TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS QUOTE SHEET 8-3-26

HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On if the team might have to practice indoors for the remainder of training camp after moving two consecutive days of practice inside due to weather)

"That's what it looks like [laughs]. I think I've been here about eight years, and this is the second time in a row we've gone indoors. Every other year we've been outside."

(On wide receivers Emeka Egbuka and Jalen McMillan not practicing on Monday)

"[They are] just a little sore – lower bodies. They'll be okay."

(On CB Jacob Parrish not practicing Monday)

"Same thing, just sore."

(On how beneficial an indoor practice is at this stage of training camp)

"Not very, right now. We're trying to practice outside, but it's football. You're going to play in any condition. The guys did a good job starting out out there, but when it starts going sideways and you've got to go inside, just starting out is an adjustment. We'll play in it. We don't mind playing in it, but we probably need some sun and the heat to get ready for the season."

(On his impressions from the first padded practice of training camp on Monday, specifically what he saw from rookie OLB Rueben Bain Jr.)

"I didn't watch him solely. I was looking at the scheme more or less than that. I saw a lot of yellow flags, but I saw a lot of physicality as well. It's the first day of pads, it's going to happen. We'll clean up those things. Then we'll look at the players as we watch the tape."

(On LB Josiah Trotter's performance in practice on Monday)

"We knew he'd show up in pads. He's a physical ball player. Again, I've got to see the tape and make sure he's doing the right things, but he made a couple plays."

(On CB Josh Hayes' development)

"Josh has come back a lot more disciplined. He's worked on a lot of other things in the summer, as you can see – his footwork and his hand placement. Right now, he's playing solid football."

(On the variety of drills that Special Teams Coordinator Danny Smith utilizes during practices)

"Yeah, we do different things, but he covers everything. Depending on the day, you'll see all kinds of drills out there, but Danny has a set of drills that he likes. The guys have really bought into it, and they've been working on it in the spring, and it's carrying over into the summer."

(On what he looks for in padded practices)

"Well, it's not just the physicality. It's hand placement, it's technique, it's fundamentals, it's discipline, it's making sure everybody is where they're supposed to be and then playing physical."

(On TE Cade Otton's role and development in the offense)

"It's hard for our tight ends in this offense because you throw to the [wide] receivers so much, but Cade is a very capable receiver. We've seen him take over a few years ago when we lost some guys. He's very consistent. Obviously, the blocking with all three of them can be a lot better. Ko [Kieft] is more of the blocking type, but Cade is very solid in the blocking game. [He is] just continuing to get better and making sure he's open when they need to throw it to him."

(On QB Jalon Daniels' ability to make off-balance throws)

"I like his arm strength. He can make some very unconventional throws. Obviously, you want to see the normal stuff, as well, but when he gets in trouble, he can get himself out of trouble, and that's big."

(On CB Damarion Williams' performance in training camp so far)

"He's been playing well all camp. It's really good to see him in pads. He's shown up, and he's done all the little things. Obviously, from last year being on the practice squad, he's stepping up and making a serious push to try to make this team. It's very early, but we've noticed him."

(On Speed Coach Roger Kingdom's role with the team)

"He was with us before, so Roger came back to help us. Obviously, we're stretching and running and doing dynamic warmups and those type of things, trying to stop some of the soft-tissue injuries. He does a good job aiding in that and making sure guys are doing what they're supposed to do, as far as running form-wise and the way they're supposed to run. It's really helped us out."

LINEBACKER ALEX ANZALONE

(On how he feels after the first padded practice)

"Yeah, it definitely sets the tone. It kind of gets the juices flowing a little bit. It takes some time, and we'll get better as we get going. As we get going, we'll continue to grow and continue to get more physical as training camp goes along. It's not necessarily how you play on the first day of pads, it's on day 12."

(On LB Josiah Trotter's ability to read plays in Monday's practice)

"Yeah, some good plays too, not just some typical zone plays. We [have] some gap scheme plays where you had to read the pulling guard and he's a good, heady player, so that's not super shocking."

(On how quickly he's been able to pick up on Head Coach Todd Bowles' scheme)

"It's all relative, right? I just picked it up at my own pace. Learning multiple spots and different coverages and different blitzes and things of that nature. Once you understand the whole picture, it's easy to move around in the defense and play a different spot. That's really how I learned it from a conceptualist point."

(On if he feels the team is in a good position heading into the first preseason game)

"Yeah, it's a marathon, so we have a long way to go. In my mind, there's really no light at the end of the tunnel yet. We're just taking it one day at a time. You don't really look at the big picture when you go through training camp, you just take it a day at a time and focus on fixing the mistakes from the day before."

(On his thoughts on Tampa Bay's offensive line after facing off against them in previous seasons)

"They're good. One, I'd say they're big. There [are] no undersized guys, they're athletic. Obviously, Tristan [Wirfs] hasn't been practicing yet, but [they have] guys that can move and they're athletic. [They have] guards that can find that second level. Graham [Barton] is a really good center in the league. I think that they have a lot of potential and they just have to continue growing together and be the best they can be."

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER RUEBEN BAIN JR.

(On who he's leaned on for advice along the offensive line)

"Oh yeah, Luke [Goedeke]. I go against Luke every day – I feel like we battle each and every day. He gets the best of me, and I get to grow from that. I get to learn and experience it from one of the best in the game right now, and I don't take that for granted at all. I'm coming each and every day trying to get better anytime I can, and asking him for pointers, see what I'm giving away, [for example], today, as soon as I get off the field, I'm grabbing the iPad, running over to him, see what he sees, and go back to Yaya [Diaby], talk it all up and try to grow from that every time."

(On whether the team is in a good spot as preseason games approach)

"Yeah man, I feel like each and every day we're getting better – no matter what is going to be the next obstacle – whether that is a game, a bye week, no matter what is going on, we['re] always getting better because it's practice, we're always going to come in each and every day and try to perfect our craft."

(On what is going through his mind throughout his first training camp as a pro)

"One, just being me. Two, earning the trust of my teammates, my coaches, [so they] know that even though I'm a young guy, they can still put me out there and expect me to play like my peers, if not better – [so,] I'm coming with that mindset to either elevate the defense or play to the standard that is on the defense."

(On the growth of his relationship with OLB Yaya Diaby)

"It's been great. It's so funny because me and Yaya, we've had a relationship since I was in high school, and actually, fast-forwarding here, God has put us in a position to play with one another. We've got the chance to really form a brotherhood, and that connection that we [were] talking about in high school, fast-forward to today, he's the first guy I'm running to off the field, first guy I'm talking to when we get on the field, so we kind of build each and every day, day in and day out, making sure we can compete with one another, making sure we're making each other better, [and] also helping each other out at the same time."

(On working with a defensive-minded coach like Head Coach Todd Bowles)

"It's fun because I know I can get away with a little bit more stuff than the offensive guys in practice. Other than that, it's what you want, because to me, similar to him, in college, [Miami Hurricanes Head] Coach [Mario] Cristobal was a guy for the trenches, so coming up to the league now, [I've] got a guy that is for the defense. I can play as hard as I want to, do as much as I want, and really connect with [Head] Coach [Todd] Bowles on a different level – because one, he's on the same side as me, so [he's] got that point of view and that same experience as me, and two, he's just going to let me play how I want to play."

TIGHT END CADE OTTON

(On how his first day in pads felt)

"It's fun. It's a lot of excitement. It's a lot of aggressiveness taken out, but that's what it's all about. This is real football. Kind of throughout OTAs and the first few days of camp, you kind of get away from that a little bit, but it's good to get back to the physicality of the game."

(On his role in Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson's offense)

"I'm really excited about some of his stuff. He's calling and showing us what they did in Atlanta and some new stuff he's bringing here – just like vertical play action, pass game, just how we're marrying the run and pass and how the tight ends are involved in that. I think we can be a big part of it and you [have] to earn it during camp. You have to show you can do it, so that's kind of what I'm focusing on right now."

(On the offense and QB Baker Mayfield's mastery of it)

"Yeah, Baker has a complete handle on this offense already. I don't know how many people realize how hard that is, so it's just a testament to him. Then, we're still coming together with that stuff too, having different bodies rolling in and out, but I feel like we executed pretty well today. There's going to be ups and downs throughout camp. This is the first day in pads doing two-minute [drills]. We're going to keep growing for sure."

(On his comfortability with QB Baker Mayfield)

"Yeah, with a new offense you kind of wonder how those things will go, but I feel like we picked up right where we left off and we'll continue to get better. Just knowing how we're seeing the game and especially with how many defenses our defense will show us, zone, man, all those different things. That can be kind of hard, but I feel like we're seeing the game really similarly and we'll keep growing throughout camp."

(On Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson's plan for this season)

"I think Coach Robinson's commitment to it has instilled confidence in us as a unit. I think, just as we continue to get reps at it, especially with pads on. We talked about it, and it just felt a little different today because you're actually having to move guys at the point of attack who are coming off with low pad level, really hitting you. That's just different from OTAs with no shoulder pads on. We're going to keep working at it, but I feel like he has a great vision for how that will marry up with our play-action game, with our gap scheme, with all those different things."

-BUCCANEERS-