HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On how he thought the run defense was against Minnesota)

"I think the results were good. [The Vikings] may have gotten away from it a little bit and probably got a little pass happy, so that helped out, too. Any time you have 41 yards, it's a good start."

(On the status of DL Calijah Kancey)

"No update. He's not any worse than he was – he's actually a little better. We'll take it day by day with him."

(On if there's a specific reason that Kancey left the game)

"He just said he felt it a little tight, so we kept him out."

(On if Kancey underwent an MRI)

"Yeah, he's good."

(On how he thought the tackling was in Sunday's win)

"For the most part, I thought the open-field tackling was very good – especially by the linebackers and obviously [Antoine] Winfield [Jr.], as well. We [improved] it better [Sunday] than we did in the preseason. We got better up until the first game – I thought it was good. It can be better, but it was solid overall."

(On what makes S Antoine Winfield Jr. so adept at getting to the quarterback)

"He has a knack. He can set up blockers and go under, go around – he knows when they're off balance, when to go over top of them. He has a good feel. I think he does a lot of film study on who's blocking and how they're trying to block him. You've got to have a feel for that. There's a lot of people that blitz and run right into the guy. He does not – he has a knack for getting free every time."

(On QB Baker Mayfield being able to move on from the slow start to the game)

"Baker is tough. We knew it was going to be a tough game, going in – that wasn't the problem. [Brian] Flores is a good [defensive coordinator]. They had some wrinkles for us in the first half that were pretty good for us. We got off to a shaky start, but we settled in. Nobody flinched. Baker's toughness – obviously, by the way he played – the throws that he threw away and didn't turn over were just as impressive as the one's he completed."

(On attempting to keep Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields in the pocket)

"Everyone has tried. [laughs] Everybody has tried. He's probably faster than everybody we have in the front seven. It's going to be a team effort – we're going to have to rally to him. They have other guys he can get the ball to. You say you want to keep him in the pocket and contain him, but if your D-Line runs a 4.9 [40-yard dash] and he runs a 4.4, there's going to be a problem at some point. We've just got to make sure we have enough eyes on him that we can go get him."

(On him describing QB Baker Mayfield as "a guy who will stick his face in a fan")

"He's a quarterback with an offensive lineman's mentality. You don't want your quarterback doing it too much, but he'll make the yards when he has to make the yards – when the game is on the line. He plays very smart. That doesn't mean he's a renegade by any means, it just means that he's willing to go the extra mile to put his face in the fan when the situation calls for it. Hopefully he doesn't have to do that too much where he can get banged up, but offensive linemen feed off of that – he becomes one of them. It's a rallying cry for the offense."

(On what he's learned about Mayfield after Week 1)

"Obviously, just his resiliency. He was younger back when we first met, so over the years you have some ups and downs and trials and tribulations – he's worked through them. He's in a great space. We're happy to have him. He's very smart. I didn't know he was as smart because I never coached him that much, but just getting us in and out of plays and understanding that situations – he's been great."

(On RB Rachaad White saying that Mayfield had picked up on Minnesota's defensive signals)

"Rachaad might have caught one signal. I think he just played well and they got used to seeing certain things. I don't think we picked up on too many things. It kind of got over-exaggerated."

(On how the offensive line played in a hostile road environment)

"To not have a false start was impressive, starting off with it. Again, they've got some big guys and they put some fronts up there that we had to adjust to. I thought it was tough yards but I thought everybody had a hat on a hat. We can be better, but we were better in that game, in that place. I was pleased with them."

(On if he's still waiting to see if RB Rachaad White will be the primary running back)

"I think it's coming. We're still high on him. We believe in Rachaad 100%. Again, they were stacking the line with an extra guy that we couldn't block most of the time. That made it tough sledding for us – but we hung with it and we got the tough yards. Rachaad getting the tough yards says a lot within itself. We'll have games where he breaks out, hopefully, and goes from there but the confidence is high."

(On Chicago's 'three-headed' rushing attack)

"The biggest thing is all three of them can break tackles. They're not just bruiser runners, they have great agility. They all can block on third down and pass block, they can catch the ball out of the backfield and they're very stout in protection. Depending on which one is in there, it isn't going to make much of a difference – they keep all of them fresh. We've got to make sure we rally to the ball."

(On where he wants to see the biggest growth in Week 2)

"Just more consistency in all three phases. We won a gutsy game. We've got to play better in a lot of areas. Obviously, the first game, you're getting the jitters out. As we get into the season early on, we should start getting better at a lot of things each week."

(On what the threat of the deep ball does for an offense, considering the long touchdown to WR Mike Evans)

"In a tough game like that, obviously [Baker Mayfield] and Mike [Evans] have a connection. Dave [Canales] made a great call, Mike ran a great route. We caught them in the right coverage. They made a heck of a play. Going forward, it's not how many deep balls we hit, it's how consistent we are as an offense. The deep balls will come. You're going to have some overthrows here and there, but we're confident that we'll get some balls down the field."

(On what he thought of C Robert Hainsey's performance in Week 1)

"Communication-wise, he did a heck of a job. He's probably one of our smartest guys down there. He got us in the right situations from a protection standpoint. He gets up on the [linebackers] very well. He's kind of the key cog from a communication standpoint down there, that makes everybody else go – including himself. He's going to be huge for us."

(On the performance of former Buccaneers safety Jordan Whitehead on Monday Night Football)

"I was very happy for Jordan. Jordan – I joke with him all the time that he can't catch and he went and got three picks. I couldn't have been prouder for him. He's a great young man, he's a great player. I wish him nothing but the best."

QUARTERBACK BAKER MAYFIELD

(On winning Good Morning Football's Angry Runs award)

"I think I won it because I was the new guy in the conversation. I had some family members send me the clip – I'll take it. I appreciate Kyle [Brandt] for awarding me with that. I've definitely been given a hard time around the building for that one."

(On picking up on the Vikings' tendencies)

"When it comes down to that, you're always trying to find tendencies in the defense – just those in-game adjustments [where] you're trying to find those tendencies. Sometimes it's a little different than others. That's why, like I said postgame, it was a chess match in the first half. We kind of had some stall-out drives. They did a very, very good job. I can't credit Brian Flores enough for how they were schemed up against us. It took us a little bit to adjust, but yeah, you try to find every advantage possible to win."

(On how much figuring out Minnesota's tendencies helped in the win)

"Quite a bit."

(On the suggestion that he could get a government job with his detective abilities)

"I know I'm in Tampa, but I'm a Texas Rangers fan, not a Houston Astros fan, so we're not going to condone that."

(On if he has to be careful about the stiff arm to avoid putting himself in harm's way)

"Oh, absolutely. I think there was a run earlier, just kind of a scramble on third down [that was] not necessary – just run out of bounds. But when it comes down to the third-and-shorts and things like that when the game is on the line, it's a different story. There are definitely areas that I can get better, but it's the first game and I had the juices flowing."

(On Head Coach Todd Bowles' comment that he plays quarterback with an offensive lineman's mentality)

"I love football. It's the game of football, it's a physical game, I've always loved it. I love contact. You can't shy away from it – I think that's how you get hurt. Obviously, like I mentioned, playing quarterback is a little bit of a different story, so yeah, you definitely want to protect yourself. I just always want to be a part of the guys. There is something about that, just being involved and showing them that I like to get down and dirty with them, as well."

(On what he learned about his teammates from Week 1)

"I mean, the motto for us is resilience right now. [We] just didn't start pretty at all. We left so much on the bone. Just being able to adapt, be resilient and not hitting the panic button by any means. Continuing with the plan, staying with it, not shying away from the run game at all. It wasn't going well early, but we ended the game with the ball in our hands and that was very important. That's a mentality. That's a mindset. A resilient, tough mentality is what I learned about this group. Hopefully we can continuing growing and just be better through four quarters."

(On the aggressiveness of the offense)

"I think it's that non-stop mentality of doing whatever it takes to win. The headlines should read that, 'Chris Godwin makes a great catch on third-and-10 to close the game out.' That guy was in the trenches blocking Harrison Smith over and over again, and then makes the play with his fingertips to close out the game. It's a mentality, like I said. It's a tough mindset. Those guys, they were able to [be relied] on late in the game. When they had been doing dirty work for a while, they got rewarded. Those guys are special for a reason."

(On if his past experience allowed him to stay patient and stay resilient in Week 1)

"Yeah, I think between experience and also just trusting the system that Dave [Canales] brought in. Three-of-11? Talk about starting from the bottom right there. Just continuing to push forward and trust the system, not force it and let the game come to us. Knowing how [well] our defense was playing, as well – don't make mistakes, let the game come and good things will happen. It was just trust. That's a big factor for our offense – if we're going to be a great team, we've got to trust the other side of the ball. Sometimes punting the ball is not bad. Ending a series with the ball in our hands, whether it's a touchdown, kick or punt is always good for us."

(On getting the season started with a road victory and what it does for the team)

"The confidence just only builds. You always have a 1-0 mentality. The next game is the most important one. We're focused on that. But your confidence – your self confidence and for the group as a whole – continues to grow. When you come home after a road win like that, we should have a lot of 'Krewe' love with the fans right there. It will be fun. Just continue to do the little things right. Like I said, we had a lot of meat left on the bone, so we need to improve. We can't be satisfied with what we did. We'll always take wins, but we need to improve if we want to be potentially where we can imagine."

(On the performance of the offensive line in Week 1 allowing just one sack)

"The sack, to be honest with you, is on me. They get into a drop-eight coverage. They checked when we did. I've just got to take off at a certain point, get down and protect the ball. The expectations for that O-line compared to how they played – furthest thing from the reality. We knew what they were capable of, we knew what we had going into that game, so I'm really proud of those guys and they're only going to continue to get better, especially in the run game aspects."

(On RB Rachaad White's performance)

"I think he is an extremely talented guy. I know he's not happy with last game when it comes to his own stats, but yeah, those are hard, physically-earned yards that when it came down to it at the end of the game, that's what we needed. It wasn't going to be a huge stats game for us, but that mentality and that mindset, like I keep mentioning, late in the game those are the important things. When you're really imposing your will, that's so vital. He will have opportunities as the season goes on and I know he will take advantage of them. I respect him, he's a great player, a really smart guy and he's got a very, very bright ceiling."

(On Offensive Coordinator Dave Canales' first game calling plays)

"That is not an easy environment and not an easy defense to go up against in your first game, especially when you don't really have any tape of their pressure packages and all of that. I think the world of Dave and how he handled calling that game. I think it was tremendous. I know he is hard on himself. He said he was a couple play calls too far behind when they were adjusting against us, but it's only going to get better. We're happy with how it was. We were all on the same page, so we just need to continue to grow."

(On the suggestion that every stadium should switch to natural grass)

"I know they always say the science backs the artificial turf, but grass is more forgiving – it's just plain and simple. Your cleats give out a little bit [and] it's easier on your body. There is a difference when guys practice on turf – and this is leaguewide, anywhere I've been and with anyone I've ever been around… if you practice on turf, the next day your big guys are sore. Their knees are sore, ankles are sore. It's just harder on your joints. It's not forgiving and that is just the way it is. I believe in it too."

(On what went through his mind when New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending injury just four plays into the season)

"It's tough. I know just the whole offseason how he carried himself, how he was truly refreshed and ready to get back. It's tough. You never want to see a guy go down like that. Through the TV, you could feel the energy change in that building. It's tough, but they have a good team. You saw the resilience they had, as well. I hate that for Aaron."

(On what concerns him about the Chicago Bears defense)

"Schematically, they're just disciplined. They brought in a lot of new pieces, as well, to try and help out with the run game and pass rush. They have some veteran guys. You talk about [Tremaine] Edmunds and [T.J.] Edwards at linebacker – they bring in two really good guys. Then they have Yannick [Ngakoue] on the edge, as well. They present their own issues and then you've got some young guys in the secondary that are now going to get the chance to play [along with] Eddie Jackson, a veteran guy that's a true ballhawk. They're the type of team [where] they want to keep it in front of them, make you check it down, do the things consistently and then they'll take advantage if you make a mistake. For us, it's about staying on track – kind of a similar mindset to the one we had in training camp, just keep moving the chains, continue to take care of the ball and see where we go from there."

WIDE RECEIVER CHRIS GODWIN

(On Offensive Coordinator Dave Canales' adjustments and how it boosts his confidence in the offense)

"It gives [me] a lot of confidence. I think one thing for us is that we are giving people grace as well, right. That was his first time calling plays as an offensive coordinator, and [so] just giving him the grace to find his footing. We are all trying to figure each other out. he's trying to figure out what we like, we're trying to figure out what he likes, we're trying to figure out how that jells together. I think he did a really good job making adjustments and being calm in the moment."

(On working with Offensive Coordinator Dave Canales and the changes to the offense)

"For us it's about finding our groove. It's [us] figuring out like where we at, and what type of players we have, building our team camaraderie, [and] we're saw a lot of good things. We saw plays like Baker [Mayfield] scrambling and it looks like there is nothing there, and he turns nothing into something— [like how] he got a first down on a third down conversion for us, he keeps the chains moving. Little things like that [are] what we are going to count on during the season, so it's going to be good for us to really see how we grow."

(On if the Week 1 win was a particularly important one)

"I feel like every one is important. I don't know if there is any one that's more important than the others. I think it was good for us to get off on the right foot. I think for our confidence, understanding the work that we put in, and understanding that we have a bunch of ballers on this team. I think it was big for us confidence wise, but I think this week is just as important as last week."

(On QB Baker Mayfield)

"Like I was saying before, he turns nothing into something, like that [was] a big third-down play, and he's stiff arming DBs and getting in their face, [and] you're looking for that kind of competitive edge from your quarterback. I think it gets us fired up, but also helps us understand that he is going to go in there and he's going to fight."

(On if the weather will impact Sunday's game)

"I think it could be a factor, but at the same time if we don't come out [and] we don't execute, it would be for nothing. They have a lot of good players on that team, they work hard at training camp, and they do conditioning and all that stuff. You have talented guys on their team like Justin Fields [and] he is out there running around. He's out there free styling and making bad plays into good plays, and that makes it really tough on defenses. DJ Moore is a good player, [so] they have some really good players on defense, too. The heat is going to be a factor, but we can't just rely on that to win a game, we have to really put the work on."

(On the win last week will impact this week's game)

"I think it's good confidence-wise, but aside from that what we did last week [is] not going to help us this week. We can't rest on what we did last week because it won't impact anything in this game. The Bears, they don't care about it. They are coming in here trying to get their first win of the season, [so] they will be coming after us and we have to be ready for it."

OFFENSIVE TACKLE TRISTAN WIRFS

(On how he thought the offensive line did in Week 1 and if it was a confidence booster)

"We know what we have up front. We all have confidence in each other. We've just got to go out and execute every play. To go out and have a pretty clean game, no pre-snap penalties, no false starts, in a loud environment like that on the road – we're pretty proud of that. Overall, I think we're excited with how we played."

(On if his performance in his first game at left tackle was a confidence booster for him)

"Yeah, I think so. I thought it was nice to get out there…being able to go on the silent count and get those kind of reps [was] nice. I thought it was great."

(On how excited he is for the home opener this weekend)

"Yeah, absolutely. I think that'll be great. I know how loud the Bucs fans get. They're excited for the home opener so that will be a lot of fun and we'll definitely use that to our advantage this week."

(On QB Baker Mayfield's competitive nature and making aggressive plays)

"He's always got a lot of juice to him – a lot of fire to him. Seeing him go do that, put his shoulder down, kind of gets you going a little bit. I've got to go make sure he's not getting in too much trouble over there – talking [trash] to people. I'll have to get him out of stuff."

(On if it's an edge to play 1:00 p.m. games this year)

"We're going to try and make it an edge. It's going to be 'hot as a mug,' I'll tell you what. I think it's going to be huge for us. Like you said, we haven't had a lot of these early one o'clock games these past three years. We're all going to have to be hydrated and I know they're going to have to be hydrated, too."

(On the biggest challenge the Bears pose)

"I think probably their linebackers. [Tremaine] Edmunds, he flies sideline to sideline. So, making sure us on the O-Line are good when we're getting up to the second level. They pirate their ends quite a bit, too, so being good and being able to pass off double teams and convert those when we need to. I think us on the O-Line being able to be good at the second level is going to be big."

-BUCCANEERS-