TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS QUOTE SHEET 11-30-23

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR DAVE CANALES

(On people being quick to be critical of the quarterback position)

"Yeah, no doubt. My approach always is just going and check in with them, 'You alright? You good there? … Yeah, I've just got to do this or that,' and making sure they have an answer for the fundamental breakdown on whatever the play was. The guys that are doing it are the guys we trust. For us, it's about going to the next play and trying to have that mentality."

(On almost scoring on the game's opening possession for the first time this season)

"I was trying not to think about it in the moment, too. I was like, 'Here it goes, for the guys right here!'"

(On what went wrong when the team got down to the 1-yard line on the opening possession)

"I try not to make a judgment on the game on those scenarios. I try to say, 'Okay, that was one situation. We came away with points. Our biggest thing is get points – however many, however you can in those situations.' Again, being on the half-yard line – first of all, on the 1-yard line, Mike [Evans] makes a great catch on the play. We're in our tempo there, we have a play that we love, and I thought [Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator] Gus [Bradley] did a great job of subbing in that situation. He doesn't care if he gets the offsides to get the right people [in the game]. They wanted to go big in that situation. I understand we've run the ball pretty well inside the 5[-yard line] for some touchdowns recently. We've got an extra half-yard – once we're there, I'm just like, 'We've got to be able to get this on the sneak.' I don't have a crystal ball, I don't know that's going to happen to Baker [Mayfield] on that play. In the back of my mind, I'm just like, 'Not on a sneak,' and I'm hoping he's alright on that play. Then, just finishing. The false start right there, I thought it was a really smooth indicator by [Aaron] Stinnie on a normal silent cadence that we did. I didn't see the call, but obviously the officials are dialed in, they're looking for those types of things. They took it as a draw-offsides situation. What can you do? Then I saw Kyle [Trask] come in and really do well. He managed the first run that we had and they were offsides again on that play, then the following [play], throwing a really good ball to Chris [Godwin] right there. [It was] just inches. Being able to let his feet die and get the ball in the corner for a touchdown, possibly, there. I loved that Kyle just went in, he was calm, he was cool, he had a great look in his eyes. I felt like if Baker can't go, I love how [Kyle] looks right now going forward with the rest of the gameplan."

(On what makes WR Mike Evans so difficult to cover)

"It's that gamesmanship, right? One of the things I've learned about Mike in the offseason getting a chance to spend some time with them in different scenarios outside of the building is he's such a gamer. He loves to play whatever it is – he's a competitor. Whether it's cards, whether it's darts, pool, shooting around basketballs – he's good. He just kind of finds a way and he's good at everything. That carries over to the way he plays. He sees leverage, he sees coverage, he's seen it all and he has an adjustment for whatever they do. It's great to just have a guy like that, that makes pretty normal play calls look fantastic. We look at the still shot on the sideline and there wasn't anybody in the picture on his touchdown – the first one. [I] love just having him over there and giving us that ability for them to have to go put extra people out there, then that opens up other things for us. Mike continues to amaze me with some of those things."

(On if Evans ran the route on his first touchdown reception in such a way that would cause confusion for the Colts defense)

"That's a great question. I want to keep that kind of in-house a little bit on the adjustment, but yes, you're right on what he's looking at and how he's attacking it."

(On if Evans is the best wide receiver he's ever coached)

"I think this guy is a first-ballot Hall of Famer. His career speaks for itself. The way that he's able to find access and get open in any scenario, I would have to give it to Mike. I don't want to take anything away from Tyler [Lockett], Doug Baldwin, D.K. [Metcalf] – who are fantastic players. This is a guy who kind of puts it all together and he's 6'5" with that length and we've seen in games, too, where he can flat out run by guys still at this point. He really does have it all."

(On if the offense needs more scoring production from other players besides Evans)

"Absolutely. [I] love a couple of those games where Cade [Otton] had the two touchdown game and Rachaad [White] is starting to find the end zone in his own ways. Again, we're talking about it again, but I would love to just get Chris [Godwin] going and find the things that he does well – find the right coverage attacks to put him in the right spots like that. It's something that I'm going to keep battling to do because I love Chris and what he's about. I really believe in the guy."

(On the increased role for TE Payne Durham and what he's expecting to see from him moving forward)

"Yeah, just seeing huge confidence growth in Payne – I think that comes with his level of comfortability in the calls. Now, one of the things we talked about was, 'Okay, you know what – that's the play call. You know why, because of this coverage or that. And then the how – the little details of his blocks.' He did a fantastic job in protection last week. Then, finishing his routes, catching the ball and really giving us another big target for Baker [Mayfield] to give him that ball in that situation. The [defender] was in great position, but he showed in college, his ability to play big to the ball. I think the side story is with this confidence and him knowing what he's doing, his personality…he really is a fun guy to be around. We're seeing a lot more of that in the last couple of weeks out of him. I really do expect him to give us a better pass attack when we're in '12' personnel to give us a little more variety where we can stay out there and do some things."

(On what he thought of Durham's catch)

"That's what I'm saying – that was incredible, to take it off his head, I was hoping for one step more and he could get in. But, we ended up finding a way to score there. Fantastic effort play right there and Baker [Mayfield] showing trust that he could make this throw if [he] throws it out there."

(On RB Rachaad White surpassing 100 rushing yards and if that's a sign of things to come)

"I certainly hope so. We're always hoping for those big games to control it from the run game. It opens up a lot more things for us – play actions and some of the screens and things that we do there. I think it's a testament to a couple of things: first of all, talk about the offensive line and how well they've been playing together – particularly in the run game – for about a month now. I know we haven't had the big yardage that you'd love to see, but it all starts with them. It starts with [Robert] Hainsey getting us directed the right way, which he's doing a great job. And then, seeing Cody [Mauch]'s growth, especially over the last couple of weeks, and [Aaron] Stinnie doing a great job. That group, really. Then Rachaad [White] trusting what's happening up front. I thought it was his best disciplined run game that he had of the year, in terms of just pressing the runs the right way to force the defense into those combo blocks. That's where we're seeing that all come together. Now, the pass game, we were just a little bit sloppy last week. That's the part that really needs to come together for us, as well, to be able to finish these drives, get us into field goal range and some of those things. We're really continuing to try and detail out some of those things, spending a little extra time during walk-throughs and practice to just get the landmarks perfectly where we want them as we go forward here."

(On where OL Cody Mauch has grown the most)

"Hand placement and footwork – it always starts there, right? What's the call? What type of run is it? What's my first step and what's my second step? Can I keep my hands tight and target my hand and my helmet the right way? That's where his discipline is really growing for the last two weeks now, because he really had a fantastic game against the [San Francisco 49ers] against another really good player. Here we go, we throw him right at Arik Armstead two weeks ago, then [DeForest] Buckner, his twin…[He was] really holding his own there, and it all started with his technique and his pad level. I love where he's headed. That's the guy that we were hoping for and why we said, 'He's struggling, but we're going to stay with him, stay behind him and continue to pour in and develop,' as we keep that mentality for our whole group."

(On what he does when he calls successful plays and what he does when he calls plays that are unsuccessful)

"The ones that work, those are easy – circle that one, okay let's get back to that. [There are] great conversations with 'Goodie' (Harold Goodwin) and Joe [Gilbert] with the run game. Then I've got all the pass guys giving me their thoughts for their areas. There's good talk going. The hardest when is something doesn't work, if we look at it and say, 'Why didn't it work – is it a scheme thing where they got us on this play, let's get away from it?' Or is it, 'No, we just missed this block or he just didn't press it right?' That's where, for me, I've got to go, 'Okay, what do you think guys?' They've got to talk me out of going away from it and say, 'Hey, come back to this, it still looks good – we got it fixed.' Then I go, 'Okay, let's keep it alive for a little while.'"

(On how he and his family deal with people talking about his performance in his job)

"That's a great question. This is the first time where, really, my wife and my kids – they go to school and they've got a bunch of friends that are [Buccaneers] fans…Usually people are pretty gracious, but kids can be brutal. We're learning about that. We really just take an honest approach to it. My daughter, she's 13, but she really knows football pretty well and she knows when we're playing [well] or not. We've had these honest conversations. Also, as we watch other teams play and they're struggling and somebody wants to be critical, we've just got to be like, 'Hey, let's not throw a rock in his glass house of ours here, okay? This is a team that's trying really hard – there's a group of coaches who are working their tails off. These players, they're putting their bodies out there on the line. Let's appreciate that because we're in that similar situation.' We just try to be honest about that with our players and not sugarcoat anything. [My son] is like, 'Dad, this boy said you suck at school.' I was like, 'Sometimes! Sometimes not, though. I feel there [are] some good calls in there, too. Hopefully he's not just looking at all the bad ones.' Being able to be light about it is important. Thanks for asking that, because that's definitely something that's new for us to handle."

(On how Head Coach Todd Bowles is doing over the last few weeks)

"[He is] the same guy. That's one of the things we talked about what I'm grateful for – [he is] the same guy. He attacks the things we need to work on. He focuses on the basics – the fundamental parts of it – then he recognizes that these guys are playing really hard. There's no quit in our team. They're going for it – there [are] just things that need to be shored up and fixed. Let's just address it. Let's just attack it head on. He stays really steady with us. That's what I appreciate about working for him – he's been so steady through this whole thing."

(On if he expects to see a different Carolina Panthers team than what they had shown for the first 11 weeks of the season)

"I don't think I do. [Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator] Ejiro Evero – he's a coach that I've coached against for a bunch of years when he was in 'San Fran' then he was in L.A., he was the [defensive] coordinator in Denver – we played them last year. He's got a really good system and this is a good defense. I think that the longer they're out there, the more teams are able to find things against them and wear them down. I see a really good front, I see a great system – especially when you look at third downs. Some of the things he does to put guys in position makes it really hard on an offense. I don't think I would imagine he would do much different based on I think he believes in the system of what they're doing. Hopefully that answers that."

(On what he can do to get WR Chris Godwin going)

"I think if you look at our film, he's in the slot a lot. Even though he's technically the 'Z' receiver, we have ways in our different one-by-three, two-by-two builds where we are getting him in the slot on some opportunities. I'm just betting on the guy. I'm betting on how he's wired and made up and the way he works every day that he's going to find his way to continue to work through things. And then also that Baker [Mayfield] is going to learn how to throw to this particular player. I think I've said it up here a lot of times, but we start the pass game with Mike [Evans] and Chris. [We are] continuing to build those things that way and hopefully the coverages that we're getting allow the ball to find him a little bit more."

PASS GAME COORDINATOR/INSIDE LINEBACKERS COACH LARRY FOOTE

(On LB SirVocea Dennis' first game with extended playing time)

"He did a good job. He played under control for the most part. There were a couple of times he looked like a rookie. Typical linebacker stuff – don't guess, read your keys and anticipate. But he did a good job. He plays under control. When you watch him, you can see the game is not too fast for him and that's encouraging."

(On Dennis' recognition on a fourth-and-1 play-action pass to save a touchdown, and the mental aspect of Dennis' game)

"He has that. Coming in, we knew he was an above-the-neck type of player. I want more of that [from] him. I know he's a rookie and there's a lot of leadership in that room, but at this point, talk and be more assertive. If you see something tell the guys and just jump in. The old guys will embrace that. And he's smart, so I think guys already respect him from that standpoint so they're ready to listen. I'm just encouraging him to [not] take on the rookie [role] – be vocal out there. It was a heads up play by him."

(On if Dennis could be in play for Sunday despite missing the first two days of practice this week with an illness)

"It's day to day. We don't know. Coach [Todd] Bowles has to make that decision. I'm definitely talking to him. I tried to coach him up this morning and he's a little bit under the weather. We're giving him the gameplan, he will be up to par from a mental standpoint. Coach Bowles will have to make that decision, if he is available for us on Sunday."

(On the frustrations as a coach with some of the breakdowns that have happened defensively)

"It's frustrating. It's not just one guy. That particular play in that package in that formation – everybody is geared up, it looks like a run, we need somebody. Collectively, one of [those] back-level guys need to smell it. That separates good defenses from middle-of-the-pack defenses or bad defenses. We need guys to make a play. That would've been a big play. That would've been a turnover at midfield. It would've gotten us some momentum, but we missed that opportunity."

(On if Dennis is still trying to make up ground from missing preseason games earlier in the year)

"Well, when you're a player and you've got a great coach like he's got [*winks*] … But no, we need [those] guys out there. Each day is big for those guys. It's TLC – tender love and care – [those] guys need it, they need it. But, like I said earlier, he's a smart guy. He is already ahead of the curve in my opinion. But the more snaps [and] the more days, the better off for him. A lot of young guys are getting snaps and that is going to helps us down the road."

(On what makes it difficult to take advantage of a team that is incorporating a new member in its offensive line)

"Well, we don't know those guys [who are] filling in. We don't have enough tape on them, so that can be an advantage for them. But, at this point in the season, we're just so desperate for a win. When you line up, it doesn't matter. I've played guys off the street, guys who just got off the couch and played and did a good job. There are all pros. There is so much personnel out here in this league that [helps with] finding these guys that are able to play. I think guys need to really focus on their assignment. We're desperate. We've got to win. I don't care if Larry Allen rolls out there or 'Joe Schmoe' off the couch, we've got to win."

(On the difficulty as a coaching staff of focusing on finishing the season strong rather than any outside noise)

"This is the culture of the league. You've been [around] this league a long time, if you get caught up in that, you haven't been paying attention. We do understand winning solves everything. That's what we're concentrating on."

(On CB Carlton Davis III's performance vs. Indianapolis)

"Well, he's a talented guy. I understand the nature of that position – they get lonely out there on that island and you can have some rough days. One thing that was glaring [was] he probably had one of the hardest hits probably on the team – it was so loud toward our sideline. That fired everybody up. It was good to see that. Hopefully he keeps moving in the right direction."

(On what he likes about DL Calijah Kancey's game)

"He's talented. I'm quite sure in the offseason you heard the Aaron Donald comparison. I know they both went to Pitt (the University of Pittsburgh). He was on a lot of teams' draft boards. He was a talented guy, he had tons of tape. You always hesitate because he was a little small [but] since we got him, we know how tough he is. We know his pedigree – great high school, him and Lavonte David [went to] the great Northwestern (Miami, FL), so he loves ball. The encouraging thing when you watch him is that he's a pro. He likes football. When you're evaluating these guys, you get a lot of input but when you finally see when he gets on campus that he loves ball, you're kind of like, 'Good. Let's get him coached up.'"

(On LB Devin White playing through injury)

"He's got to be honest with [him]self. Sometimes as coaches, we've got to protect him from him, but on Sundays, you've got to make plays. Hurt? Everybody is hurt. He knows that. He is fighting. Nobody is ever going to question that. Since he's been here, we know he has played hurt and banged up, but on Sundays, you know, he demands it, I demand it, the fanbase, everybody and football itself… you've got to make plays."

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN CALIJAH KANCEY

(On what his reaction was to finding out he was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month)

"I definitely was surprised. I kind of found out right after practice. It's not something that I was looking forward to. I didn't put in on my goals or anything like that, I just went out there and played football, and then it came to me."

(On if being named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Month helped build his confidence)

"Yeah, it let me know that what I am out there doing is definitely right. I'm making an impact, and people are taking notice."

(On why he thinks he has been able to be this successful as a rookie)

"I just think going out there, executing the game plan, using my skill set, just [being] hungry to make plays, and eager to help this team out."

(On what's like playing with another rookie like OLB Yaya Diaby)

"I think it just makes it harder for the opposing offense. They know they [have] two guys to deal with. I just think it makes it harder for them."

(On playing against the Carolina Panthers offense)

"That's something as a defensive line, we talked about. We definitely want to get after them, we want to [have] an effect on this game, and we want to play [Buccaneers] football."

(On what it is like playing with NT Vita Vea)

"It's been awesome. A guy like Vita, who has pretty much played against everybody in this league, when we are out there on the field, he see's different formations and stuff like that, he [alerts] me, and [helps] me out in plenty of ways."

(On what he hopes to improve on for the rest of the season)

"Honestly, just being consistent. I think that's what keeps you going in this league, is being able to stack games on top of games."

TIGHT END PAYNE DURHAM

(On what he heard from the sidelines after his catch against the Indianapolis Colts)

"Quite a bit. I've tried not to look at it. For one day it was cool, and now it's on to the [Carolina] Panthers. I tried to forget about it pretty quick."

(On how he thinks he has developed during his rookie season)

"Just kind of doing the extra work, doing the little things, [and] just kind of becoming a pro. I look at guys like Cade [Otton] and Ko [Kieft], they're still young, they're in their second year, but they've been through what I am going through, and all of the other vets. We have amazing vets on this team that have been doing this for a long time. Watching how they work, how they operate day to day has been really good, then meeting extra with my coach, [and] staying late after practice with my coach. I tell myself every day, just 1% better, so that's been what I have been really trying to focus on and do."

(On how much he thinks he has improved)

"That's hard to really quantify, so I definitely feel like I am making strides in the right direction. I'm looking forward to really keeping my head down and keep doing it."

(On blocking as a tight end)

"It's half the job, so it's something that I have really been trying to focus on. It's different now in the NFL, these guys are getting paid a lot of money to rush the quarterback, and try to get after the running back. That's something I have really been focusing on, something I definitely can continue to grow on, but I have been making strides to be better at it, for sure."

(On what he can say about the toughness of QB Baker Mayfield after playing through an injury)

"That just speaks to who he is as a person, really. We all know that, but how tough he is, what he's been through, and what he's [overcome], it's really not a shock to anyone. That's who he is on the inside, so that's what comes out on game days."

-BUCCANEERS-