HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On how good 'Victory Monday' feels today) 

"It just feels good to win. We don't really have a victory Monday today. It feels good to win after losing for a month straight. Just to get that off our back and to get back to winning ways is good."

(On what has earned OLB Yaya Diaby more playing time) 

"He's very strong, he's very tough. He's probably the strongest one we've got out there. He's very good against the run – against a running team, you're likely to see more snaps from him for what he does for us in that department. He's getting a grasp of the system. He's earning more playing time and he's getting it."

(On NT Vita Vea coming off the edge for his sack against the Titans) 

"We've been running 'games' outside with those guys and we decided to not run the 'game' this time. The tackle went down thinking we were going to run the game, so he had kind of a short corner to get a sack. It was a good job by coach [Kacy] Rodgers making that happen."

(On Vea's ability to move as quickly as he does at his size) 

"It's huge because he can collapse the pocket. He can collapse the pocket and make us do things inside that we typically don't normally do."

(On Vea's growth into a leadership role on this team) 

"He doesn't speak out a lot, but when he does, everybody listens. He's very good on the sideline – in practice and in ballgames. He's a lot more vocal when he's in his own wheelhouse as opposed to just standing in front of the media. He has a lot more to say. He takes things to heart. He really leads the right way – he talks a lot of mess as he does it, but it's enjoyable and it's good for the team. It's good for the camaraderie. He does a heck of a job getting everybody focused and ready to play."

(On OLB Markees Watts getting his first playing time of the season) 

"He's been working against Tristan [Wirfs] and Luke [Goedeke] the past couple of weeks and he's been giving them fits in practice. I [thought] this guy probably needs to get a shot in the game. With the people injured, we had a chance to dress him out without losing too much, so we dressed him out and gave him a shot. He came through just like he did in practice."

(On if Watts earned another chance to play again) 

"It's possible."

(On the status of QB Baker Mayfield's hand) 

"Baker is good."

(On the team's consistent pressure on Sunday) 

"It's about winning first down. Against those guys, they're very tough on first and second down – keeping it third and manageable. Getting [Derrick] Henry going on first down makes it trouble the rest of the game. We got a few TFLs (tackles for loss) in there early [and] got them in some long-yard situations where we could pin our ears back a little bit. The guys got going early. We worked at it all week, we're going to continue to work at it. They got us going early and just kept it up throughout the game."

(On if this season feels similar to last season at all, considering the team has the same record through the first nine games and went on to win the division) 

"It's the same, but it's different. We feel different because we're a different team. Obviously, the record and everything is the same, but we feel like we'll be in it right to the very end. We just have to take care of our business and get on a streak. Like you said, November and December football are very important. This is the third quarter for us – if we can do well in the third quarter and set up the fourth quarter, we feel like we can bring it home."

(On what was going through his mind when LT Tristan Wirfs picked up the fumble and started running) 

"I was initially thinking, 'What kind of touchdown dance is he going to do?' After that, it was 'Just make sure he holds onto the football.'

(On P Jake Camarda's performance on Sunday) 

"The ones he shanked were really the pooch ones. He wasn't trying to boom them. We were trying to get them inside the 20[-yard line] and they kind of went off the side of the foot – those knuckleball ones went kind of [poorly]. But we have full confidence in Jake and he'll bounce back."

(On CB Jamel Dean's performance) 

"He did a heck of a job. [DeAndre] Hopkins has been playing better than anybody in the league. To hold him to 27 yards between him and Zyon [McCollum] was outstanding. They don't get the credit because the balls weren't thrown, but they did a heck of a job locking in."

(On what he learned from last year's loss to the San Francisco 49ers) 

"You get to see how they played you last time. Obviously, it'll be different again this time. But, they're a very well-coached team – they don't commit a lot of penalties, they play very composed football. You've got to withstand the first, second and third wave of those guys because they're going to keep coming. Understanding what we have to do from our standpoint will be more important than what they have to do. We just have to go out there and understand the mistakes we made last year and correct things and just play hard, tough football."

(On if he'll consult with Offensive Coordinator Dave Canales considering his familiarity with the 49ers) 

"I've got to see what kind of success he had, first. If they've been beating him down, then I'm not going to rely on him a lot [laughs]. Dave is a smart guy. We'll have a gameplan ready on both sides of the football and go out there and try to win this ballgame."

(On what he learned about 49ers QB Brock Purdy) 

"It wasn't so much him as it was the entire team. I know he's a tough guy – they wouldn't put him out there if he couldn't play. He can run, he's accurate, he can play – he's very calm in the pocket. He got hit the first play of the game and he came back and had a heck of a day. Understanding we've got to play four quarters of football. They can run it and they can throw it and he can see the entire field. We've just got to be disciplined."

(On if OL Aaron Stinnie will continue to start at left guard) 

"We'll see when [Matt Feiler] comes back. Stinnie has done a lot of good things. We'll make that decision as it comes up."

(On if there was a concerted effort to be more aggressive on first and second down, defensively) 

"It was kind of 50-50. We wanted to attack more on first down because we knew we could try and get them in second-and-long. Getting [Derrick Henry] going early, as we've seen in this league, he can get going downhill really fast. It was a concerted effort to try and get some TFLs."

(On if the match between the Buccaneers and QB Baker Mayfield has been a perfect fit) 

"I think it was a great fit. It's extremely fortunate for both of us – it was a great fit for us. For him, coming here, understanding the offense and doing what he's down right now – we could have never imagined. We thought about it – we thought we could see it, but it's coming true and it's coming to fruition. I'm glad he's happy here because we're happy with him. I think it's a great marriage."

(On Mayfield protecting the ball this season) 

"'Bake' has been playing well for us. He really has been playing the quarterback position well. He's a very smart player. He doesn't get enough credit for his intelligence – going somewhere with the football, not just gritty and tough, which everybody uses. He's been playing very good football and we're very happy about that."

CORNERBACK JAMEL DEAN

(On at what point he felt like he would be able to play on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans)

"When we got back to Tampa, I was like, 'Yeah I'm good.'"

(On playing lockdown coverage against Tennessee Titians WR DeAndre Hopkins)

"You know, it's a good feeling, because that's basically my strength. To be able to execute my strength against a great receiver [was] a confidence feeling."

(On how it felt as a defense having a bounce-back game)

"It feels like we got ourselves out of a funk. You could see we had more energy out there, and it was actually fun playing on defense out there."

(On what the key to reminding the defense of how good they are)

"For me, I'm a superstitious guy, so I'd rather we just do the same thing we did last week, and just keep doing that until it [does not] work anymore. That's my take on it.

(On CB Zyon McCollum)

"Zyon, he has been playing pretty [well]. You can see that he is more confident out there and he's having fun. I enjoy seeing him grow as a player."

(On what it is like seeing McCollum grow)

"For the most part, it's just great knowing that he is honing in on his technique, because he always makes sure he is prepared for whatever situation he will maybe get put in. He [does not] want another episode of what happened last year [when] he just got thrown into the fire, but now he is preparing for just in case he has to play again, so he's always ready."

(On NT Vita Vea's leadership style)

"I feel like he has a good balance. When it's time to be serious, it's time to be serious. You know, you have to be able have fun in the locker room… He has a lot of fun"

(On if he thinks they won because of scheme or attitude)

"It was mainly an attitude thing. We want to be great, and we just want to play for one another. But, the biggest emphasis was to go out there and have fun. I feel like the past couple of games, we haven't been having fun out there."

-BUCCANEERS-