HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES
(On what it was like working full time and earning a degree)
"It's tough, it's tough. I get to work early, do some work early, listen to some podcasts early, do some online stuff early, then do a little bit late and you make the best of it."
(On how he'll be able to use this degree as a coach and father)
"As a coach, I don't think I can use it very much. As a father, it's a good time to get it because I have a sophomore at Rutgers, and I have one that's a senior now and one that's in sixth grade. So, just getting that hopefully helps them get theirs and they can do something with it. For me, it was a personal thing as far as a promise I made to my mother before she passed that I would go back and get it. Sometimes life gets in the way and things come up and you finally put your foot down and you try and do it. So, it's something that I just did."
(On the importance of going back to get a degree and being a life-long learner)
"I think you need to get [a degree] early as possible so you can do something with it – but at the same time, for the people that go back and get it, it's a sense of personal accomplishment and hopefully it gives someone hope that it's never too late. You'd rather get it earlier than later, but better to get it when you can."
(On the biggest takeaways from watching Cowboys film)
"They're similar to last year – they're very big upfront, they're quick on the defensive side of the ball. They've got ball-hawks in the secondary, they pressure you quite a bit. They can run the ball with the two running backs, and they can throw the ball as well. Their quarterback is extremely bright, very smart, he knows where to go with the football – just a well-coached team.
(On if being the respective No. 1 and No. 2 teams in defensive takeaways is often overlooked with these two clubs)
"I don't know if it's overlooked, but it's something in the building – each building I'm sure – that's asked to do that helps us win games, helps them win games. We try not to make them, we try to get them and I'm sure they try not to make them and they try to get them – but turnovers these days, giving offenses a short field will help immensely."
(On if the Cowboys splashy special teams plays are a concern)
"It's a big concern. You know, they're game-changers, anytime you can return kicks and punts or block a kick or a punt. [KaVontae] Turpin has done a great job in preseason and we're going to have to deal with him on Sunday."
(On what he's seen from RB Rachaad White that earned him the kick returner job)
"He's secure with the football, number one. He's big enough to absorb hits and he's athletic enough to go out there and make some yards and see the holes. He has very good feet and he's a quick guy that can get to the hole real fast, so we like where he is."
(On if WR Chris Godwin has been cleared for contact)
"No, he still has on an orange jersey. Like I said, until they say something, he's practicing getting better and he's confident every day, so we'll see where that goes."
(On if he knows when Godwin will be cleared to return to practice)
"I'll just wait for the medical staff to say something."
(On if it's Godwin's decision when to return or the doctors' decision)
"Probably a little of both. I think I told him in training camp, when he gets well, no matter when he gets well, until he takes a hit below the waist – which you cannot do in practice – we can bang him around with shoulder pads and do everything we need to do, but until he gets hit on it from the side or front, which we cannot simulate, and then he gets up – I don't care if it's five years from now, you're not going to feel any different. It's confidence that you run and catch every day and you can be normal, but until you get hit down there, no one's really going to know. So, we'll see."
(On if it matters to him if Godwin is back for Week 1 or the second half of the season)
"They count the same, but we want him well. I don't want him out there before it's time. If he's healthy and ready to go and they clear him, and everybody feels he's ready to go and it's completely 100%, then you take your shot. Anything less than that, I'd rather him sit."
(On if playing on turf for the first two games is a factor in Godwin's return)
"I don't think it factors in at all. We have quite a few during the season, so whenever he plays, he plays."
(On how much it helps C Robert Hainsey to go against NT Vita Vea and DL Akiem Hicks in practice)
"I think it's helped him all of camp. I think it's helped him all camp [to] understand how to position blocks, when to use power, when to use speed. He's a smart guy, he's been getting a lot of reps at it, but it will be a challenge for him, no doubt."
(On if he has any Mount St. Mary's apparel)
"I have a hat and a T-shirt."
(On having to make up for TE Rob Gronkowski's catches this season)
"It doesn't just have to come from that [tight end] group, it can come from the wide receivers and the running backs. As a group, between all of them, we'll try to make up somehow for him. Nobody's going to look like 'Gronk,' or even catch like 'Gronk,' and rumble down the field and run over people, but we have different skill sets that we can make up the catches for and I feel confident in that."
(On restructuring G Shaq Mason's contract)
"It's just to have money right now, but things open up and things happen after the first week, so it's better safe than sorry."
(On how anxious he is to see the whole team play together on Sunday)
"I think I'll be very anxious on Sunday. Right now, it's just Wednesday and we try to go day-by-day and win the day. So, we'll get some more tape in, have some more meetings, and we'll take care of the day. We'll take care of Sunday on Sunday, but I will be very anxious on Sunday."
(On his pregame routine)
"It's been the same as it's been since I've been coaching. Get on the first bus, go to the locker room, listen to a little bit of music, sit down, and take it easy."
(On what station he listens to in order to get ready for games)
"On Spotify I have music lists that I listen to, so it just goes randomly."
(On what songs are on his Spotify playlist)
"We don't have enough time in the day. It's a little bit of everything – there's rap, there's Gospel, there's jazz, there's rhythm and blues, there's soft rock, there's probably everything except for heavy metal."
(On becoming more efficient in the run-game)
"I mean, I'm comfortable with it but it's only preseason. You've got to do that in the regular season, too. We made strides in it because we committed certain days to it and guys got on the same page and we handled a lot of stunts and different movement that way, so I was happy about that. That's what I meant when we got better at it."
WIDE RECEIVER MIKE EVANS
(On being inducted into the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame)
"Oh, it was great. It was a great moment for me and my family. We were down there – it's always good to go back and see a lot of familiar faces, but it was a special moment. We had a great time. Shoutout to A&M, they did a good job."
(On Head Coach Todd Bowles earning his college degree)
"Coach Bowles went back to get a degree? I didn't see that – that's awesome. He's given me hope now, because early on in my career I said I was going to go back and get my own. Then after a while, it became a lot, so maybe I'll go back and get mine. Shoutout to Coach Bowles."
(On the Dallas secondary)
"They definitely improved from the 2020 season to 2021. They got way better, [Trevon] Diggs got way better. They like to create turnovers, they've got a really great pass rush and the DBs know that. So, [we need to] hold them up front and run good routes, also."
(On the anticipation for Week 1)
"We want to get things started. We've practiced against each other and beat each other up – now we want to play against somebody else and get this thing going. Last year was a fantastic season in Tampa Bay – one of the most fun seasons I've ever had playing football. I'm looking forward to the season."
(On how important it is to score early against Dallas)
"It's important to get points on the board quickly in every game, if we can as an offense. That's our standard. We want to score a lot of points and give our defense breathing room. But, definitely, they're a high-powered offense as well, so we've got to score points."
(On this year's receiving corps)
"It's crazy – an all-time great left and then we bring another all-time great in. It's crazy. I'm looking forward to what we can do this season. We had a phenomenal camp. Russ [Gage Jr.] and Julio [Jones] – we saw them put in work in Atlanta and they're going to put in a lot of work for us."
(On QB Tom Brady's impact on the organization)
"It means everything. It's changed the franchise around for the better, gave us new life, and we're appreciative. We're going to play our hardest for him."
TACKLE DONOVAN SMITH
(On what excites him about this team)
"It's great to be able to see all the new guys come in and fit right in and bring their work ethic here, it helps us out. They bring a different mindset, when you get another guy coming from a different place, different experiences, you just add more to [the team] in terms of things that they see, experiences that they had on the field, which helps broaden your game as an individual football player. So, it helps us out a lot, but like I said, I'm really excited."
(On keeping QB Tom Brady upright)
"You know, that's the goal. In our offensive line, you protect the quarterback no matter who it is. When you've got the G.O.A.T back there, you have got to do a little better. So, we're going to go out there… and do what we're supposed to do. It's just one of those things that we get paid to do. We're out there to protect and have fun."
(On G Luke Goedeke's growth after transitioning to left guard)
"He's great. He's very smart. He's somebody who's in the film room early, he's in the film room after, so he definitely puts some time in. I'm more excited just to see how he gets out there and gets going. I'm just happy with how physical he plays – he definitely brings that to the team, which is huge. I'm really excited. He's more than capable of getting the job done, and I'm rooting for him, obviously. Nothing to worry about there."
RUNNING BACK RACHAAD WHITE
(On playing on special teams, including as the kickoff returner)
"I'm the type of guy, I'm not too big, never too big to feel like I can't do anything, especially to help the team cause."
(On how doing more things leads to more playing time)
"I know that everywhere coaches pay attention to everything, so yeah, the more you can do the more it helps your chances to even get more reps at running back. If I'm popping off the screen at kick return or kickoff or personal protector on punt or whatever I'm doing on punt return, I just know that makes coaches want to give me more opportunities, more reps at running back. You're just all about trying to win so you're just all about trying to do your job."
(On if he expected to be second on the running back depth chart)
"I wrote goals and standards in my notes-to-self notebook that I have, and that was one of the goals that I had coming out of preseason, training camp, things like that, to make sure I'm the number-two guy. I would say I expected myself to be here, but I've just been playing ball, trying to stack days, getting better each day, take the coaching and just go from there. So, it's just a blessing that I am RB2."
-BUCCANEERS-