Tampa Bay Buccaneers

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS QUOTE SHEET 8-13-23

HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On how the practice went today)

"I thought we had good energy – concentrating on the little things. A lot of guys are getting better, a lot of guys have got to come along. The young guys, I think, learned a lot from the film. We're looking forward to them getting better this week."

(On the ball not hitting the ground much today)

"I'm happy it didn't hit the ground from a turnover standpoint, interception wise. It got punched out twice from a fumble standpoint – [I'm] not happy with that. But I thought they had good energy for the most part."

(On linebackers SirVocea Dennis, Jose Ramirez and Yaya Diaby not practicing fully)

"They're just sore. Those guys will be fine. There's no sense – they played most of the game – just coming back after that, they got days off."

(On if he's concerned about RB Rachaad White pulling up at the end of practice)

"Not at this time. It probably scared him more than anything else, but he should be fine."

(On Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner being in attendance for practice today and if they talked about WR Kade Warner)

"Any dad is going to think the world of their kid, now. We didn't even talk about Kade – me and Kurt are pretty good friends. We just shot the breeze and talked about the weather. Kurt is a professional, he understands that and I understand any father to be proud of their kid and think the world of them – and they should."

(On how he thought the pass rush was in practice today)

"I've got to look at the film. I saw a lot of balls completed down the field on certain ones. To see what could or could [not] have been sacks…It's more about assignment football right now. I know we can rush when we decide to rush. It's about doing the right things. I thought we left the ball out in the game twice in critical situations – one was third-and-long and they got a first down, so we've got to worry about our rush lanes more than just our rush. We've got to concentrate on that. I'll look at the film and see."

(On there being a lot of deep completions today and if the quarterbacks are more comfortable spreading the ball around)

"Some of the plays are dialed up that way. It's an opportunity for us to work on some of the things and I though they got the ball down the field pretty [well]."

(On what he's seen from OLB Anthony Nelson)

"Nelson has been very consistent. He's not the fastest and he doesn't look the strongest and he has kind of a baby face, but he's been steady since he's been here. He's very strong at the point, he's a very good technician – getting after the passer – not to say more or less the speed guys or the power guys. He can do a little of both – he's very deceptive that way. We use him quite a bit. We consider him a 1a, 1b type of starter, even if he's not starting. He's reliable, he knows what he's doing all the time and he's always solid. You don't hear about him enough because he's always in the right place."

(On WR Trey Palmer)

"The biggest thing was he flashed in the game. You can flash in practice because it's kind of…you can't touch most of the guys and they're running free most of the time. But he flashed in the game and he flashed not just on offense but special teams, as well. That gave me a lot of confidence and I looked at him more and he's a guy that's very noticeable right now."

(On bringing in WR Cephus Johnson)

"He had a great workout. He has very good size, he has very good speed and very good hands. We thought we needed an extra body at that position. The length on him is very intriguing to work with. His workout was good enough to where we thought we could do some things with him."

(On if he was surprised that WR Trey Palmer was available in the sixth round)

"It's hard because there's a lot of guys that go undrafted or get drafted late that are very good football players. You'd be surprised how many don't get drafted that can play and how many get drafted in the fifth, sixth, seventh round that really play ball very well. I'm not surprised. 4.3 [40-yard dash time] is like the norm these days – so it seems, anyway. He got overlooked and I'm glad we got him."

(On if he's looking forward to joint practices against the Jets)

"I am because it's a different scheme. It's a different scheme. They're a good football team, we feel like we have a good football team. We get to look out for different blocks on both sides of the ball and go against different receivers in different schemes. That's always good to test your rules on."

(On if he said the other day that the practices aren't filmed)

"I mean, they don't go league-wide. We film and they film, but they're not going to be spread out. Yes, it's not like that."

(On how WR Rakim Jarrett is doing)

"He's getting there. We're getting him ready. He can tolerate some things. We'll see how he progresses during the week."

(On if there's an update C Ryan Jensen)

"None to report at this time."

WIDE RECEIVER TREY PALMER

(On how he thought the first preseason game went)

"I do it in practice every day, so it just came to the game – it came [naturally]. I just did what I did."

(On his touchdown reception)

"I just saw the ball and got [the] ball. That's what I always taught: if you see the ball, keep your eyes on the ball, so that's what I did. I just made the catch and tried to get my foot down, too."

(On how training camp has been)

"I'm just a quick adjuster. I learn the playbook very easily. And having the veterans like Chris [Godwin], Mike [Evans] and Russ [Gage] in the room and they're just teaching me the game and I'm just learning it. Then just keep going and perfecting my craft."

(On learning from WR Russell Gage and what that means to him)

"It means everything. We both got drafted in the sixth round. When I first came in, he was like, 'Keep your head up and just grind through it, learn from Chris [Godwin], Mike [Evans] and [me].' We've got veterans in the room and he was just always telling me to keep your head up and keep grinding. That's what I was doing – just learning from guys."

(On what his goals are going into the second preseason game against the Jets)

"It's really the same thing, the same process: practice, practice, practice makes perfect. That's what I do. I don't even look at the game, I just take it one day at a time."

(On if getting drafted in the sixth round is motivation for him)

"I was just waiting on my name to be called, wherever I go. I just need a chance, so when I get my chance I'm going to [make the best out of it]."

CORNERBACK ZYON MCCOLLUM

(On things he wants continue to work on from a tackling aspect)

"Tackling aspect – staying on my feet for as long as possible. I [have] to run my body into guys, wrap them up, continue to drag my feet. It's something I have to work on every day during practice until it's perfected. Like I said before, if I'm missing a tackle in the game at any point in my career it means that I need to work on it. So at this point, if I don't have a missed tackle in the game it's something that I am going to continue to work on."

(On his comfortability making plays in games)

"Yeah, just using my brain for one, understanding my defense, where my health is, and then watching film, understanding offensive receiver splits, [and] scheme. All that just comes in when I'm covering guys. Whenever I'm just out there winging it, that's when I kind of put myself into harm's way and get out of technique that I want to use, but when I stick to what I have planned going into a game and I'm playing, calm, collected, and understanding where my health is, that's when I'm at my best."

(On him not being able to live tackle during practice)

"Sure, it's somewhat of a shock when you go into a game, but we do a good enough job, and they preach thudding and being able to tackle without bringing your guys to the ground. So, we want to protect our teammates out here every day and that doesn't mean we can't get our fundamental work in. I would say so, if they weren't preaching to us to thud up, wrap up, and drag our feet, [but] if you're doing that then you don't have an excuse."

(On joint practice with the New York Jets)

"I'm super excited, for one because our group of DBs (defensive backs) have been waiting for this and had this circled for a long time to go up there and challenge those receivers, and really cement our place in this league. And for me at last year's joint practice, everything was happening fast, so you're catching up constantly, doing things, and finishing in ways that you don't necessarily have to this league. You know, when you're beat, you're beat, and in practice you have to stay as healthy as you can. Just having all that experience going into a joint practice, I'm eager to put my technique to the test, but play smart at the same time."

-BUCCANEERS-

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