HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES
(On the status of WR Chris Godwin and T Donovan Smith)
"Well, they practiced on a limited basis. We'll see how they continue to progress. Those will be game-time decisions on Sunday, but they did do some [work with] limitations in practice."
(On what it would mean to have wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Julio Jones back on the field)
"Any time you get your starters back you'll happy to have them back and have them healthy. So, we just want to make sure they're all healthy when they come back."
(On how the preparations in South Florida have gone, and when will the team return to Tampa)
"We think we got a lot accomplished. We had our normal Wednesday, Thursday, Friday practices. We're returning to Tampa as soon as I can get off this phone."
(On the status of WR Breshad Perriman and if anyone else besides DL Akiem Hicks can be ruled out for Sunday's game)
"No, but Breshad is doubtful. Unless he has a miraculous recovery by Sunday it will be possible that he doesn't play. Nobody else is ruled out yet."
(On how the team's versatility on defense can be disruptive to opposing offenses)
"Early on it's been very disruptive while people are trying to find their footing. We can move people around and disguise things a lot better and give them multiple looks that help us out in the run game and the pass game depending on who they have come in. It's very helpful that you can do it with the same people on the field. So, I think some teams some kind of problems."
(On saying last week that WR Julio Jones was healthy but he held him out, and if that could happen again)
"I didn't say he was healthy, I said he could have played last week but we wanted him to get healthier. So, he could possibly still play this week. He did some limited things in practice and looked good. With Julio, it's all about how he feels the next two days as to whether he's going to play on Sunday. Sometimes he has setbacks and sometimes he doesn't. So, we'll wait until Sunday to make that decision to be sure."
(On if Jones would be on a 'pitch count' if he is cleared to play)
"With the depth, obviously he wouldn't play every snap but we'll try to get him in and out and do some things, and see how he's feeling on Sunday. Depending on how he's feeling if he plays, that will depend on how much he will play."
(On if the team will have a normal weekend leading up to the game after they get back to Tampa)
"Yeah, we're going to try to treat it that way. Today was a normal Friday practice. We get off a little early and we'll come back in tomorrow, Saturday, and have our normal deals and have meetings and try to go from there. But there's a lot of people that don't know what they're walking back into, depending on where you live at. So, we're going to kind of assess that as we get there."
(On if the team's slow defensive starts have something to do with opposing team's opening-game scripts)
"Well, even a script has things in it that we know [are] coming. We thought we had three chances the first two drives to get off the field at an opportune time. We thought we had the perfect call on and we didn't make a play. So, I don't think it was the scripts as much as us not doing what we were supposed to do early."
-BUCCANEERS-
