Head Coach Bruce Arians

(Opening statement)

"This is one of my favorite days of the year. When we bring the kids in and give out the school supplies, you can see the frowns turn to smiles as they came through that line and saw the guys. [I] can't thank our players enough for being a part of it. My son and his wife are going to fly to Arizona [and] do the same thing at their practice and get the kids in Arizona their backpacks so they walk in that classroom knowing they've got everything [they need] to be successful. [Today was] another great practice. I loved the speed of it. Again, the ebb and flow, defense won, offense won. There were a lot of really good things, a couple of dumb things we can correct. Coming out of the end zone on fourth down and catching it on the one instead of getting deeper in the end zone – little things. That's why we're out here practicing and learning. Every single day, there's something special. [We] made a great play to tie the game when we're down eight. Those are the things, then our defense has got to learn from that. We try to put them in those situations every single day, at least two or three so we can become a smarter team."

(On a K Matt Gay's kick)

"That was a bomb. I don't think I've ever seen one from 57 [yards] go over the windows. The one he hit the upright, if you can tell, that upright's bent, but it went in too. He was 10-for-10. Cairo [Santos] had a great set yesterday, just missed from 55. It's going to be a heck of a competition."

(On whether it sounds different when Matt Gay is kicking)

"Yeah. He's got obviously a very powerful leg."

(On CB Carlton Davis)

"A lot of competition. He is competing and really refining his bump and run skills. He's getting his hands off players at the right time. All three of those guys are so long, it's hard for receivers to get away from them. They just learned proper technique. They've all got speed. He's getting better and better."

(On offensive line)

"He's playing guard and center. Like all of them, that offensive line can't wait until tomorrow to get the pads on. They're tired of getting bull-rushed in shorts, and I am too. I actually cut this practice back a little bit today. Instead of two fields, we'll do it tomorrow in pads. I'm tired of watching them in shorts, to tell you the truth."

(On versatility of S Mike Edwards being able to play multiple positions)

"Teaching him both. He is really such a versatile player. That first day, I don't know if you saw the interception he had the first day of rookie school. He's got great ball skills. We want to see him play the middle. We know he can play down [and] play nickel, so can he middle? We can do a lot of things defensively."

(On the comparison of S Mike Edwards to Chiefs S Tyrann Mathieu)

"He really does [remind me of him], he has those instincts. I think he is a couple tackles away from being the all-time leading tackler in Kentucky history – that's [includes] pretty good players. We know he can tackle, but his ball skills really amaze me."

(On utilizing WR Justin Watson)

"He is another position-flexible guy. He can play outside or he can play inside. He is a big, strong, physical guy. He is the guy that went down and came out of the endzone, and he is so smart it's like, 'Come on, dude. You are one of the smartest guys we have.' He learned from it. He is getting better and better. I think he is one of those long-speed guys that is sneaky on people."

(On what he has seen from RB Andre Ellington)

"He is healthy. You saw his burst on a couple of runs today. He dislocated a finger and came right back in. He is such a great route-runner. I haven't seen him this healthy since his rookie year. I mean, he is fast, he is quick and he has got his size back. He's hungry."

(On Ellington returning to practice after the dislocation)

"Yeah, they just pulled it back in place and let's go. Put some tape on it."

(On the first day in pads tomorrow)

"Football is not played in shorts and it's not fair to the big guys. So many guys look bad in shorts and then they put the pads on and they're football players. That was kind of my message when we broke – I am looking for the football players that show up now, not the soccer players. There are a lot of guys who are great in shorts and then the noise level goes up and they kind of disappear. We are going to look for football players now."

(On if they will begin tackling tomorrow)

"No tackling yet – we will give them a chance to get in pads probably next week. We will break it down and have a few live, move-the-ball drills."

-BUCCANEERS-