HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On how the team is doing health-wise)

"I think everybody is getting better – everybody is trending forward. Right now, everybody is in play to play."

(On how long it's been since the team was this healthy)

"I can't even remember how far back [it was]."

(On if CB Zyon McCollum would play in the instance where both CB Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean are healthy)

"You don't really rotate [cornerbacks]. You find a way to play the third one and you get him in the ballgame because he's such a good football player. Like you said, it's a good problem to have. We're working on that right now, but I expect to play him and I expect to play him quite a bit."

(On how LB Devin White's foot is)

"He's full-go."

(On if he ever approached White about taking a different role on the team)

"No. When we talked about it, we talked about how he would play and how his foot would come back and then we'd go from there."

(On if White is still a team captain)

"Yes, he is."

(On if White was going to be rotated in and out of the game due to his foot injury)

"K.J. [Britt] had played great, so we were going to play him and rotate them anyways, with [White] playing. But, we have enough things where he can play and we wanted to see him at full health and we'll kind of go from there."

(On what White's reaction to being told he'd be rotated in and out was)

"He was fine when we talked about it."

(On clarification that White was okay with their conversation)

"Yes."

(On clarification that White was okay being rotated in and out)

"He was okay with seeing how his foot was and playing. He's trying to do everything he can to help us win and we need him to help us win. We've got guys that go down all the time, so we're going to need all hands on deck."

(On QB Baker Mayfield outperforming expectations)

"He's done a lot for us this year. You can't imagine the things you don't see on the field that he's done for us, from a team standpoint, from a mentality standpoint, from a bringing-guys-together and bringing-guys-along standpoint – not to mention how well he's been playing of late, especially. You can't say enough about what he's done since he's been here. That's usually hard to fathom, like you said, with a new [offensive coordinator] and a new quarterback and a new system. To come along like they're coming along has been great."

(On what Mayfield has brought to the team from a personality standpoint)

"He did what he always does – he was himself. He wasn't trying to be Tom [Brady]. We didn't have the same team that we had with Tom. We have completely different guys, for the most part. We have a few guys left over here and there, but we revamped our offensive system, we revamped most of our offensive people – with the exception of about five, maybe. You're not going to replace Tom, ever – nobody is. He's a legend, he'll go down in the Hall of Fame. Anybody who comes after Tom, if you play well you're going to be talked about in a good category – not Tom's category, but a good category. If you play badly, 'Well, he's not Tom.' He was in a lose-lose [situation] from a fan-ballot standpoint to begin with and he didn't try to win the fan ballot. He just put his head down and he worked and he won the team over, which is what was great about it. He's doing things his way and we're doing things our way. It's not as pretty as when Tom was here, but we're scrappy and we're pulling them out and we're getting things done."

(On if he wants Mayfield to return to the Buccaneers)

"I'll deal with all of that when the season is over. Right now, I'm trying to beat Jacksonville. I do love where he's at."

(On how well LB Lavonte David is playing in his 12^th season)

"First, I'm not going to put anybody in Tom [Brady]'s category. He's got his own place right over here. It's Mount Rushmore all by himself – there's one photo, one mountain, that's him. That being said, Lavonte has done a great job over the course of his whole career – especially the last few years – of turning back the clock and playing great football and keeping himself in shape and mentally tuned in. We love where he's at."

(On if WR Chris Godwin played in the slot more against the Packers than usual)

"He played more in there. He played more in there. We've got things going in the run and pass game, in and out of the slot. I think we got him involved on the first play of the game and it kind of skyrocketed from there. We need both of those guys – Chris and Mike [Evans] – to play well for us to be great."

(On OLB Shaq Barrett's late sack against the Packers last week)

"Shaq has played hard all year. It may not show in the sack category, but from an overall teammate category – as far as the run, disrupting the run plays, disrupting the passers, commanding two guys trying to block him. To turn it on at the end and help make that play was big for him. It was big for him, it was big for us. He's the perfect team player and he comes ready to play every Sunday."

(On what threats the Jacksonville Jaguars pose)

"Defensively, they lead the league in takeaways – that's going to be critical for us, not turning the ball over. They've got two great edge rushers that really know how to get after the passer and stop the run on the edge. They've got two fast linebackers on the inside. Offensively, the way [Calvin] Ridley is playing right now, it's hard to argue he's not one of the top three [wide receivers] in the league right now with the way he's been playing. Trevor Lawrence is a phenomenal quarterback, running and throwing the football. [Travis] Etienne can run and catch the ball out of the backfield. [Evan] Engram as a tight end/wide receiver – whatever you want to call him – he can block, he can run, he can catch. They present a lot of problems."

(On if he can explain the timeline of deactivating LB Devin White on Sunday against the Packers)

"I'm going to say this one time. He was medically cleared to play, then he indicated that he didn't feel right. He informed me that he couldn't play – he couldn't go. We had ongoing conversations until Sunday morning. I decided to deactivate him. When he got to the stadium, he found out he was inactive."

(On if White being inactive was at all due to the fact that he was told he was going to be rotated in and out)

"No."

(On if he expects White to play on Sunday)

"I expect him to be ready to play. He'll be ready to play."

QUARTERBACK BAKER MAYFIELD

(On winning NFC Offensive Player of the Week)

"It's obviously an extreme honor. Half of the league gets to play [for it]. I just think – like I mentioned after the game – it was one of the best total offensive games we've played as a unit. It could've gone to a lot of our guys."

(On Offensive Coordinator Dave Canales saying that when they have 'one of those games' as an offense where everything clicks that they will know, and if he thinks Green Bay was that game)

"I think so. I know it was pretty one-sided with the pass game compared to the [run] game, but we ran the ball when we needed to. So, I think for us, yes, it was one of those games where you're like, 'OK, this is how good we can be. This is how efficient we can be.' That needs to be the standard moving forward. To have that right now – we're continuing to build and, obviously, trying to take care of it one game at a time. But this is the right time to continue to improve and get hot."

(On the belief that an offensive performance like the one in Green Bay instills in the team)

"It just raises the standard. Guys get to see what exactly it looks like. It happened in a number of ways – guys doing all of the right things in pass-protection, the run game, within their routes, winning man coverage routes, winning routes against zone coverage and knowing where to sit and all of those spots. It just builds confidence. Guys get those internal reps, they remember it to where if they see the same thing, they do exactly what they did the last time."

(On looking at the bigger picture of where he is at on the field and off the field and if he could have foreseen all of this a year ago)

"There were definitely moments in the last year and a half or so that were kind of like, 'Alright, what's going on here?' But God's got a plan, so just trust in that. Take it one day at a time and good things will happen. [Don't] try to do too much, control what you can and be in the moment – I think [that] has been the best and biggest lesson so far. [I'm] just continuing to do that and move forward."

(On if the three-game win streak feels sustainable this time around compared to when the team started 3-1 and then went through a losing skid)

"That's just how it always goes – the ebbs and flows of the year. You've got to focus on what you can control. The media is going to go how you play. It's going to be result based. You can't listen to that. You can't let that dictate how you prepare [or] how you play. For us, we've been in a similar situation winning three – obviously, 3-1, and we've won three in a row now – but handle it how we need to. Be professionals about it. This singular game mentality can't change. The approach that we've had the last few weeks needs to be the same. That will get us to the place we want to go – that just needs to be consistent."

(On the benefit of WR Chris Godwin playing more in the slot than he had earlier in the season)

"Chris has predominantly been an inside guy, a slot receiver. He is capable of going outside but [we're] doing some different things formationally to give the defense different looks – that was part of the gameplan. [It's about] just continuing to do that so that teams can't predict what we're going to do. They can't predict their coverages based on our formations. Just giving them different looks, presenting it different ways and trying to attack them with different variations."

(On what WR David Moore has brought to the team)

"'D-Mo' is a great guy. He has been with Dave Canales and Brad Idzik in Seattle, knows our system and knows it very well. Just that veteran presence. Yeah, he hasn't played a lot here, but the veteran presence… we have an overall young group of receivers [and] skill guys. He adds that leadership aspect to it. It was great to see him go out and have success because he has earned that. We loved to see that for him."

(On Jacksonville's ability to create takeaways and if it's an extra point of emphasis this week being that the Jaguars are such an opportunistic defense)

"Yeah, they are. They do a really, really good job of it. And it's not just one guy – it's a lot of them. It starts up front. Obviously, they've got two great pass rushers in [Travon] Walker and [Josh] Allen off the edge. Taking care of those guys – they present issues on their own. And then, the secondary, those guys up front allow the secondary to be extremely aggressive and they're smart players. They have played a lot of ball together. They're opportunistic, but we have to take care of the ball, especially this late in the year. The playoff mentality, it's all about the ball – taking care of it and making sure we're not doing anything to hurt ourselves. That includes for me penalties, turnovers and all of those negative plays. Eliminating all of those things when you play a team like this [is critical], and just trying to move the chains consistently."

(On his accuracy in the game against Green Bay and if he can feel it)

"You can feel it for sure, but it's not just ball placement. Everybody is doing the right thing. I'm on time with the ball more so than anything in the zone beaters and just understanding what we're trying to do attacking-wise. The completion percentage is not just a quarterback number, it's everybody – it goes with pass-protection, it goes with guys doing the right things on the outside and me delivering it on time and in the right spots."

(On if there has been extra emphasis on the cohesion between quarterback and skill players)
"I mean we've been talking about that, trying to improve as a whole offense in that aspect. Like we said, this was kind of the game that we turned it on in all aspects. It was even more of an emphasis that week."

(On the challenge of bouncing back from a lost sack-fumble early in the game and if he was holding onto the ball too long)

"Yeah, especially there. It's a tough place to play if they get a turnover. And they're a fast-starting team, Green Bay is. It's just the mentality to stick with it. Stick with the plan [and] execute. But yeah, I held onto the ball a little bit too long, especially against their edge rushers, as well. It's kind of that same mentality this week – get the ball out early and take your shots when you have them… but take care of the ball at all times."

(On what it meant to get TE Ko Kieft a touchdown)

"First one of the year for him – it's great. You see the energy of all the guys. For a guy that does a lot of dirty work consistently, for him to get a touchdown is awesome. You see the happiness and the pure joy of grown men celebrating with somebody to get his first catch and touchdown of the year – it's just fun to watch."

(On how much time and effort he puts into the leadership aspect of his job)

"For me, it's not like I'm going out of my way to do it. That's just honestly how I've always been. Be involved with the team, be one of the guys. [As a] quarterback, you get a lot of the press, but you've got to get down and dirty with the guys. You've got to understand that you're in the process with them. Everything needs to feel involved. Leadership is all about empowering the guys around you. I've talked about how a quarterback's job is to elevate the people around him and that's also to make them feel like everybody is a leader. Everybody has a role here. Everybody has something to put into this if we're going to move toward our goal. That's just something I've always been intrigued by. I enjoy that process. And it's been easier to do here because this is a great group."

(On the parity in the NFL this season and if he feels that the Buccaneers can be as dangerous as anyone if the team makes the playoffs)

"Absolutely. It's a week-to-week league, especially this season has been showing that. Just for us getting into the playoffs, it's a one-week-at-a-time mentality and then anything can happen. Anybody can get beat every week if you don't play your best game. That's the nature of this game. It's the highest level of football. You've got to be ready to play every Sunday."

(On if there is anyone that enjoys his celebratory headbutts)

"Nick Leverett loves it. He truly enjoys it. It's getting to the point where you might have to avoid him when doing it. He brings a little punch to the party."

(On what it says that Leverett is the guy who enjoys it)

"Well, Nick is sick in the head just like me. We both enjoy it."

(On Leverett mentioning that he regretted the headbutt last weekend)

"Did he [laughs]? I'll have to remind him of that when he comes out pregame. He does it every time – very, very hard."

(On his thoughts on playing on Christmas Eve at Raymond James Stadium)

"Honestly, playing around the holidays is always great. It's always better when you play at home because you have family in town, and you get to enjoy it with those special loved ones afterwards. It's awesome that we get to do it here. Obviously, the winter in Florida is nice, as well, so it's not like we're going to have severe weather. But yeah, you get to enjoy it, you get to enjoy it with your teammates and hopefully come out with a win, which makes it even more special."

LINEBACKER DEVIN WHITE

(On how his foot is doing)

"[It is] feeling better."

(On if Head Coach Todd Bowles approached him about taking a rotational role)

"So far, we've just been trying to get me back on the field – get me comfortable. Right now, we haven't talked about it. The game plan just went in. I'm going to do whatever he needs me to do. Until that day comes, today was a walk-through so we didn't really get after it to see how I felt or anything. For right now, not yet, but when he [does], or if he [does], then I'm going to do whatever I've got to do."

(On how it sat with him when Coach Bowles told him that LB K.J. Britt was going to start)

"It didn't sit [any type of] way with me. K.J. has been playing well all year since I've been out. I'm proud of him. That's what we do. That's what he got drafted here to do – to be a great player that can step in for me and Lavonte [David] and he did just that. Just like I was supporting him when I wasn't playing, if I did play, I was going to support him – whatever the case may be – just like he [does for] me. We've got a really great relationship – everybody in our linebacker room does. There's never going to be [any] bumping heads about [anything] like that. At the end of the day, it's all about winning."

(On when he decided he wouldn't be able to play against the Packers)

"I don't know, shoot, I guess you could say Friday? We had a practice – fast Friday – I had a little more explosiveness then I've been [having] but I just still felt a little bit of discomfort. I knew I wasn't all the way there yet. I didn't want to jeopardize all the work we've put in when we sat the previous two weeks – trying to get my foot back right. I want to come back and I want to be full-go. A thing I've been doing is I've been [taping] my cleats and wearing tape under my shoe. I wear Jordan [brand] cleats and that has just not been me. I'm just trying to get back to being as me as possible."

(On how difficult this season has been for him with the injury and when it was at its worst)

"It's been hard. This is one of the toughest things I've ever dealt with. Growing up, I've never missed [any games]. When I do get injured, it's always been little injuries. I've had my ups and downs with it. It'll get stronger and then I can put my foot into position and I can re-tweak it and I'll be back at day one. My mindset, I've got to be out there. I make the team go, I make the defense go. If you can't be yourself, you can't really go out there and help your team – you're more so hurting them. That's when me and Coach [Todd] Bowles had a father-to-son talk – you know how I look at him. He was like, 'D, I've got to get you back healthy, I've got to help you get healthy so you can help the team.' I was with it, man. I was kind of glad they approached me that way, because I felt like if I was okay enough to go, I was going to try to go. That really wasn't what was best for myself or the team, because everybody knows I like to play with my hair on fire, I like to be able to fly around and be really explosive."

(On if there was a game where he realized he wasn't playing like himself)

"We lost to the [Houston] Texans and I thought I had a decent game. I was feeling really comfortable, able to fly around. Then, I think I re-tweaked it in the [Tennessee] Titans game, came back in and made some good plays, but when we got to the [San Francisco] 49ers game, I just didn't feel comfortable at all. That's when we started taking the approach of, 'Hey, you've got to rest it up and we've got to come back stronger.'"

(On if there's anything he'd like to clarify about the entire situation)

"Yeah, I've just been seeing a lot of stuff saying that I quit on my team. I don't understand how I could do that when it was me and Coach [Todd] Bowles' decision to sit down and rest to be able to help my team. Even when I haven't been playing, I've been in the building. I've been out there just supporting them – taking notes as if I was going to play, just in case they had any questions or if I [saw] something, I could relay it to those guys to help put them in a better position. That's the biggest thing that didn't sit well with me because I'd never quit on my team. I love this game so much, I love competing so much. Out of everything, that just didn't sit well with me."

(On if his relationship with Head Coach Todd Bowles is good and if he's 'all in')

"Me and [Coach] Bowles have never had a problem since I got drafted. Like I said, he's a father figure to me and I'll say on the field and off the field. A lot of people know what I went through, losing my real dad. He's been one of the guys that always stepped up – always checked on me [and] made sure around the holidays that I'm good. I don't think it'll ever be a problem. He knows, he's one of the best coaches I've ever played for. He's got a fun defense to play in. You can tell he looked out for me by making myself get healthy and that's what we're trying to do right now."

(On what Head Coach Todd Bowles means to him)

"He meant the world to me and still [does] to this day. His family, my family, everybody is close. This is just another stepping stone of showing how much of a great person he is. A lot of people look at wins and losses, but it goes further than that for me and Coach [Todd] Bowles. At the end of the day, we're great. We've got a great relationship. I'm so thankful he allowed me the opportunity of, 'Go get healthy so you can help this team win.' I appreciate it."

(On if he would be okay if the team continued to play LB K.J. Britt even when he's fully healthy again)

"That would be perfectly fine. They're on a three-game winning streak, so that's really good, because we're trying to fight to get in the playoffs. I know there will be something for me to do to help contribute to that, whether it's cheering them on even more. Everybody can go watch the Panthers game, I was on the sideline in the rain – I could have [gone] up to my box and watched the game. I stayed on the sideline to be there for those guys. Every time we come off the field, all of the linebackers get together and we talk about what we've seen – if they're seeing something that I didn't catch because I was in the game, they tell me. I was doing the same exact thing for them. That's how it's supposed to be. In the NFL, linebackers, we're a brotherhood in this group. It's led by [Lavonte], he started it off. We've got a great chemistry in there. If something like that were to come up, I'm embracing everything. I'll be better and just go out there and do my thing when my number is called."

(On if he has anything to say about some of the misinformation that is surrounding this situation)

"I don't know, man. I can only speak from what I know and what I went through and what I personally deal with. I don't know. I know I don't have to tell [any] lies. It is what it is. Somebody might want to give you something to talk about, to make the [Buccaneers] be talked about – I don't know. Baker [Mayfield] went crazy last week and we're talking about Devin White. I don't think I should even be mentioned in a game where I didn't play, didn't contribute [anything] besides being the biggest cheerleader that I could be in Green Bay. Other than that, I don't know, man. Kudos to it – I'll face everything head on. It's just another stepping stone in my journey that I'm willing to face. The story is going to be great in the end, so make sure they give you more information in the end when I'm on the right side of it."

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER SHAQUIL BARRETT

(On what the key is to focusing on one game at a time)

"It's just knowing what we can possibly have ahead of us if we handle [the] game of [the] week and how much [work] we put in over this whole past offseason, training camp, and everything. We're not ready to go home yet, so we're going to do whatever it takes to keep our season going to get to the postseason. We just take it one game at a time, and like (Head Coach) [Todd] Bowles said two weeks ago, 'The next couple of days we could be in first place,' and we handled that, so now we just have to keep going, and keep controlling our own destiny. We don't want to be in anybody else's hands."

(On the resiliency of the team after overcoming a losing streak)

"We knew we [were] a better team than that. It sucks it took losing all of those games for us to finally start getting it right, being able to finish games, and closing out the right way. We start the season winning close games, but then we were in a little lull when we started losing close games, two-score games, and stuff like that. But we all just stayed the course, kept believing in each other, and now we're somewhat on the other side now as long as we keep doing we [are] doing right now."

(On if treating the past two games as playoffs games has helped)

"Yeah, I would say so. For sure, because you only get one chance in the playoffs, and we [have] to take advantage of that chance, seize that opportunity, and I think we've been doing a good job at that, even though there's been close games. As long as you win, no matter how you win, just win."

(On what the key is to beating the Jacksonville Jaguars)

"Limiting their explosive plays. Really, [Travis] Etienne, [Trevor] Lawerence if he's out there, who else… [Evan] Engram. Just limiting their guys who are good out there at making plays with the ball, and we should be okay."

(On how the team is preparing for if Jacksonville Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence does not play on Sunday)

"We are going to start off with Lawrence because they say he hasn't missed a game yet in his NFL career. I was wondering the same thing, because we were like, so what if Lawrence [does not] play. I'm pretty sure our coaches are going to come up with something and get us ready for it. But I don't know what we are going to do right now if…but we are preparing for Lawrence."

(On how gratifying it was making a big play to close out the game against the Green Bay Packers)

"It felt good, but I [have to] do it far more often, more consistently. I loved helping the team out in that way and finishing the game out the right way, because defensively, we did lose a couple of games before. Being able to close it out on defense felt good, but I just want to be better the whole game, not just one play at the end of the game."

(On what Christmas means to him)

"Christmas is everything to my family in my household. It's probably Thanksgiving and Christmas that are the top two holidays in our house. I think my wife goes… she does too much [laughs], she gets the kids to0 much and everything, but the kids deserve it. They work hard for it. They're great kids, so we love spoiling them when it's times like this. Even with the elf on the shelf, doing stuff like that, [and] they love that. Sometimes it's a chore from time to time, they need to figure out something to do, but we know the kids love it, [and] they enjoy it so much. So, we love brining smiles to their faces, and just enjoying the Christmas season, the holiday season with them, and Thanksgiving season, all the seasons. They love all the seasons, but the top two [are] Thanksgiving and Christmas."

-BUCCANEERS-