HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES
(On what he has seen from WR Jerreth Sterns during Rookie Minicamp)
"He's quick. He caught a lot of balls in college – he's quick. He's got very good hands, so he flashes in practice."
(On Sterns playing taller than he looks)
"Yeah, he does. You've got to be pretty durable to play and make that many catches."
(On having multiple wide receivers get reps during practice)
"Everybody is getting reps right now – after two days. It's been a little hot today, so they need to hydrate and come back tomorrow. But, they did [well] today."
(On the possibility of OLB Andre Anthony making the team)
"Yeah, he's in the running for it. Just getting him back healthy is one thing. He's got great size – he's got very good speed. He's got good length and he can bend. Obviously, those are some of the traits that as an outside [line]backer [we look for]. Before he got hurt, he was a pretty good ball player, hopefully we can get that player back and see where's he's at."
(On mistakes being corrected from first day of Rookie Minicamp)
"There was a lot more improvement today – we actually looked like a football team a little bit. Still a lot of things to correct on film, but I thought the guys grasped it pretty well today and they executed."
(On who has stood out to him during Rookie Minicamp)
"I don't think they stood out, but they were better from a mental standpoint. I thought everyone was better from a mental standpoint. The film, as we go through the weekend, that will tell who really stood out and who didn't."
(On if there was an emphasis to select players of larger size in the 2022 NFL Draft)
"Those are prototype guys, anyway. We always look for size, but we look for the whole package. The size and speed – there are exceptions all the time. It just so happened that those guys fell at the right spot for us."
(On if any tryout or college free agent safeties have impressed him during Rookie Minicamp)
"They can't really stick out in shorts and t-shirts. Not in the run-game or pass-game, but mentally they can show up. All of them made a big improvement from yesterday."
(On what he has seen from S Nolan Turner during Rookie Minicamp)
"He's got very good intangibles. He's a hell of a special teams player – came from a big program. We don't rate them big or small, but he played a lot of meaningful games. We look forward to him in Training Camp to see what else he does."
(On what he has seen from CB Kyler McMichael during Rookie Minicamp)
"He's sharp, he's sharp. He brings another element to compete this summer. We've got a lot of guys that are competing this summer – he's one of them. Obviously, we think highly of him because we brough him in here and gave him a big signing bonus. But, he's still got to earn his spot on the team."
(On the possibility of a tryout player being invited to Training Camp)
"Hopefully. We've got one more day – there's some guys flashing differently every day. Once we sit down and talk to the coaches and evaluate everybody, we'll narrow it down."
(On what he has seen from LB DeCalon Brooks during Rookie Minicamp)
"Well, he's very smart. Obviously, he comes from a good family background. He's quick – he understands the game very well. So, [I'm] just interested to see him more."
(On the possibility of a wide receiver from Rookie Minicamp competing as a kick or punt returner)
"It's possible – we are always looking for returners. We've got a couple of them that can do it."
(On possibility of RB Patrick Laird sticking around for training camp)
"It's possible, depending on the numbers game – depending on who's hurt, who we can bring in, and who we can't bring in. It's all going to come down to numbers, and we'll sort that out afterwards."
(On what he has seen from P Jake Camarda during Rookie Minicamp)
"So far, he's putting it where it needs to be. Obviously, he can directional punt – which it has only been a day. But, you've seen quite a few punts from him. He's played in a lot of meaningful football games, as well. We just look forward to that once he gets in pads and everything goes full speed."
(On what he has seen from CB Zyon McCollum)
"He is very smart. He's a heady ballplayer. He will be asked to play what he can play once we get going, but [since] we're out of pads and everything right now to cut down on the collisions, we're working on a lot of off-[ball] technique."
(On what he is looking for from the linemen despite not being in pads)
"Well, you want to see some athleticism in the stunt games. You want to see some quickness. Offensively, you want to see if they can pick up pressures, how well they pass off blocks and whether they've got their form down and they've got the right technique going forward from there. Then you want to see who is consistent. Obviously with the three days of practice there will be some consistency here and there and we will look at it from that standpoint and see."
(On how pleased he expects to be with the level of attendance from players for OTAs next week)
"Well, I've been very pleased thus far in Phase II and I'm sure OTAs will be more of the same. Again, it is voluntary, and people don't have to come, but the guys have been pretty diligent about coming in."
(On if he is expecting QB Tom Brady for OTAs or if they will look to get second year QB Kyle Trask extra reps)
"Well, if Tom is here, he is going to get his reps, but Kyle will get some reps, as well. He will get some reps in the summer, and we will get to see what he can do this preseason. He will get all of his reps then. It's voluntary again. Whether Tom is here or not, we understand we've got to coach the guys that are in here. When he's here, that's great for us."
(On which player he is most eager to see in OTAs)
"I want to see Luke Goedeke. We drafted him and it will be a good battle at that guard spot all summer. Between [Aaron] Stinnie, Luke and [Robert] Hainsey, I think that will be one of the better positions to watch. [Nick Leverett] – he is in there, as well."
(On if OL Nick Leverett's position versatility will help him compete for a spot on the roster)
"Any time you get down to the bottom of the roster when it comes to being the next-to-last or last guy at a position, you want to have position [flexibility]. Obviously, he has a big positive right there, so we will see going forward how it shakes out."
(On OL Fred Johnson)
"He is smart, he is consistent. He can play both sides. He's got a lot of size and a lot of length."
(On what WR Russell Gage can add to the Buccaneers offense)
"I think he is a guy that can play three positions – he can play outside or he can play inside. He is tough, he is scrappy, he is quick, he has very good hands and he's a competitor. I think he fits right in with everything we are trying to do on offense, and he fits in well with the other receivers, so I'm excited to have him on our team rather than playing against him."
(On defensive backs Logan Ryan and Keanu Neal)
"They are both professional, number one. Obviously, they are very smart guys. They've been in mostly every day. Logan hasn't been in the office too much, but he has been in the office. He understands the game. He wants to know more of it and how we call things and how things work. I think that's very smart by him. Keanu will lineup at strong safety. That's where he will start out at camp and that's where we're going to keep him at."
(On OLB Anthony Nelson's development in 2021 and what he hopes to see from him in 2022)
"He worked on his athleticism some more. He worked on his lateral quickness. His hand placement has been great. He has always been strong. He knows how to play the game. He is a very heady football player. He is stronger than he looks – he looks lanky, but he is a very strong player. He understands the game well. He is not flashy like the rest of them, but every time you look up, he can finish with six or seven sacks. The guy does a great job. He is like a quiet storm – he won't say much, but when you put him out on the field, he is going to be tough."
OUTSIDE LINEBACKER ANDRE ANTHONY
(On having to overcome the mental hurdle when returning from an injury)
"That's the process that I'm going through right now. Going out there and doing drills and team [drills] and stuff like that, just knowing like, 'You're alright.' Just trying to push it in your head that you're good, it's healed. You've just got to get back used to moving and trusting that it's going to be fine."
(On the Buccaneers already having Devin White and other LSU players on the roster)
"Oh, [I'm] really excited. Devin has been great here, as well as he had been at LSU. Then you've got Leonard [Fournette] and they just got Russ, Russell Gage, and you've still got Cyril [Grayson Jr.]. You've got a couple of LSU guys that I've been around, and I know well, so it's good to be around people you know. They can kind of give you a heads-up of what to expect and stuff like that."
(On the capability of having different rush plans for different opponents)
"It's being coachable. Even when I got hurt and being on the sideline with the younger guys, [I was] seeing stuff that they probably weren't able to see. So, I guess me coaching kind of helped me as far as the mental aspect of the game, to let them know what I saw. 'Maybe this will work, maybe that will work.' Same thing, like coming here. You see some of the older guys that you've seen on TV, seeing what they see, just learning from each other. The main thing is, they say the best way to learn is to coach. Me coaching up them, I learned a lot about myself and some other stuff that I could get better at. It was good."
(On the key to trying to make the transition to the NFL while also recovering from injury)
"Do the most. Do what you can do, and what you can do, go 100 percent at it, regardless of the situation of where you got picked. Do what you can. And my situation, coming in hurt – just do what you can, and when you can do something, go hard at it so they can see, 'Okay, he's trying and he's steady developing.' Showing that you know the playbook so when it's time to get out there, 'Okay, we can trust that he knows what he's doing.' So, it's not just going out there and seeing what you can do physically."
PUNTER JAKE CAMARDA
(On handling kickoffs in addition to punting while at Georgia and if he wants to be known as a specialist that can do both)
"I definitely love doing it. I don't know if I want to be known as either necessarily. I just want to be able to come in and do whatever the team needs me to do. And be here to just be the guy that helps – whatever you need, I can be that guy."
(On his impressions of Todd Bowles)
"[He's] really cool. He's a really good coach. I like the way everything is set up here at practice and the way the locker room handles everything so far. I haven't been around here a long time, but from what I can see and can hear, I've heard nothing but great things and see nothing but great things."
(On if the transition is easier coming from a SEC school to the NFL)
"Yeah, for sure. I definitely think coming from Georgia is certainly going to help the transition. I think that the way we ran things at Georgia [was] really tough and it was meant to be like that to prepare you for this next stage in your life. I think the transition is going to be really smooth."
(On his experience being an athlete and how it helps him)
"I think it helps me tremendously. I think that you always have a little bit of an advantage if you are an athlete. A lot of things for people that are athletes come a little bit easier, a little bit more natural to them. So I definitely think that's an advantage, something that I'm really happy to have [in] that part of my background."
GUARD LUKE GOEDEKE
(On what he is trying to work on and accomplish during Rookie Minicamp)
"Just familiarize myself with the playbook and really hone in on my technique and craft. We don't have pads on right now, but there still is a lot of banging heads and the what-not. Just really honing in on technique."
(On potentially playing next to C Ryan Jensen)
"I know he likes to get after defensive linemen and that's right up my alley. Watching him on film – it gets me fired up watching him. I heard he likes smack-talking a little bit, which I partake in that here and there as well. So, I'm really looking forward to it."
(On how to smack-talk during a game without receiving a penalty)
"I'll throw in a few little word-jabs here and there. I mean, if the refs start saying something, then I'll stop. [With] my play-style, I like to play with what I like to call 'controlled rage.' I don't like to push my limits too far where it draws penalties, obviously, because that's just detrimental to the team. Like you said, it's teetering on a fine line. I believe I play just on the good side of that line where I don't draw very many penalties whatsoever."
TIGHT END CADE OTTON
(On his expected recovery time)
"Right now, we're just taking it day by day. I'm feeling better every day. I'm hoping it goes quickly, but I'm getting to work with a great training staff. Right now, I'm just taking a lot of mental reps, but I'm excited to be ready to go."
(On how his skillset fits within the Buccaneers offense)
"I think it's a great fit. It's super cool to see the way this offense treats their tight ends. We can basically line up in any spot on the field and run all of the same routes as wide receivers do. It's a great opportunity to be a big part of the team and contribute to the offense in a big way."
(On being part of a young tight end group)
"It's great. We are all learning together right now and I'm really excited to work with them. And then learn from the older guys – there is a lot of experience there too. I'm just super excited for that opportunity to play with a lot of great players."
(On fellow rookie TE Ko Kieft and his physical style of play)
"Yeah, I love that. I'm a big fan of his game. You see it out at these walk-throughs and in these practices already that he is a physical player. I think that's a really valuable part of a team, especially just the mentality of wanting to do some of that dirty work. It's been fun getting to know him and I'm excited to work with him."
-BUCCANEERS-