HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On OLB Shaq Barrett's status)

"He's got an Achilles [tear] – he'll be out for the rest of the year. It's a tough break for him"

(On losing a player like Barrett)

"Anytime you lose somebody like that that commands double teams, it makes it harder for everybody else. He's been consistent since he's been here – he's been productive. He started out playing well last night, so it's just a shame to see."

(On who will replace Barrett)

"[Anthony] Nelson will start but Carl [Nassib] will definitely play. He's been rotating in anyway."

(On if the loss of Barrett impacts the team's plans at the trade deadline)

"Only if it's something that we see that interests us, that can help us and get something for them that we're really trying to get. We've got some guys we feel confident in, but at the same time you never stop looking for anything."

(On his assessment of G Nick Leverett on Thursday)

"He played tough and he played hard. Fundamentally, he can do a little bit better but he played hard [and] I thought he played tough. I was proud of the fight he had."

(On if there were any plays where players did not give their maximum effort)

"We single out 'loafs' all the time – if they're loafing. Some guys are gassed, some guys are loafing, but we single everything out."

(On if LB Devin White was loafing or gassed on Thursday)

"A little bit of both."

(On why White's performance has declined this month)

"I don't think there's been a drop-off – defense is a team sport. You're not going to be a star by yourself – there are guys in front of you and guys behind you. To say that Devin has dropped off…the defense has dropped off, I would say. I wouldn't say Devin has dropped off. It's about playing together, it's about making your reads and doing the right things. He's doing a lot of things we asked him to do – I have no problems with Devin."

(On how WR Julio Jones felt after Thursday's game)

"After the game he was okay. Again, I've got to wait to see today and tomorrow how it really holds up."

(On if he's considered playing LB Olakunle Fatukasi over LB Devin White)

"Devin is our starter. I didn't see some loafing, I saw a play [where he loafed]. You can point to anybody on this team when you say they weren't playing well any week of the season. To pick on Devin is unnecessary."

(On how to keep the defense playing with confidence)

"The mentality is there. The mentality is always there – it's about playing fundamentally sound and not trying to press too much and doing the right thing when your number is called upon. Really, that's the four quarters of it – it has nothing to do with the toughness. We know we have toughness, we've just got to play smart for four quarters."

(On if LB Devin White is trying too hard to make a big play)

"No, again, I don't have a problem with Devin."

(On QB Tom Brady's personal situation and if it's weighing on him)

"I can't say for sure – Tom is a very private person. He does his job when he's out here and he's smiles a lot and that's really all you can go by. I think everybody – no matter what profession – [when] you go through some things, it's how you handle it and come out of it. I'm sure he has something weighing on him when he leaves work and everything – I don't know how much, I guess that's a question for him."

(On how difficult it is to juggle outside obligations with football)

"Like I told the guys last week – it's called life. You're not going to have a day when you don't deal with this type of stuff, whether you're working or not. You can be on vacation and deal with the same thing. This is not a new or a different type of deal for a lot of people in the world – it's life. You're going to have this whether you're a billionaire, you're going to have this whether you're broke. You're going to have ups and downs, you're going to have deaths in the family, you're going to have hard times – that's just part of life. You've got to navigate as best you can and keep moving."

(On if there was thought to going for it on fourth-and-2 near midfield in the third quarter)

"Not really. The way the game was going – it was a close ballgame against a good team, you don't want to give it back to them in good field position. We tried to punt and keep them down there and get the ball back in good field position and try again."

(On if there are players he's hopeful to get back for next week)

"Hopefully. We'll see in practice next week. Sean [Murphy-Bunting], Carlton [Davis] and [Akiem] Hicks are close, but we'll see how close."

(On why the offense stalled in the second half on Thursday)

"I thought we mixed it up a little bit [on] the first two drives of the game. I thought we got a little pass-happy once we got going towards the end."

(On if he would like to see more rushing attempts)

"Yeah, and I've discussed that with them. Obviously, we've had that discussion and we'll be discussing it all weekend. For me, I would like to see a little more."

(On if there will be any significant changes moving forward)

"I'm sure schematically. We'll discuss what we're doing, who's up and who's down – we'll discuss that as well. But definitely schematically."

(On how next week's schedule will look)

"We'll be meeting, going over scheme and trying to get better."

(On if the players will be back in the building on Tuesday of next week)

"Monday. Monday."

(On if the team will be practicing on Monday)

"Yes."

(On if the players will have Tuesday off)

"Correct."

(On what his message to the team was before players went home for the weekend)

"We own our record at 3-5. We lost – we understand we lost. We played hard – [there's] no consolation in playing hard. We've got to get better. We can only fix it – we're still in a dark place right now. We can only grind and get better at it. We can be better at it as coaches, they can be better at it as players. As a team, we'll come together Monday and get ready to work."

(On how important transparency between coaches and players is)

"It's very important – we're a team. We're a team. We're not going to shy away from things that we can get better at. We don't shy away from things they can get better at. That's how you become a better team. That's how you remain close and that's how you work your way out of the hole."

(On how coaches get better after losses)

"Every time you lose a ballgame or win a ballgame – the first thing I know I do when I look at tape is see what I could have called better, what I could have done better, what was my fault, what can I not sleep with, what can I do better and explain it to that person. That's the first thing I do. Then we look at the coaches and make sure everybody's coaching their guys to do the right things and make sure they're in position to understand and do the right things. You have to take self-evaluation before you could ever criticize a player as a coach, in my opinion."

(On if he feels the players are still responding to the coaches)

"Yes, I do."

(On the team potentially still being tied for first place in the division by the end of the weekend)

"It could be. We don't think about it like that right now. It's a week-to-week league. You feel like you jump off a cliff and you don't feel good at all – everything is depressing. Then you win a ballgame or two and everything is happy. We just have to navigate the right way and keep doing the right things and we'll come out of it."

(On facing the Rams next week)

"It really doesn't matter who we play this week – we need to work on ourselves."

-BUCCANEERS-