow than he did of the defender and it hurt a lot. But he's a tough guy, came to the sideline to shake it off. We used a timeout really to get Earl [Watford] and Jameis [Winston] some snaps and by then Ryan was ok so he could go back in."
(On Jensen deciding to not come out)
"He said, 'I'm going back in.' I said, 'Good.'
(On possibly adding another receiver)
"Yes, we'll have the three guys that finished – [Breshad Perriman], Justin [Watson], Ishmael [Hyman]. We'll look for other guys that are potential guys. Maybe that's somebody that's here, maybe somebody that's on somebody else's practice squad."
(On dressing four receivers on gameday)
"Yes, at a minimum."
(On Winston reaching 450 yards in back-to-back games with injuries to the receiving corps)
"I think you have to give a lot of credit to the offensive line and tight ends and Ear [Watford] for really giving really good protection all day. Because we weren't throwing a lot of short passes. Now we did in the second half, we started using the tight ends and back and stuff – whoever's available. Again, for me I thought the coach did a good job of not asking somebody to do something they can't do just because Mike or Chris did. Put them in a situation to be successful and I think we did that and scoring just enough points."
(On TE Tanner Hudson's status)
"Tanner Hudson is still under protocol. He's like our fifth option at receiver, so we'll see if he can go, and we'll just move on from there."
(On spreading the ball around offensively)
"Yeah I think it was 11 guys that touched it. I think we're doing a really good job of finding backs underneath stuff now, not just forcing it down the field – when it's there take it. If not, the backs are very capable of making a lot of yards for you. That's something we have to really look into, who's available, what to do in this game plan on a short week."
(On Winston's first interception)
"No, it was a hot [read]. They blitzed off that side. They both ran the hot route. He just saw it a little bit too late and the guy (Jahlani Tavai) made a heck of a catch."
(On the offensive line play without T Donovan Smith)
"Other than the first two penalties I thought they played really, really solid. I mean Josh [Wells], he went down field a little too fast on the string and got a block in the back. It was a legitimate hold on the other plays. Other than that he played pretty solid."
(On not being able to run the ball consistently)
"It is frustrating. The number of runs are still there, which led to a lot of good play-action game. So it's like don't abandon it, just keep two, three. We had that one drive where I think Rojo [Ronald Jones II] had four, five, four, five. Peyton had a couple good runs coming off the goal line. It's just a matter of them stacking the box, which added a lot to the play-action passing game."
(On the hamstring injuries)
"I mean I've got all our guys, our sport science people looking at that right now and we do work probably harder than most teams in the league, so it's something we'll have to address."
(On Chris Godwin and Mike Evans' seasons)
"I would have loved to get all the games and see where – I would be hoping to have two 1,500 yard guys with 80-100 catches."
(On which Buccaneers players should be in the Pro Bowl)
"I would start with Chris [Godwin] and Mike [Evans]. After that I think Shaq [Barrett] has to be involved in it. I think Vita [Vea] has had that type of year. Lavonte [David] for sure. I'm not a big fan [of the Pro Bowl]."
(On the struggle running the ball)
"Some was pressing, bouncing outside. Some was just poor blocking."
(On S Jordan Whitehead and what he means to the team)
"Jordan's had a solid year. He's a good blitzer. He's done a heck of a job on tight ends. He's just playing his role. Strong safety for us encompasses a lot of things, so he's had a really solid year. Hopefully he's not hurt too."
(On Darian Stewart being the backup strong safety)
"Yes, Mike's [Edwards] is more free. He and [Andrew Adams] swap back and forth. 'Stew' (Darian Stewart) is our backup strong."
(On Arian's familiarity with Vernon Hargreaves)
"I think the familiarity, sure. Now, he's not going to be familiar with our receivers because he doesn't know any of them now [laughs]. I don't either. I think the young guys were earning the right to be on the field."
(On passing defense improvements)
"I think communication by far. The young guys learned to communicate especially the safeties. Learning to communicate with those corners, and we still have a problem every now and then of dropping our guy and passing something off that's not supposed to be passed off. That communication has been key to it."
(On CB Sean Murphy-Bunting's interception)
"It's a film study thing, showing the blitz, making them run a hot route, and then jumping it. It's a very veteran move and he's a very smart player. That's why I think he has such a great future. And he can catch."
(On Murphy-Bunting's pass catching ability giving him an advantage)
"Yes, because we've dropped seven interceptions in the last two weeks. Jamel Dean – I'm going to get him a tennis racket or something. You can't get an easier pick-six and he's just like Sean, he's studying it, but we have to work on the JUGS machine."
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