OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR ZAC ROBINSON

(On the challenges presented by the Minnesota Vikings defense)

"Yeah, like you said, it's an aggressive defense for sure. 'B-Flo' (Brian Flores) has done a great job for a long time. [I have] a ton of respect for him and just the way that he can create challenges for offenses. We've faced them the last couple of years [and] know the challenges of the weekly process to get to Sunday. Then on Sunday, you know that there's going to be something else that you've got to be ready to adjust and adapt [to]. He does a great job. They've got a lot of great players on that side. They're all tied in with their style, so it's a great challenge for us. We've had a good week of [preparation], and we're definitely looking forward to the challenge on Sunday. I can't say enough good things about 'B-Flo' and the way that they operate. It's unique to any other scheme in the league, so it makes it fun. But yeah, it'll be a great challenge for us Sunday. We're looking forward to it."

(On the potential use of the screen game against Minnesota's pressure)

"We haven't run a ton of the outside screens. We've had a couple decent hits, like against Cincinnati. Last week, we had a couple screens. They did a good job in the red zone. I didn't love the call personally, the one that kind of got strung out in the red zone there. But yeah, you've got to be ready for all those things in terms of a pressure standpoint with these guys. We haven't [gotten] a chance to get as many screens off that you would like based on every week is different in terms of the defensive structures that you're facing, and all those things kind of change week to week. We've definitely got to get some of those things going. I definitely put the one in the red zone [on me]. I didn't love, personally, that call. I kind of put our guys in a tough spot there."

(On the offense's use of 11 personnel)

"Yeah, I think the beauty with our group of guys is it's very versatile. You can be in 11, 12…There [are] multiple personnel groupings within the 11 and the 12 and the 21s. So yeah, it hasn't been as much with some of the heavier ones based on our personnel so far, but again, you're always kind of ready to adjust every single week based on what you see on the other side. I think there's definitely some benefits. It all depends on the other side of the football as well and the best way you think to attack them. We've got a great 11 personnel grouping [and] we've got a great 21 personnel grouping with our guys. That's kind of what we've been hanging our hat on, and we'll continue to do that."

(On getting the wide receivers more involved in the intermediate passing game)

"Yeah, looking at the specifics of it, again, each play is its own. There [have] been times where, shoot, maybe there was something and we've got protection [problems] or something. But I've got to do a better job making sure we do get those openings there. I don't think there's been one rhyme or reason for it. It just seems like we've been able to stack some really good plays, and then we've kind of had some bad plays, and there really hasn't been a middle [ground] in between. We're just looking for that model of consistency. It starts with us as coaches – coaches and players alike. We're all in this thing together. We've got to do a great job making sure that we get those things going. We've had some deep-ball [opportunities]. We've connected on the one you mentioned [with] Tez [Johnson]. We've been really close on some other ones that could really open up the game, so we'll keep taking those shots when they're there. The beauty of football is they have a say in it too on the other side of the football and where that ball has to go. Making great decisions with the football with Baker [Mayfield] is obviously key and critical in those."

(On whether the wide receivers are creating separation)

"Yeah, there's been some great looks on tape of those guys separating. I think 'C.G.' (Chris Godwin Jr.) has run some really good routes. 'Mek' (Emeka Egbuka) the other day had a couple opportunities and maybe we had to move off the spot. That's where it takes all 11 to execute, and it takes my responsibility as well to make sure that we're getting the right things going. So yeah, no issues in terms of separation or anything. It's just still so early in the season. We don't have a ton of inventory of dropback pass at this point to really draw on. [We've] definitely got to get that uptick in that for sure."

(On how WR Jalen McMillan can help the offense as his role increases)

"Yeah, [I'm] excited about 'J-Mac' (Jalen McMillan). He was getting back into it. He didn't practice for so long during training camp, and, you know, getting back into a full-week rhythm and all those things that come with it…The only way to get good at football is to play football. So, getting him back out there and seeing how much he can help us out – whether it's this week, whether it's next week, whatever it might be – we're excited because 'J-Mac' has a ton of juice. He can run the full route tree. He's a great separator at the line of scrimmage. Everything we've seen from J-Mac from the start of OTAs – he had really good OTAs, and then he was rolling those early days in camp, as you guys can remember…So, it was a bummer he missed so much time, but it's great to get him kind of back into a normal flow, and we'll see where it goes from there."

(On the offensive line handling stunts and twists in pass protection)

"Yeah, I think, again, it's everything tied together. In terms of communication, I think the communication has been pretty solid up front. I do think that we've faced some challenging looks on the defensive side, and those guys, you've got to give them credit, too. They've done a good job of executing some of those different pick stunts, and that's something we'll continue to work on. We've got a great offensive line in terms of being able to pass those things off. Those guys, they're still getting the feel for playing together again. They didn't practice together throughout training camp, so those guys, like everybody early on in the season, we're still getting back into the flow of it. I would expect those things to clean up a little bit. There [have] been opportunities where maybe the ball could have [gotten] out quicker as well, and that's where I've got to do my job as well to help those guys out up front."

(On the challenges presented by Minnesota's defensive scheme)

"Everything [laughs]. No, they do a great job. Like we mentioned, it's high volume pressure. They mix up the looks well to try to confuse the quarterback, to try to get you to different protection adjustments. The week of prep, it's a lot on the quarterbacks [and] it's a lot on the offensive line. That's where you've got to just trust your plan when you go into it [and] be ready to adjust. But yeah, they do a great job across the board. They've got really good players. You can see their communication is really dialed in from the back end to the front end and the second level. It's impressive the way they've played so far, and it'll be fun to see it on Sunday."

(On managing RB Bucky Irving's workload)

"Sure. I think with the flow of the game and knowing that it is a long season…You know, we have two, really three, four [running] backs when you include Josh Williams, too, that we feel good about. But yeah, it's really a feel for the flow. You know, sometimes if you catch a hot hand and he ends up with 22 carries and you win the football game, then you don't think twice about it. We do want to be mindful of that, knowing that we're going to need 'Buck' for the long haul. [It's] still early on in the season here, still guys getting their breath and getting used to game shape and all those things that come with it. It is something we monitor, but again, there might be games where, shoot, we just need it, and he's running well and we just keep rolling with him."

(On whether his familiarity with Minnesota's defense is an advantage)

"I think there [are] some things that you can draw on, and then you also know that, shoot, the '24 game to the '25 game was different to what they're presenting this year. Scheme is always evolving, especially with 'Flo,' (Brian Flores) and there might be some like things that you can kind of draw on from previous years. But, shoot, there's also enough that he might toss out something completely different [that] you've got to be ready for. So yeah, I think there [are] certain things you can look at. But again, every defense has changed up their looks, and everybody has got their new wrinkles every single year, so you've got to be ready for those. But to answer your original question, there [are] definitely a couple of things you can draw on to find some similarities."

(On balancing urgency with the offense's continued development)

"100%. It's hard because you see the good, and the guys know it. It's like you show the good clips, and you're like, 'Man, when we are rolling, we're rolling,' and the guys can feel that. They can feel it from the first week of the season. Against Cincinnati, there was a lot of good there. There was still – as bad as that game felt, especially on some of those pass downs – we put ourselves in a ton of third-and-longer situations, which we had 16 third downs in the game, and a lot of those were like seven-plus [yards]. It's never a situation you want to be in. Efficiency on the early downs, that's something we've got to get going so we don't put ourselves in those spots. But yeah, it's a hard balance because we are kind of finding out about each other early on in the season, but the record is what it is. We're 0-2, and there's increased urgency every single week knowing that. As long as we just keep stacking days and getting better as an offense and kind of tightening everything up…Again, that's our job as coaches and players alike. We're all in this thing together to take the good [and ask] alright, why are some of these things happening? How can we kind of bottom up that floor to find some consistency? When it's rolling, it's been solid. We've just got to find some consistency in between."

(On if he can identify a reason for some of QB Baker Mayfield's missed passes through the first two games)

"Yeah, honestly, I can't pinpoint it. He's had great weeks of practice leading up to these games in terms of just footwork, fundamentals, everything that Coach [Chandler] Whitmer and T.J. Yates and I are in the quarterback room seeing. He's just got to translate it to the game. I think he sees that on tape too, and there [are] certain throws I know he wants back. It's all everybody together too. Like, there might be times when, hey, maybe there was a little pressure or [I] didn't give him a great play call to execute. So, I think there [are] certain throws he definitely wants back, like every single quarterback. You're going to look back every week and say, 'I was just a little bit off on this.' But yeah, there's nothing really [universally] that you're concerned about. You've just got to tighten everything up, and again, that's every single position [and] that's every coach that's involved with this."

PASS GAME COORDINATOR GEORGE EDWARDS

(Opening Statement)

"How are we doing today? We are in preparation for Minnesota, of course. They got [Minnesota Vikings QB Kyler] Murray back, [they] said he would be their number one quarterback this week. So, [we're] in preparation for him and the things that he brings to them offensively, the matchups that they create offensively, which is tough, and (Minnesota Vikings Head Coach) Kevin [O'Connell] does a great job offensively since he's been there in their deployment. So, we've got our hands full this week and [we're] just trying to get through this week and get better each day at the things that we've realized that we've got to get better from the start [of] the season."

(On what he thinks is the reason the rush defense struggled in the first two games)

"I think it's a combination of things. Every week, when you look at pass rush, you look at coverage, you look at timing of games, you look at the power in the rush. I mean, there's a lot of things that come to it. I know everybody wants to just look at numbers, but it also boils down to how you're affecting the quarterback. It boils down to how quick they're getting the ball out. I mean, there [are] a lot of factors that are involved when you're talking about sack numbers. As a defense, we try to keep the focus on the things

that we can affect the quarterback on and do the best coverage-wise as far as maintaining the proper leverage, not giving up the quicks and the hots and those kind of things. It's a combination of everything all together at the end of the day."

(On opponents having one of the lowest times to throw in the league against Tampa Bay's defense)

"I think the big thing for us is we try to do a lot of things, whether we're blitzing, pressuring, disguising, faking blitz, coming out and playing coverage. I mean, there [are] a lot of different aspects that go into the game plan each week and who the quarterback is and how can we affect them, how systematically, how are they offensively going to adjust to certain looks? A lot of those things have culminated together to try to make those things happen and force those things to happen from week to week."

(On if the reason behind the blown coverages are miscommunication or misalignment)

"It has been a combination of both. I mean, we've had some things [where] guys weren't where they [were] supposed to be leverage-wise, where eyes weren't where they [were] supposed to be as far as a coverage aspect of it. So, again, [those have] been some things that we've been working very diligently this week to get cleaned up, and hopefully we have most of those things adjusted. We [have] a lot of new guys defensively for us, and I think it's a culmination of communication. It's a culmination of guys having their eyes where they're supposed to be and [it's] all-encompassing at the end of the day."

(On what he sees from DB Keionte Scott)

"Yeah, I think he's done a good job of improvement from week-to-week. I mean, he pretty much missed the whole offseason and then training camp got started. He's making the most of his reps right now. We're very excited for what he's done thus far and just look for him to keep getting better each week. Each group...You ask about certain guys, that's what we're looking for right now. Okay, this is where we started at. Now we're just looking, okay, what do we do best? What can we get better at that we didn't do as well? That's what everybody is trying to fight for this week, to improve on the things that we know we [have] to improve on."

(On if there are any players on the Minnesota Vikings that he coached when he was the defensive coordinator from 2014-2019)

"I think (Minnesota Vikings safety) Harrison [Smith] is about it. I mean, that was a long time ago. It's been a while. No, I saw he came back after training camp. I look at their roster now, it's a lot of new faces compared to when I was there. There's maybe an offensive tackle still there. But, yeah, it's changed over a lot since I left there."

(On what the defense has to worry about when facing Minnesota Vikings' quarterback Kyler Murray)

"Yeah, we [have] to do a good job with rush integrity this week as far as our rush lanes, how he escapes the pocket, understanding that he has a big arm, he can make the throws down the field and he has a heck of a receiver to throw it to. So, again, we [have] to do a good job with the leverage on the coverage. We [have] to do a good job of getting pressure, knowing how he likes to escape and all the different things that we're trying to cover this week because he hasn't had a lot of reps in their system. You [have] to go back and do the work from back when he was at Arizona [Cardinals] and study his habits there as far as his keys, his reads, what he likes to do, his tendencies, those kinds of things. It's been a good week of preparation so far, but we still [have] a ways to go, that's for sure."

QUARTERBACK BAKER MAYFIELD

(On getting WR Chris Godwin Jr. and the other receivers involved in the intermediate passing game)

"Yeah, I think to be able to threaten a defense completely in the pass game, yeah, [we've] got to be able to do that. Some of it, you know, [I've] had to step off my spots a little bit, but some of it, I can take a tight hitch, slight, sudden movements in the pocket and still deliver some of those. That's really what [it is], after looking at the tape from Sunday. [It's about] just trusting that the guys are going to be there, and 'C.G.' (Chris Godwin Jr.) pretty much always is. So, there [are] a few specifically with him, but yeah, [we've] got to connect the dots on all those."

(On how long it takes to become comfortable in a new offense)

"I mean, listen, I'd love for it to have come out firing and be in a different spot. Like I said to you guys, we've been really close, and that's the frustrating part. So, it's putting it all together, everybody just doing their job. As boring and as simple as that sounds, it's true. So [we've] just got to continue to do that, work through the issues and the things that we've had come up, but just continue to figure out who we're going to be as an offense. Like you guys have seen, we've moved the ball consistently when we want to and we're able to. [We've] just got to eliminate negative plays, really, is the biggest part."

(On the challenges presented by Vikings Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores' defense)

"You know you're getting pressure no matter what – just the percentages [are] extremely high. It's always game-plan specific, so you can scout up some looks and all this, but you know you're going to have something new that you see on Sunday. [It's about] really trusting your rules, your day one protection stuff, being on the same page with the guys – verbal communication, nonverbal communication, signals and stuff – and really, it just comes down to being decisive. With me, protection calls with Graham [Barton] up front, getting those guys on the same page, and also guys running their routes. If there's a vacancy in the defense, somebody blitzes, you've got to be on the same page, be decisive in your routes and, yeah, go from there."

(On what has worked well for the offense through the first two games)

"I mean, when we're able to stay efficient early in downs, the run game, and we're able to [keep] defenses [from knowing] what we're going to do, not [being] in always-passing downs, and just being able to continue to lean on the run game…The defenses that we've played the last couple of weeks, the quick game and all that stuff really hasn't been what we're trying to scheme up, so it's a little frustrating when you can't do that. [We want] a lot more play-action shots paired up with the run game. So [it's about] just continuing to keep a balanced thing – balanced offense when it comes to the run and pass. But yeah, sometimes the coverage dictates not being able to get some of those intermediate throws. We've been pretty good at moving the ball when we stay out of our own way."

(On his relationship with Vikings QB Kyler Murray)

"Yeah, Kyler and I were close, just spending a couple years with him in school [and] just getting to know him as a person. You know, obviously he's got a reputation on the outside, but once you get to know the guy – listen, I understand when people don't like him, but don't get me wrong, I'd say the same thing about myself – but once you get to know him, [you] really appreciate the worker that he is. You know, he knows what he wants, he knows his goals [and] he works extremely hard to go get those. So, [I'm] just happy for him getting a new chance somewhere else, you know, new scenery, and just having a coach that is going to try and get the best out of him."

(On if there's an increased sense of urgency entering Week 3)

"Yeah, absolutely. I think, like I said, especially offensively, [it's about] just getting out of our own way, not having any self-inflicted wounds. The sense of urgency to get that stuff corrected has definitely been there. [The] energy level has been good all week, so [we've] just got to continue that, and it needs to translate to Sunday. That's the biggest thing. We feel like we've had good weeks of practice, but it's got to translate. Guys just need to do their job on Sundays."

(On facing Minnesota's pressure and having WR Jalen McMillan available)

"You'll see. Like I said, it's always game-plan specific with [Brian] Flores, so we'll see what that is that he wants to do. When you bring the pressure, it's always somewhat of a man [coverage] principle, but it's kind of vision zone in the back end. They trigger, they have eyes on the quarterback, kind of watching your drop. So, [it's about] just trusting our guys to win on those one-on-one reps when they do get man coverage. Then, other than that, in the zone, when there's pressure, catching the ball and getting upfield, getting those yards. Even if you're not getting a first down, trying to flip the field. Like I said, [it's about] eliminating the negative plays against this team. When they bring that much pressure, they're trying to get a pick or a sack, a fumble, so if you can get the ball out of your hands [and] in your guys' hands in space, good things happen. So yeah, [I'm] excited to have 'J-Mac' (Jalen McMillan) back out there for sure."

(On moving on from Sunday's loss)

"I mean, once you watch the tape…When you're in the weekly schedule, you watch the tape on Monday, you flush it and you start prepping for the next opponent, especially when you've got a team like this coming in with all the different nuances of the defense that we have to prepare for. So yeah, like I said after the game, we're 0-2. We wouldn't want to be there. It's not how we drew it up, but that is the situation right now, and how are we going to get it fixed?"

(On whether the team has been more locked in during practice this week)

"I feel like we've had good practices, but I feel like some of the small things that have come up this week in just the first two days of practice, there's a lot more player accountability. Guys [are] making sure that you get it corrected, you know, making sure that we're all working for the same goal, making sure guys are doing the right things at all times, and if not, line it up and do it again."

(On the team's mindset entering Week 3 at 0-2)

"I think our group is ready to get out there and get the taste out of our mouth, to be honest with you – especially after watching the tape two weeks in a row and just the things that we know we can get fixed. So, [the] sense of urgency is there, and like I said earlier, [it's] just got to translate [to] Sunday."

GUARD CODY MAUCH

(On how the team moved on from Sunday's loss to the Cleveland Browns)

"Yeah, [it's] one of [those] ones where you watch the film and then make some corrections and move onto the 'Vikes' (Minnesota Vikings). Especially a defense like they have, as chaotic as it is, as much time as you can spend getting that defense down, I think is important this week."

(On the challenges the Minnesota Vikings' defense presents)

"I mean, let alone they have good players, they have a good D-line. It's just the different looks you're going to get. [They are] not afraid to drop anyone, not afraid to bring anyone. It's really a rules and fundamentals game this week. Third downs…Just don't get in third-and-long. That's where they eat. It's really just first, second down, be efficient, and hopefully you can avoid a lot of the chaotic stuff they bring."

(On his opinion of the offensive lines' performance so far this season)

"Not nearly as well as we'd like, especially in pass [protection]. I think we're just a little bit off right now just passing off stunts and whatnot. So, really making that a point of emphasis. We're just a little bit off with it. It'll come and it's going to come quick. [I] feel good with where we're at so far this week. But yeah, just in the run game, just making sure we're all still on the same page and hitting efficient runs when we can when they're called."

(On if the fact that the O-Line hasn't all been healthy together in over a year has anything to do with the struggles they've had in Weeks 1 and 2)

"Not necessarily. I think it's early in the season. I think it just takes time of those in-game reps, probably, to get back on the same page with each other and whatnot. Practice reps are great and whatnot, but it's a little different when the bullets are actually flying. So, no, we'll be just fine. It's just we'll pick it up this week."

(On if communication issues are the main reason for the O-Line's struggles)

"It's everything. It's, yes, mainly communication. It's yelling to guys if my guy's picking or if I'm going to get picked. It's just the communication verbally that way but then passing it off physically as well. It's just sometimes maybe, like me, my feet are all over the place or something. It's just getting your technique and things. It's really those twist games, especially like the interior when they're twisting three guys, really all [of us have] to be on the same page and pass it off physically and verbally as well."

-BUCCANEERS-