HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On LB SirVocea Dennis' performance)
"[It was] up and down…Up and down. [There were] some plays he would want back from a mental standpoint. Physically, I thought he was very physical, especially in the second half. [There were] two plays in particular we'd like to have back on defense."

(On whether he would attribute Dennis' play to rust or lack of focus)
"I mean, it's the first game out. He's got a lot on his plate. He does a lot of things for us. We expect him to carry those out. Obviously, he got a little anxious on those, but he'll calm down the next couple weeks."

(On if there were any injuries sustained during the game)
"So far, so good. We're still assessing and going over the injury report, so I don't have anything permanent for you right now."

(On WR Mike Evans' ability to draw attention from the defenses and open up opportunities for other wide receivers)
"He's a big focus of our offense. Obviously, he's a focus for defenses when they play us so he's going to command two or three guys sometimes. So, that opens up the run game [and] it opens up the other receivers, the tight ends, it helps the quarterback gets his read a lot quicker. Mike does a lot of things even when he's not getting the ball."

(On how he thought the new offensive line rotation performed and if that will be the rotation until T Tristan Wirfs returns)
"We'll see what it is this week. I thought Graham [Barton], for the first time at tackle, played very well. I thought [Ben] Bredesen did a very good job at center, especially controlling where the blitzes go and the pickups and everything like that. Michael Jordan played well at guard, as well. So, they played tough and they battled. You know, for those guys moving around, playing their first game at different positions, I thought they did a good job. Going forward, we'll see."

(On when he decided that he was going to utilize the different rotation on the offensive line for Week 1)
"Well, when we gave [Graham Barton] a couple reps out there [at tackle], at first it was we were doing it out of emergency. [We were] like, 'Hey, he looks pretty good out there.' Then Ben [Bredeson] looked pretty good at center and then we just started messing with it a little bit. The more we saw it, the more it started coming into focus. When I first asked [Barton] to do it, I just said in case of emergency, so he took a few reps here and there. Then it got to kind of be kind of an emergency and he started looking better and better and he was firing off the ball in the running game. I was like, 'Hey, we might be more physical with Graham [Barton] at tackle and Ben [Bredeson] at center and with [Michael] Jordan at guard because he had a good preseason. Nobody really wanted to say it, but it was like, 'Hey, we probably need to do this.' Then it kind of came into fruition."

(On when that decision to change the offensive line rotation was finalized)
"Between me, 'Carbs' (Kevin Carberry), and 'Grizz' (Josh Grizzard), we all talked about it and we all saw the same thing, but nobody wanted to say it. So, I was the bad guy to say it, but they were like, 'Yeah, he does. He does look very good out there…This is pretty good.' And then we went with it."

(On the risk of changing three linemen instead of one)
"Yeah. That's all we wanted to do. We weren't trying to do it. It started out as an emergency, but it started looking better and better and then it just [was] like we probably need to roll with this. It gives us our best chance to win."

(On what he was most pleased with from the team's Week 1 performance)
"Just the resiliency. Those guys didn't blink whether it was penalties, a bad play, or anything else. This is the first time they've played that many plays in a ball game with a limited preseason so I knew there was going to be some fatigue in the second half, but mentally, they didn't fall off. They believed in each other and that was the biggest take out of the game."

(On if the team's maturity is a key part of their culture)
"I think so. Mentally, especially for the first game, we're further along, mentally, than we were in the past. Physically, we've got some ways to go, but mentally, I thought those guys were sharp."

(On facing Houston's defense and the challenge their front presents)
"It's not only the defensive front – they've got some pretty good ballhawks back there in the secondary. We can't be late with any throws or lazy with any routes and we've got to try to control those guys on the edge. They've got a heck of a football team."

(On the first matchup against QB Michael Penix Jr.)
"He's a good quarterback. I mean, he's a very good quarterback. We knew that going in. [He has a] sharp arm…He can really look off and [is] very accurate throwing the other way as soon as he looks that way, [and] he can run when he has to. He's a competitor and it's going to be a battle every time we play him."

(On shutting down Atlanta's run game)
"We played hard. [There were] a few scheme things we had with Haason [Reddick] and moving him around whether it was a 4-3 [front], a 3-4 [front], nickel, and that probably caused some consternation. I can't speak for them but kind of helped us talk them out of a few things in the run game and then the guys up front really played hard and 'Voss' (SirVocea Dennis) really excelled in the run game, as well."

(On the team's pass rush performance and generating just one sack)
"I thought we missed quite a few of them. I thought we rushed well – we didn't finish the play, but we rushed well. We've got to work on closing the middle out toward the end of the ball game with those guys, not letting the quarterback run up the middle."

(On CB Zyon McCollum's performance and his dropped interceptions)
"We dropped three of them. He dropped two. [Jamel] Dean dropped one. We had our chances. We had our chances. That could have opened the game up, but they covered well. They play very good press coverage and for the most part they were tight on their guys."

WIDE RECEIVER STERLING SHEPARD

(On what his first NFL game was like and watching WR Emeka Egbuka's performance through his)

"It is definitely special. It is your first NFL game -- you have been wanting to get here since you were a little kid. It was definitely a special moment for me because my grandfather got to see me play my first game in the NFL. I was trying so hard to get into the end zone during the preseason and it never happened. Everybody was like, 'Don't worry about that, we [have] to get it when it counts.' First game, I scored my first touchdown -- and my man got two of them. I was proud of him. I have not had that many games in my 10-year career where I have had two touchdowns, so it was something special, and it speaks volumes of him."

(On the emotions of the last couple minutes of the game against the Atlanta Falcons)

"There is going to be ebbs and flows in the game. Everybody tends to go on their runs, so we knew we were going to get on our run. [It] started out a bit slow, but when it came down to the crunch time, that is the stuff we work on every single day. Those are situations we work on constantly and it just comes down to execution. Everybody was on their P's and Q's -- everybody did their job -- and that is all you can ask for in those types of moments and that environment."

(On the attention WR Mike Evans draws from the defense and if that opens up opportunities for other wide receivers)

"You have to love that as receiver. If you are going to get that one-on-one coverage, they are trying to say that their guy is better than you. We [have] to do a great job as his supporting cast in getting open so we can lessen that coverage on him. It is going to be hard, everybody is going to pay attention to Mike [Evans], rightfully so. We just have to continue to do our job and when the opportunity comes, be able to be there and make the play."

(On his first catch of the game to get the offense into a rhythm after two three-and-outs)

"We pride ourselves on third down being able to convert. That first one -- that was my fault -- I want to get that out there, because it was not a misthrow by Baker [Mayfield], that was my fault. The second one, just trying to get in the window, pick up that first down and try to give the offense a little bit of steam and get us rolling. That was a good conversion, and we were able to go down and get some points."

(On how he thought Offensive Coordinator Josh Grizzard did in his first game as a play-caller)

"I think he did a great job. He handled it very well. That is not an easy environment either, especially for the first game of the season. He seems calm, cool and collected on the sideline. We are making adjustments throughout the game and that is what you want to see; a guy that pays attention to the game, obviously, and knows the right calls to make. He did a great job."

(On how proud he is to see the team's hard work come to fruition with an interdivisional road win to start the year)

"It was amazing to see. Throughout camp, just seeing how hard everybody was working, we wanted to play complementary football. That is one of the big things [Head] Coach [Todd] Bowles stressed to us and we were able to do that. You saw some big plays on special teams. Kam[eron] Johnson's return really got us going. That is what you need for those big-time games. [To have] somebody that is turning around whatever bad is going on, [have] somebody just flip it around. It only takes one play, so I tell the guys to not wait for anyone else to make the play, you be the one to make it. If everybody has that mentality, then we are going to be a tough team to beat. I feel like we were able to do that."

(On QB Baker Mayfield's performance)

"He is just a special player. You talk about all those throws, but nobody really knows what that man has to go through throughout the week and all the preparation that he goes through. He is on his P's and Q's all day. He is there for me -- if I did not hear the play, he has to tell me what to do. He has to look at the defense and tell the backs where to go -- where to bump -- so [there is] a lot going on in his brain, but he is able to handle it. You saw the dart he threw to 'Mek' (Emeka Egbuka) on the game-winner -- I mean, that is an unreal throw."

(On the maturity and confidence of the team to handle high-pressure moments)

"There are going to be ebbs and flows in the game -- there are going to be ups and downs. I think we have a very good unit, and it is a good balance between veterans and younger guys. We have younger guys that are there to listen and learn. A lot of us have played in a lot of meaningful football, so we know what it takes, and we know there [are] going to be those ups and downs. We just have to fight through it and continue to take it play-by-play, and that is what we were able to do and get back in the game. Once we get there, we just have to take it up another notch. The young guys did a great job, and the older guys did too, staying in those guys' ears."

-BUCCANEERS-