HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On the back-and-forth between the offense and defense in practice)

"I thought the offense started out very well. I thought it was a lot more give-and-take today than it was yesterday. The energy was there and the intent was there. We still have some things to clean up. I think both sides made plays. One period, the offense won, one period, the defense won. There was a lot of back-and-forth, which is what you want to see, trying to make each other better."

(On the offensive line creating holes for the running backs)

"It's back-and-forth, again. We're not hitting them in the hole. So, at the same time, you look at the hole, you look at the touch-offs as well. But I thought they did a good job today connecting with blocks, yes."

(On the benefit of facing a different team in joint practices next week)

"I think it'll be good to see another scheme from a defensive and offensive standpoint, special teams as well. We need to work against other people. As you practice every day, you start to memorize some things, and guys start to cheat plays and not play their technique. It'll be good to go against somebody else."

(On why he chose to hold joint practices with the New York Jets again)

"It kind of worked out that way. They were one of the teams that wanted to practice twice. We need two practices to get in, so that was important as well. It's good to get on the road, and we know they're a physical team and they're a smart team. [If] we've got two practices in and we can get on the road, we'll try to get on the road."

(On the reason for RB Kenny Gainwell's absence from practice on Friday)

"Yeah, he had a personal leave. He'll be back soon. He's fine, though."

(On Offensive Coordinator Zac Robinson's absence from practice on Friday)

"Same thing."

(On whether Gainwell and Robinson will be back at practice on Sunday)

"Yes, they'll be back."

(On G Billy Schrauth not practicing on Friday)

"He's a little sore right now, and he kind of banged it up. I don't know how long he'll be sidelined, but he should miss a few days."

(On what he likes about this year's team)

"They're really mentally tough, and they're making each other better. They understand what we have on each side of the ball, and they're really trying to make each other better – from the pass rushers and the tackles, to the interior, to the wideouts and the [defensive backs], and the quarterback seeing different coverages and disguises, battling mentally with the safeties…They really talk about everything after the play, so I like that about them."

(On whether he is seeing the increased edge, physicality and size he wanted on defense)

"Yeah, you see that, but they've still got to be able to play, and those guys are doing a very good job communicating and leading the team that way. Obviously, we had 'Win' (Antoine Winfield Jr.) and Vita [Vea] and, obviously, Yaya [Diaby] and [Calijah] Kancey do some good things as well, but adding [Alex] Anzalone and A'Shawn [Robinson] is really helping out a lot, along with [Christian] Rozeboom."

(On how pleased he is with what the team has absorbed through the first two weeks of training camp)

"I think it's soaked in pretty [well]. The biggest thing is I'm very pleased with the recall we had coming back from OTAs after that layoff and them coming back in the summer. We've just got to continue to keep working and keep grinding and building from there."

(On OLB Chris Braswell Jr.'s reps and potentially working him in with other rotations of defenders)

"Well, he works in with some of the other pass rushers at times, but from a rep standpoint and a rest standpoint, we've got to kind of keep it equal right now. Right now, there's really no first, second or third team. We'll start divvying it up after the Jets game and getting a little more time. He'll see a lot of action next week in New York against their guys as well."

(On what he has liked about CB Zyon McCollum's training camp)

"His attention to detail and working on the things that he needed to work on from last year, and focusing on the little things and not trying to make a big play and letting his eyes wander. He's been doing a [really] good job this year and this camp at doing that."

(On WR Dean Patterson IV continuing to make plays with increased opportunities)

"Again, he's getting an opportunity to play. With a couple guys down, he's getting an opportunity to play. He studies, and that's a big part of it. Grabbing it mentally is probably more demanding than grabbing it physically but if you can grab it mentally – which he's doing right now – and [make] plays and [show] up on tape, that gets you seen a lot. We'll look forward to seeing him in the preseason."

(On CB Ayden Garnes' performance this training camp)

"I don't know if we have a backup corner right now or are willing to name backup corners right now [but] he's been playing well. He's playing with a lot more confidence. I think, mentally, he's grasped a lot of things and he's playing faster. I think his ability is starting to show. We'll see him in games, but we are aware of his athleticism and his coverage skills."

(On whether T Tristan Wirfs could return to practice during the trip to New Jersey)

"If he's healthy, we'd like to work him back in. It doesn't matter how much. We're not just going to throw him in there and give him a whole bunch of reps, but we'll see how he looks in individual [periods], and we'll progress from there whenever he comes back out there, and we'll plan accordingly."

(On if he expects NT Vita Vea to make the trip to New Jersey)

"Right now, yes, everybody's going."

LINEBACKER JOSIAH TROTTER

(On how natural it feels to be on the field at his first NFL training camp)

"Yeah, I feel pretty comfortable out there. I feel really comfortable just being able to play fast. [I'm] still just trying to get used to playing with my teammates. I feel like it's different from college [where] you just have to know who you're playing with out there and just continue to get used to playing with them. Other than that, I feel really confident being out there playing within the scheme and [the] defense. I feel like I put the time in to be able to understand it. I just know my position, but [also I] know what's going on around me. You're like the QB of the defense, you [have] to know what's going on around you."

(On how he feels making an impact as a rookie)

"It's just how I was raised, just to be myself when I'm out there, rookie or not. When you're on the football field, nobody cares if you're a rookie. It's, 'Are you making plays or are you not?' At the end of the day, I just know who I am out there. I'm just trying to be myself; to be the guy they brought me in here to be. [I] just go out there, [I] just compete at the highest level. I respect all those guys over there, the guys that I got at my side. [I'm] just out there trying to compete."

(On if he wants to bring more energy to the defense)

"No doubt. I feel like that's everywhere I've been within college, little league, whatever the case is. That's just how my dad brought us up. Having that edge, having that mindset, as a middle linebacker, you [have] to bring that. It's only going to come from the linebacker, and that's where it starts. I feel like trying to be that edge, that piece that comes in. When the team sees, when they watch film, I want them to know. They [have] to feel me through the tape. I feel like that's the biggest thing I want to bring to this team, to this defense and whatever role that is."

(On his increased intensity on defense since starting padded practices)

"When I come out here, I try to separate the two as a player and person. I just know when I put these pads on, Josiah is out the window, I just become 'Trot' now at that point. I'm just trying to bring that mindset of everything that my dad instilled in me from a young age. I'm just here trying to set the tone, just be me, be a playmaker at the end of the day, do my job, try to compete and get better at the end of the day. As much as I'm trying to [make] them better, they're [making] me better every single day."

(On how the defense has helped him play at his best)

"Just trusting that, not only am I going to do my job, but guys around me are going to do their job, especially at this level. This defense allows you to just play fast once you understand it – just knowing your job, your gap. I just feel like, especially within the blitzes, you just [have] to go, just have a go mindset. Within that, you just [have] to know your job and execute it. That's about it."

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN A'SHAWN ROBINSON

(On what it means to bring energy to practice)

"It brings tenacity. [It] brings that fight, that will, that juice, that hunger, brings that flow of practice. [It raises] the level of competition. [It] brings everybody in to make everybody want it more, for not just for themselves, for their group, for the offense, for the defense. That brotherhood, doing that, being combative, brings nothing but greatness. That's all I try to do, make it as tough as I can. I'm going to talk trash every single play, that's just who I am, good or bad. I'm going to talk trash."

(On what is special about the defense)

"We [have] players, after players, after players, in every position that can do it at a high level. Not just be okay, but be dominant, consistently. That's why we have this standard. That's why we hold each other accountable. That's why [Head Coach Todd Bowles] coach holds us accountable. We make sure we do that together from top to bottom. No man is better than no other man. We [are] together, we're a family. You only win together when you're together. We make sure we do that all together. Hearing those guys [Rueben] Bain [Jr.] and 'Trot' (Josiah Trotter) talking, it lets me know [that] they're locked in. They're focused. They're hungry. They want it just as bad as everybody else out here. They want to do everything it takes, sacrifice, being consistent, communicate, overly communicate, talking smack, raising that level of competition is real. That's how it's going to be in the game. That's how it's going to be in season. That's how it's going to be when we're on the road. We just [have] to make sure we make it as feisty as we can in practice to get out what we want."

(On if the defensive attitude starts with him)

"That's just who I am. I expect every defense I'm on to be this feisty, and it's been that way my whole career. I do that and Head Coach [Todd] Bowles loves it, the defensive players love it, everyone loves it, offense loves it because, like I said, we're competing. It [does] nothing but raise the level of competition and execution to be great. Knowing that after this we're going to talk trash to each other in the locker room, we're going to play a little game, 'I got you, I'm up on you. I'm up one on you. Hey, you got me on that rep, that was a nice one.' Making sure we all understand what's at hand right now. We have the pieces, we have the tools on paper, but we [have] to go apply that day in and day out to be the best we want to be."

(On his mentality heading into the first preseason game against the New York Jets)

"It's a game. It's an opportunity to show what we've worked on together, how much better we've gotten each other, against another level of competition around the league. It's another way of showing how well [Head Coach Todd Bowles] coach conditions us, mentally, physically, Xs and Os. Amongst ourselves, to have that standard and knowing who's going to be there when things get hard. Who is going to be there when we go somewhere else? We [aren't] at home. We get [into] somebody else's house and all this stuff. How [are] we going to lock in together and be together, even though we might not be on the same field when we're on it? We're all here together. We get off that bus together. We [put] our clothes on together. We hit that field together. [As long as] we know that we'll be alright."

(On his impressions of the younger defensive guys)

"'E-Rob' (Elijah Roberts) has been having a [great] camp. He's been dominating, play in, play out, run, pass. I'm loving it. I'm loving the way he's executing, he's communicating, helping young guys, communicating with everybody. I love to see another young buck coming into his second year, to be that advanced, understand and grasp what's at hand. The opportunities that he has, and we all have together if we're on the same page. I love to see that. That's been great to me, and I'll make sure I stay on him and make sure I [don't] let him slack because I know what he can do."

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER YAYA DIABY

(On what he has seen from the defense throughout training camp)

"This defense can be really, really good. Like I said in my previous interview, I really think by the end of this season, we can make a really good jump in being top 10 in defense, once everybody [is] healthy and stays locked in."

(On if this is the best defense he has ever been a part of)

"Man, yes, man. Everybody is hungry. It's like a little bit of everything. We got A'Shawn [Robinson], we got 'Nacho' (Rakeem Nuñez-Roches) – everybody is just hungry – David Walker [has] been having an amazing camp, Rueben [Bain Jr. has] been doing his thing. You know, we all just bouncing off each other, so it [has] been good."

(On the energy the defense has been bringing to practice)

Yeah, I love the energy, man. It helps everybody – it doesn't just help the defense – it helps the offense as well, you know, when we get into a hostile environment. 'Nacho' (Rakeem Nuñez-Roches) [has] been doing a really good job, and A'Shawn [Robinson] as well."

(On his personal and team goals for the season)

"Personal goal is just personal goal, but for team goals, like I said, I want to finish top 10 in defense, and I really believe we can do that because everybody is hungry. Everybody wants to get better, and, you know, today's practice showed how we can be if we all lock in."

-BUCCANEERS-