HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On if there is an update on QB Baker Mayfield's injury)

"Not at this time. Nothing [has] changed. I mean, he's getting better. We'll see how much he throws and see how he looks."

(On if QB Baker Mayfield has been able to throw yet)

"Well, we're going to see this afternoon."

(On whether QB Baker Mayfield has done any football-related work yet)

"No."

(On if QB Baker Mayfield will try to practice this week)

"I can't answer that until he throws the ball. I don't know where he's at."

(On if there is a possibility QB Baker Mayfield would be a backup for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers)

"If he's not 100%, he doesn't need to play."

(On if he is preparing for Sunday's game with QB Baker Mayfield in mind)

"It makes it a simpler week, but we [have] to see him throw. We haven't even

approached that topic yet, so everything right now is just speculation."

(On where he has seen the most growth from QB Jalon Daniels between his first start in Week 4 and his performance in Week 5 after watching film)

"Getting in and out of the huddle [and] taking command of the offense. (Offensive Coordinator) Zac [Robinson] did a good job getting him the plays, and he did a good job commanding the huddle, getting out on time [and] seeing everything, which slowed the game down for him."

(On what makes preparing for Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers difficult)

"It's a nightmare game planning against him. He's difficult because he's extremely intelligent. His football IQ is unbelievable. He's extremely accurate with the football, and he can dissect things before the play even happens. He can see it when the huddle breaks. He can see a tip here or there that a lot of people can't see that lets him know what it is, and he knows where to go with the football and he's very bright that way. He can bait you into a lot of things. He has a lot of tricks to the trade he [has] learned over the years, but overall, his intelligence, his arm, his knowledge of the game, I mean, it all ties in for being a great quarterback."

(On how he ranks Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers as a pure passer)

"He's extremely high. He's very accurate. He's very sharp. He [has] a very good arm, and he can throw fades and back shoulders with the best of them."

(On what challenges the Pittsburgh Steelers defense presents for the offensive line)

"[They're] not just tough, but they're extremely smart. They understand football, they really understand football and fundamental technique. They've been doing it for a while now. All great players up there, and they have a few more as well. It's going to be a challenge for us, fundamentally and technically, to stay on our blocks and make sure we can get something done."

(On if he plans on continuing to build on the run game)

"Hopefully, yeah. That's the plan. That's the success formula for us, so if we can get that going every week, that helps everything else be easier."

(On RB Sean Tucker working with trainers during practice)

"He [has] a quad [injury] right now. We'll see what he does tomorrow and Friday."

(On how the team can improve its tackling despite limited opportunities to practice live tackling during the regular season)

"You can improve the practice of tackling during the season as far as dummies and people and everything like that. The day you do have padded practice 'you can wrap up', you can't take them to the ground, but you can improve all that during the season as

well. It's not just preseason."

(On what he thinks QB Jalon Daniels' biggest improvement has been)

"Again, just the knowledge of the game. He's played two games. That's not a lot in this lifetime, but he handles himself well, and he doesn't look like a rookie when he's out there. He's very mature [with] understanding the play calling and the situation parts of it. It's just actual game time that he has to get, but the mental part of it I think has slowed down for him after two weeks."

(On what makes RB Bucky Irving so effective on offense)

"Just his hunger and wanting to win. Bucky is determined to win. He's determined to play well. He's determined to carry everything on his back. He doesn't have to, but when you have guys like that on your team that want to do that, hopefully that spreads on everybody else and everybody wants to play like that. I thought they played together for the first time this past week."

(On his approach to deciding whether to attempt a two-point conversion)

"I would have to see where we were. I would have to see how we were playing. I mean, that's a whole game situational thing."

(On DL A'Shawn Robinson's impact on the rush defense)

"Oh, he's huge. He's a big part of it. I want to say one of the top three reasons why we are that, not just physically on the field, but off the field and holding everybody accountable, meeting with the guys, talking to the guys, whether it's the secondary, the linebackers, or the front. He's one of the main cogs up there and one of the main voices that really kind of keeps that group going."

(On the challenges Pittsburgh Steelers' RB Jaylen Warren presents to the defense)

"I mean, he's been playing outstanding at running, blocking and pass receiving. You really don't see [all of that] from one guy. He's doing everything. He's a very good pass protector. He's an outstanding runner, and he can catch the ball very well, and he makes you miss. [If] you miss a tackle, a guy like that, if you don't wrap up, he's going to take it to the house. So, he's been playing great football."

(On what challenges Pittsburgh Steelers' tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington present to the defense)

"Both run and pass game. You don't get a beat on them. They do a great job of playing them both and then subbing them out, doing different things with those guys. Both can run with the ball afterwards, both are very good blockers, so other than the receivers, they present a great challenge as well."

(On what he's seen from DB Keionte Scott)

"'Key' (Keionte Scott) [has] been one of our best players this year. I mean, he doesn't say much. He's been very solid with his fundamentalist technique, and he tackles way more than he weighs. He tackles almost like a linebacker. He's a very tough kid, wants to be good, wants to be great, extremely tough, puts in the work during the week. That's what you really like about him. He really studies and gets it down for Sunday, and he executes well."

(On if S Antoine Winfield Jr. being injured makes him rethink how to use S Tykee Smith)

"Yeah, he took over some of Winfield's jobs. I mean, he did some of the things. He's the only experienced one back there right now. So, Tykee can carry a little bit more, and he can carry that kind of weight. So, I thought he did a good job for us."

(On what has made Tampa Bay rookies successful at the nickel cornerback position the last few seasons)

"Just their knowledge of the game. You can't just grab a corner and throw him in there and play nickel because he can cover. You [have] to have a certain mindset to play in there and we've been good enough to draft those guys, to have those guys that can go in there and do other things. It's been, you want to keep one in there, but like I said, they all graduate to starters and you can't keep them in there enough. The fact that all of them have played on the field and played nickel at one point or another, they don't panic and they cover for each other. When somebody messes up, the other ones say, 'Okay, I can do this, you do that.' That helps us out a lot as far as the versatility is concerned, so

that's a very, very unique position to play in today's game."

(On the growth CB Jacob Parrish has had since last season)

"His coverage skills, I mean, he had it last year. I kept saying he's a great outside corner

last year, but we needed him inside last year at the same time. His work ethic, his quickness, his understanding of route combinations of what you try to do to him, and he just loves to compete. He doesn't say much, but he loves to compete. He's the same guy every day, and you can appreciate that about him."

(On the public scrutiny head coaches get in critical late-game moments)

"It comes with the territory. As soon as you enter the arena of sports, no matter what field you're in, you win, you get cheered, you lose, you get booed. That kind of comes with it. You lean on people that [have] been with you a while. You lean on the information you get from up top. You lean on experience. You lean on all kind of things, how your team is playing. It's a lot of different scenarios on where you go and make a decision."

QUARTERBACK JALON DANIELS

(On what areas he saw himself grow the most from his first career start to his second)

"I would say composure within the pocket – trusting my eyes, trusting what the defense was giving me and taking No. 1 or No. 2 in the progression, and if you see a hole, and it's a gaping, wide open hole, probably take it because at the end of the day you're trying to move the sticks."

(On how much he enjoyed the postgame atmosphere and getting to celebrate the win with his family)

"I mean it was a great experience. It's one of those experiences that you'll probably remember for the rest of your life, especially for my mother, as well. I'm glad to have gotten the win last week, but for me, [it's about] moving on to the next week and trying to go out there and get a win at home."

(On being able to watch RB Bucky Irving's performance)

"I think I have a front row seat to a lot of the plays being made. Especially when he went on that [72]-yard run, I handed the ball off and our track was a little tight, and I was like, 'I wonder why it's so tight?' Then, I turned around and he made a move on somebody and then I'm sitting there like, "Ooo, oh, OK, hold on. That's one more miss? OK, keep going 'Buck' (Bucky Irving).' Then at some point I'm just trying to chase him down the field."

(On how much his life changed after picking up his first career win and if he heard from a lot of people after the game)

"Absolutely, but at the same time, something I stay true to is leaning on the ones who I've been close with and who have helped me get into this position. My family and my loved ones are the ones I've been able to keep that close circle with."

(On trying to emulate QB Baker Mayfield in ways that allow his teammates to feel more comfortable around him rather than having to adjust to a completely different style of quarterback)

"Yeah, for one, asking Baker whatever questions that I have as far as operation, as far as how he does a certain cadence, how he comes into the huddle and is able to call a different play and how he is viewing a game. Obviously when we're going through film and having our protection meetings at the beginning of the week, I'm asking him those questions as far as what he sees. The more I'm able to try to pick his brain apart and be able to learn more from him, the more it's helping me get prepared for the game, [but also] the more it's helping me for any opportunities that come down the line, as well."

(On his conversations with QB Baker Mayfield on game days)

"It just depends. Certain situations it's about seeing if I'm able to switch up the cadence to be able to make the defense jump offsides. Sometimes it could be about my eyes, trying to move a defense one way to be able to open somebody else up. Or, it could just be something as simple as whenever we get into this situation, if they end up running this coverage, be aware of that. If they [do], alert it to something else and try to be able to get to another play. [There] are a whole lot of things that Baker has been able to stay in steady communication with me about and I appreciate that."

(On a near-interception he threw in the direction of Cowboys CB Daron Bland in the fourth quarter of the game)

"I threw the ball and you can see me on the film, I'm like, 'Nooooo [laughs].' When he dropped the pass, I was just like, 'Phew, that was a close one.' I was going to be well on my way to go and try to save it if he did end up getting an interception."

(On if he feels like he would've caught Bland should the play have resulted in an interception)

"I mean, that would've been the goal. If you look at my angle – I don't know track angles, but I felt like I had a good one."

(On Quarterbacks Coach Chandler Whitmer's impact on his development)

"Honestly, I don't even know if it's able to be put into words how much of a help he has been as far as every aspect of the game and the growth that I've had from college to the NFL. [He's] preaching positivity on a day-to-day basis, continuing to be able to know the offense like the back of his hand. If I'm asking questions to Baker [Mayfield], I know that Coach Chandler knows the answer, as well. So, being able to have those two people where you're able to ask any question and they're going to have the answer, and if they don't, they're going to do everything they can to be able to get that answer for you as fast as they can. I'm truly appreciative of Coach Chandler and everything he has helped me with up to this point. He's going to be somebody that I continue to lean on and continue to grow with. Even today, just being able to focus on the little things that I need to be able to clean up from the last game – I think that's something that's going to continue to happen no matter how things are going. I truly am appreciative of him for that."

(On the Pittsburgh Steelers defense and specifically OLB T.J. Watt)

"Yeah, I mean you mentioned one guy that's on that D-Line, but I think that that defensive line has a few other guys who have a high motor and have the ability to go out there and make plays, especially if you put the ball in harm's way. For us, it's just going to be about keeping the main thing the main thing, executing our gameplan that's being implemented, and whenever we get a play call, being able to go out there and execute it to the best of our ability."

(On the deep completion to WR Tez Johnson)

"Yeah, pre-snap I knew I had man coverage. Tez was actually number three in the progression there, so I'm just going through my progression. I had a curl to the left and an out-and-up to the left. I [saw] the safety bounce outside of my out-and-up, so usually if they bounce outside of an out-and-up, they're going to have outside leverage and be up field, so you don't really expect for that to win. So, I looked at the curl, it was getting held up. I [had] seen the outside leverage of the out-and-up and Cade [Otton] actually ended up winning on that route, which is kind of crazy, but I ended up getting off the front side. I get to the back side, and I look and see Tez just running free by himself. I don't really know where the defender is at the time that was guarding him. I just said, 'Tez, I see you down there, I'm trying to throw you the ball.' Then you look at the film and you just see Tez run an amazing route. I think that he's one of our playmakers. He is one of those guys where if you're able to give the ball to your playmaker in space, he has the ability to go out there and make plays."

(On his connection with WR Tez Johnson throughout the offseason)

"Yeah, I think that it's been able to grow since getting here. Obviously, all of the reps that we've continued to get since getting here [have] continued to be able to keep evolving on a day-to-day basis. The more communication that we're able to have as a unit – from quarterbacks to wide receivers – the more we're able to go out there and make plays, as well."

(On what can be learned at the quarterback position from having the perspective of watching from the sideline)

"I think that he (Baker Mayfield) has done a tremendous job continuing to lead this team, no matter if he's able to be on the field or not. He's somebody who continues to be in the building, continues to be in meetings, continues to be around the team and be someone who continues to motivate us every single day. I think that that's something that I learned during my time at Kansas when I was no longer able to play, because when you're not able to go out there and play football – obviously, for me, it hurt. This is the game that you love. This is something that you've been doing as a child and it's something that you have put so much effort and energy into to be able to get to this point. You have to be able to go out there and still be the leader of the team. You have to be able to still go out there and be the same person every single day. That's what I love from 'Bake.' He's continued to do that. He has continued to be the same person every single day and that's something that you can't ask more from in your captain and the leader of your team."

(On if he felt like the Pittsburgh Steelers were a team that was interested him in the draft process)

"No, sir."

(On the difference in watching film in college versus now in the NFL)

"Yeah, I think the biggest difference is being able to have a whole bunch of older guys in the quarterback room who have watched so much film, who have so much knowledge of the game at this level, and being able to pick their brains apart. Watching film at the college level – especially when you're doing it with people the same age as you, if not younger – it's a different type of ballgame. It's a different type of learning experience when you're talking to guys who have continued to play this game for so long, especially at this level. It's been amazing. Honestly, I've been able to learn a lot while watching film with the older guys in the room and I thank them for that, as well."

-BUCCANEERS-