The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans were both 2-1 when they met in the Superdome in Week Four. The Buccaneers won, 26-9, and emerged with sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Now it's time to put that top spot on the line again.

Tampa Bay followed that game with a bye week and then last Sunday's 20-6 loss to Detroit, but they have managed to retain first place in the division with a 3-2 record. The Atlanta Falcons, who have yet to enjoy their bye week, bring a 3-3 record into Sunday's divisional showdown at Raymond James Stadium. A win keeps the Buccaneers perched atop the division they have won the last two seasons; a loss cedes the spot to Atlanta, and potentially New Orleans if the Saints beat the Jaguars on Thursday.

The Buccaneers-Falcons shared history has often been contentious, and rarely friendly. On a season-to-season basis it hasn't always been tightly competitive – each team has a win of at least 38 points on its side of the ledger – but over the course of nearly five decades it has developed into Tampa Bay's most evenly-contested rivalry. The lead in the series has changed hands eight times – more on that below – and the Bucs currently have the slimmest possible lead, 30-29. That the division appears to be very much up for grabs this season adds spice to the rivalry in 2023; in 48 years in the NFL together, the Bucs and Falcons have gone to the playoffs in the same season only twice, in 1982 and 2002.

With an offense built on top-10 draft picks at all the skill positions and a defense largely refashioned this year through free agency, the Falcons are trying to prove they are a team on the rise after five straight losing campaigns. Second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder gets to hand or throw the football to running back Bijan Robinson (picked eight this year), wide receiver Drake London (eighth in 2022) and tight end Kyle Pitts (fourth in 2020). The Falcons also added tight end Jonnu Smith in a trade this offseason to further flesh out their arsenal and have another back in Tyler Allgeier who had a 1,000-yard season as a rookie. The Falcons were essentially the NFL's most run-heavy team in 2022 – taking out teams with quarterbacks that run a lot – but they've multiplied the number of ways they can succeed in 2023.

"They're still effective running the football," said Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles. "They make their bread and butter that way. They have a three-headed monster as far as the running backs are concerned, [and] with London going into his second year, coming into his own and Pitts coming back – as well as adding [Mack] Hollins, obviously Scotty [Miller], as well, and [KhaDarel] Hodge. They've formed a very good football group getting Jonnu Smith over there. They have more weapons to go to, so now you can't just concentrate on the run or they'll kill you in the passing game. They make you play honest."

The Falcons rank fourth in terms of yards allowed on defense and have 2023 newcomers starting at six of their 11 defensive positions: safety Jessie Bates, cornerback Jeff Okudah, inside linebacker Kaden Elliss, outside linebacker Bud Dupree, defensive tackle David Onyemata and defensive end Calais Campbell. The pairing of Onyemata with Grady Jarrett has rejuvenated the Pro Bowl nose tackle and made Atlanta's defense difficult to run on. At the back end, former Bengals safety Jessie Bates already has three interceptions and two forced fumbles for a Falcons pass defense that also ranks fourth.

"He's always been a ballhawk, even when he was with Cincinnati," said Bowles of Bates. "He was like that in college. He's a very tough player. People just take the toughness and don't see the intelligence but he's a smart football player. He knows the game inside-out. It looks like he really loves playing the game. He's very good tackling and he's very aware when the ball is in the air. You've got to be careful of him at all times."

Bates played in a Super Bowl while with the Bengals. Now he's trying to help his new team get back to the playoffs. The Buccaneers will try to delay that trajectory on Sunday, and in the process stay in first place.

GAME AND BROADCAST DETAILS

Atlanta Falcons (3-3) at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-2)

Sunday, October 22, 1:00 p.m. ET

Raymond James Stadium (capacity: 65,844)

Tampa, Florida

Television: FOX (Local WTVT Channel 13)

TV Broadcast Team: Chris Myers (play-by-play), Mark Schlereth (analyst), Kristina Pink (reporter)

Radio: 98Rock (WXTB, 97.9 FM), Flagship Station

Radio Broadcast Team: Gene Deckerhoff (play-by-play), Dave Moore (analyst), T.J. Rives (sideline)

Spanish Radio: 96.1 Caliente

Spanish Radio Broadcast Team: Carlos Bohorquez (play-by-play), Martin Gramática (analyst)

GAMEDAY INFORMATION

Coming to the game or enjoying pregame festivities? Check out our Buccaneers Gameday Page for everything you need to know about getting ready for the game, Tailgate Packages, Bucs Beach and more!

TICKETING INFORMATION

The 2023 season is underway and there are a limited number of Single Game Tickets on sale now! Visit Buccaneers.com to purchase tickets.

ALL-TIME HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES

From 1977 through last season, Tampa Bay and Atlanta played each other 59 times, and while each team has had an occasional hot streak in the series, the head-to-head record has rarely strayed too far from dead even. In fact, when the Buccaneers defeated the Falcons in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Week 13 of the 2021 campaign, completing a season sweep, it caused the series lead to change hands for the eighth time overall. The Buccaneers upped their lead to two games with a 21-15 win over Atlanta in Tampa last October but the Falcons brought it back down to one, 30-29, by earning the split with a 30-17 decision in the regular-season finale. Overall, the Buccaneers have won five of the last six meetings in the series.

Since the Bucs and Falcons became fellow NFC South denizens in 2002, the series has been split dead evenly at 21-21. Each team has a long winning streak in the head-to-head matchup of five games, the Bucs from 2020-22 and the Falcons on two occasions, first in once from 2008-10 and again from 2016-18.

The most recent meeting of the series, again, was last year's regular-season capper, a contest in which the Buccaneers, having already been locked into the fourth seed in the NFC playoff field, rested many of their starters and pulled most of the rest early in the contest. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder, in just his fourth career start, threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns and Atlanta's defense held the Bucs to 222 total yards of offense.

Earlier in the 2022 season, the Buccaneers held on to a 21-15 victory despite a late Atlanta comeback. Tampa Bay controlled the action for three quarters and used two Leonard Fournette touchdowns to take a 21-0 lead into the final period before Atlanta stormed back with two touchdowns. After an Olamide Zaccheaus touchdown catch made it a one-score game, the Bucs' offense was able to drain the final 4:38 from the clock with one long drive.

The Bucs' two wins in 2021 were both by double-digit margins. In Week at Raymond James Stadium, the Buccaneers got five touchdown passes from Tom Brady, including two each to Mike Evans and Rob Gronkowski – plus Mike Edwards' two fourth-quarter pick-sixes as an exclamation in a 48-25 victory. In the rematch in in Atlanta, Chris Godwin set a team single-game record with 15 catches and Gronkowski once again found the end zone twice in Tampa Bay's 13-point win. Russell Gage, who is now a Buccaneer, caught 11 passes for 130 yards for the Falcons.

Prior to retaking the series led last year ,the Buccaneers had been on top with a 24-22 advantage midway through the 2016 season before Atlanta reeled off five straight victories in a streak that included sweeps in 2017 and 2018. With at least 30 points scored in each of its last five victories while storming back to the top, Tampa Bay has increased its the all-time scoring advantage in the series, with 1,323 points in those 57 games compared to 1,241 for the Falcons.

In their run to the Super Bowl championship in 2020, the Buccaneers won eight straight spanning the regular season and the postseason, and they downed the Falcons twice in the final three weeks of the regular season, scoring a total of 75 points. Tampa Bay won, 31-27, at Atlanta in Week 15 and then took the rematch in Tampa by a 44-27 margin. The first win required a wild comeback after the Falcons raced out to a 17-0 halftime lead, with Tom Brady throwing for 330 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. The second game at Raymond James Stadium was less stressful, as the Buccaneers led from wire to wire, but included another huge day by Brady, who threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns.

The Buccaneers came close to taking both halves of the series in 2019, winning by a 35-22 score in Atlanta and taking a 22-16 lead into the fourth quarter in the Week 17 rematch in Tampa. However, Matt Ryan led a game-tying drive in the final three minutes of that contest, leading to Younghoe Koo's 33-yard field goal as time expired in regulation. The Buccaneers won the overtime coin toss but lost the game on the first play of the extra period, as Jameis Winston's last pass for Tampa Bay was picked off and returned 27 yards for a touchdown by Deion Jones.

Both of the games in 2018 went down to the wire, neither ending well for the Buccaneers. In Week Six in Atlanta, Tampa Bay rallied from a 15-point deficit to make it a 31-29 game with four minutes to play on Peyton Barber's five-yard touchdown catch. The Falcons then tacked on a field goal to make it a five-point game with just over a minute to play but Winston got the visitors back into scoring range with consecutive completions of 18, 18 and 19 yards to DeSean Jackson, Mike Evans and Adam Humphries. With seven seconds left and the ball at Atlanta's 21, the Bucs tried a tricky play in which Winston began to scramble up the middle and then suddenly attempted a lateral to Humphries. The ball ended up on the turf before Evans scooped it up and got a one-hopper off to Jackson, who appeared to have a path to the end zone pylon along the left sideline. However, Jackson couldn't haul it in and time expired on a 34-29 Falcons victory.

In the Week 17 rematch, at Raymond James Stadium, the Bucs gave up a 10-point halftime lead and fell behind by 11 in the fourth quarter before once again rallying, this time taking the lead with five minutes to play on a 19-yard Chris Godwin touchdown catch. That was too much time to leave Ryan, however, and he hit Jones on a pair of 16-yard passes to get the ball into field goal range. Matt Bryant won it as time expired with a 37-yarder.

NOTABLE CONNECTIONS

• Keith Armstrong, the Buccaneers' special teams coordinator, filled the same role in Atlanta for more than a decade (2008-19). He was also on the Falcons' coaching staff from 1994-96, coaching safeties and the secondary.
• Wide receiver Russell Gage, who is on injured reserve, is in his second season as a Buccaneer after spending his first four seasons in Atlanta. The Falcons drafted Gage out of LSU in the sixth round in 2018, and over the next four years he appeared in 61 games with 21 starts and caught 193 passes for 2,065 yards and nine touchdowns.
• Meanwhile, punter Bradley Pinion is in his second season in Atlanta after playing the previous three in a Buccaneers uniform. Pinion played in 47 games for the Buccaneers, posting a gross punting average of 43.6 yards and also serving as one of the NFL's best kickoff specialists.
• Tampa Bay defensive lineman Deadrin Senat (currently on the practice squad) is a former Falcons draft pick, as he was selected out of the University of South Florida in the third round in 2018. Senat played in 23 games over four seasons in Atlanta, 15 of which came in his rookie season, along with his two career starts.
• Falcons wide receiver Scotty Miller spent his first four seasons with the Buccaneers before signing in Atlanta this offseason. Miller, a sixth-round draft pick in 2019, appeared in 50 games with the Buccaneers, making eight starts and catching 74 passes for 924 yards and four touchdowns. He also had nine receptions in seven postseason games, including a memorable 39-yard touchdown grab just before halftime in the 2020 NFC Championship Game in Green Bay.
• Buccaneers Cornerbacks Coach Kevin Ross spent a small portion of his long NFL playing career in Atlanta, joining the Falcons in 1994 after 11 years with the Kansas City Chiefs. Ross played two seasons in Atlanta before finishing his playing career with one year in San Diego and one more back with the Chiefs.
• Keith Tandy, who joined the Buccaneers' coaching staff in 2021 as a defensive/special teams assistant, wrapped up his NFL playing career with one season (2018) in Atlanta after six years on the field for Tampa Bay.
• Falcons Assistant Head Coach/Defense Jerry Gray played nine seasons in the NFL before beginning his coaching career. His final season as a player was with the Buccaneers in 1993.
• Defensive lineman Demone Harris, who is on the Falcons' practice squad, first entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Buccaneers in 2018. He played in three total games for Tampa Bay in 2018 and 2019.

SENIOR COACHING STAFFS

Tampa Bay:

• Head Coach Todd Bowles
• Assistant Head Coach/Run Game Coordinator Harold Goodwin
• Offensive Coordinator Dave Canales
• Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach Kacy Rodgers
• Pass Game Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach Larry Foote
• Special Teams Coordinator Keith Armstrong

Atlanta:

• Head Coach Arthur Smith
• Offensive Coordinator Dave Ragone
• Defensive Coordinator Ryan Nielsen
• Special Teams Coordinator Marquice Williams

2023 ROSTER ADDITIONS

Buccaneers:

• LB SirVocea Dennis (fifth-round draft pick)
• OLB Yaya Diaby (third-round draft pick)
• TE Payne Durham (fifth-round draft pick)
• RB Chase Edmonds (FA)…currently on injured reserve
• G Matt Feiler (FA)
• DL Greg Gaines (UFA)
• CB Josh Hayes (sixth-round draft pick)
• S Christian Izien (UDFA)
• WR Rakim Jarrett (UDFA)
• DL Calijah Kancey (first-round draft pick)
• G Cody Mauch (second-round draft pick)
• QB Baker Mayfield (UFA)
• K Chase McLaughlin (UFA)
• S Ryan Neal (FA)
• WR Trey Palmer (sixth-round draft pick)
• RB Sean Tucker (UDFA)

Falcons:

• S Jessie Bates (UFA)
• OL Matthew Bergeron (second-round draft pick)
• DL Calais Campbell (FA)
• LB Tae Davis (UFA)
• OLB Bud Dupree (FA)
• ILB Kaden Elliss (UFA)
• CB Tre Flowers (FA)
• G Jovaughn Gwyn (seventh-round draft pick)
• DL Zach Harrison (third-round draft pick)
• QB Taylor Heinicke (UFA)
• S DeMarcco Hellams (seventh-round draft pick)
• WR Mack Hollins (UFA)
• CB Mike Hughes (UFA)
• WR Van Jefferson (T-LAR)
• WR Scotty Miller (UFA)
• T Storm Norton (FA)
• CB Jeff Okudah (T-DET)
• DL David Onyemata (UFA)
• CB Clark Phillips (fourth-round draft pick)
• RB Bijan Robinson (first-round draft pick)
• T Jonnu Smith (T-NE)

ADDITIONAL 2023 CHANGES/DEVELOPMENTS OF NOTE

Buccaneers:

• Todd Bowles enters his second season as the Bucs' head coach with a new offensive coordinator on his staff. Former Seahawks Quarterbacks Coach Dave Canales takes over for Byron Leftwich, who spent four seasons in that role, the first three under Head Coach Bruce Arians. Canales helped quarterback Geno Smith go from journeyman to the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year in 2022 and has roots in the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay systems.
• The Buccaneers made a number of other changes to Bowles' staff after the 2022 season, bringing in George Edwards (a former Vikings defensive coordinator) to coach outside linebackers, Brad Idzik to tutor wide receivers, and Skip Peete to take over the running backs room. David Raih and Jordan Somerville also joined the team as senior offensive analyst and assistant quarterbacks coach, respectively. With the arrival of Edwards, defensive Pass Game Coordinator Larry Foote switched from the outside linebacker room to the inside linebacker group. Thaddeus Lewis, who spent the previous two seasons as an assistant wide receivers coach, was promoted to quarterbacks coach.
• After winning a Super Bowl and two division titles over the past three years, the Buccaneers saw an era come to an end when quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement in late January. To move on at the game's most critical position, the Buccaneers brought in former number-one overall draft pick Baker Mayfield to compete with 2021 second-round selection Kyle Trask. Former Ram John Wolford was also added for experienced depth in the quarterback room. Mayfield was named the opening-day starter by Bowles between the second and third preseason games in August.
• After largely "keeping the band together" for the 2021-22 seasons after their Super Bowl LV victory, the Buccaneers parted ways with a number of prominent players in 2023. Donovan Smith, who occupied the Bucs' starting left tackle spot for eight seasons, was released in March, as were tight end Cameron Brate, running back Leonard Fournette and kicker Ryan Succop. Safety Mike Edwards, quarterback Blaine Gabbert, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, safety Keanu Neal, defensive lineman Rakeem Nunez-Roches, wide receiver Breshad Perriman and tackle Josh Wells all found new homes in free agency while defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, wide receiver Julio Jones, outside linebacker Carl Nassib, tight end Kyle Rudolph and safety Logan Ryan were not re-signed.

Falcons:

• Head Coach Arthur Smith brought in a new defensive coordinator after the 73-year-old Dean Pees, who had already been coaxed out of retirement once, elected to retire again. Smith turned to the Saints' staff, hiring Ryan Nielsen, who had spent the previous season serving as a co-defensive coordinator with Kris Richard for New Orleans. Atlanta was likely hoping that Nielsen would find ways to boost an anemic pass rush after he helped the Saints rank second in the NFL in sacks during his six years as the team's defensive line coach.
• After Atlanta's quarterbacks coach, Charles London, left to become the Titans' quarterbacks coach/pass game coordinator in the offseason the team chose not to hire a direct replacement on the coaching staff. Instead, Offensive Coordinator Dave Ragone added those duties to his ledger. In the personnel department, the Falcons gave promotions to both Kyle Smith (assistant general manager) and Ryan Pace (director of player personnel).
• Given their clear commitment to running the football under Smith, the Falcons unsurprisingly chose to give long-term contract extensions to two offensive linemen they had originally collected with first-round draft picks. Pro Bowl guard Chris Lindstrom came first, getting the most lucrative contract ever for an NFL guard, and right tackle Kaleb McGary also got a new deal after the team had previously elected not to pick up his fifth-year option.
• Atlanta brought in a new veteran quarterback to back up second-year man Desmond Ridder. Ridder had taken over as the team's starter late in his 2022 rookie season, replacing Marcus Mariota, who then left the squad. The new backup is former Washington Commander Taylor Heinicke, who was 12-11-1 in 24 starts for his former team.

INJURY REPORT

Key:

DNP: Did not participate in practice

LP: Limited participation in practice

FP: Full participation in practice

NL: Not listed

Buccaneers:

• LB Lavonte David (rest) – WEDS: NL; THURS: NL; FRI: DNP. Game Status: Not listed.
• WR Mike Evans (rest) – WEDS: NL; THURS: NL; FRI: DNP. Game Status: Not listed.
• OLB Anthony Nelson (concussion) – WEDS: FP; THURS: FP; FRI: FP. Game Status: Questionable.
• DL Vita Vea (foot) – WEDS: LP; THURS: DNP; FRI: LP. Game Status: Questionable.

Falcons:

• DL Calais Campbell (rest) – WEDS: DNP; THURS: Removed from report.

WEATHER FORECAST

High of 85, low of 65, 5% chance of rain, 55% humidity, winds out of the WNW at 6 mph.

GAME REFEREE

Head referee: Ron Torbert (14th season, 10th as referee)

BETTING LINE

• Favorite: Buccaneers (-2.5)
• Over/Under: 38.5

INDIVIDUAL STAT LEADERS

Buccaneers-

• Points Scored: K Chase McLaughlin, 34
• Touchdowns: WR Mike Evans, 3
• Passing Yards: QB Baker Mayfield, 1,088
• Passer Rating: QB Baker Mayfield, 91.3
• Rushing Yards: RB Rachaad White, 232
• Receptions: WR Chris Godwin, 27
• Receiving Yards: WR Mike Evans, 386
• Interceptions: Dee Delaney/S Christian Izien, 2
• Sacks: DL Vita Vea, 3.5
• Tackles: LB Lavonte David, 40

Falcons-

• Points Scored: K Younghoe Koo, 37
• Touchdowns: RB Tyler Allgeier/WR Drake London/QB Desmond Ridder/RB Bijan Robinson, 2
• Passing Yards: QB Desmond Ridder, 1,380
• Passer Rating: QB Desmond Ridder, 81.3
• Rushing Yards: RB Bijan Robinson, 401
• Receptions: WR Drake London/RB Bijan Robinson, 26
• Receiving Yards: WR Drake London, 329
• Interceptions: S Jessie Bates, 3
• Sacks: OLB Bud Dupree, 2.0
• Tackles: S Jessie Bates/ILB Kaden Elliss, 39

TEAM STAT RANKINGS

Buccaneers-

• Scoring Offense: 25th (18.0 ppg)
• Total Offense: 25th (291.4 ypg)
• Rushing Offense: 29th (78.8 ypg)
• Passing Offense: 17th (212.6 ypg)
• First Downs Per Game: 30th (16.2)
• Third-Down Pct.: 11th (42.0%)
• Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 3rd (3.07%)
• Red Zone TD Pct.: 24th (42.9%)
• Scoring Defense: 8th (17.6 ppg)
• Total Defense: 14th (330.8 ypg)
• Rushing Defense: 7th (83.8 ypg)
• Passing Defense: 26th (247.0 ypg)
• First Downs Allowed Per Game: 12th (18.8)
• Third-Down Pct. Allowed: 31st (49.3%)
• Sacks Per Pass Attempt: t-18th (7.77%)
• Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 1st (23.1%)
• Turnover Margin: t-3rd (+6)

Falcons-

• Scoring Offense: 29th (16.5 ppg)
• Total Offense: 16th (331.0 ypg)
• Rushing Offense: 10th (119.0 ypg)
• Passing Offense: 18th (212.0 ypg)
• First Downs Per Game: t-10th (20.7)
• Third-Down Pct.: 21st (37.5%)
• Sacks Per Pass Attempt Allowed: 25th (9.31%)
• Red Zone TD Pct.: 15th (55.6%)
• Scoring Defense: 14th (20.0 ppg)
• Total Defense: 4th (278.2 ypg)
• Rushing Defense: 11th (99.0 ypg)
• Passing Defense: 4th (179.2 ypg)
• First Downs Allowed Per Game: 4th (16.8)
• Third-Down Pct. Allowed: 2nd (31.1%)
• Sacks Per Pass Attempt: 27th (5.43%)
• Red Zone TD Pct. Allowed: 6th (43.8%)
• Turnover Margin: t-27th (-6)

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• Wide receiver Mike Evans has three touchdown receptions in 2023, giving him 84 in his career, which ties for the 21st most in NFL history. One more and he would move up into the group tied for 18th, which consists of Lance Alworth, Hines Ward and Paul Warfield. Evans also could tie Saints tight end Jimmy Graham for 17th place on that list with two touchdowns on Sunday, though Graham is active and could obviously increase his own total as well.
• Wide receiver Chris Godwin needs one more touchdown catch to tie Ring of Honor member Jimmie Giles in terms of total TDs scored and tie Cameron Brate for touchdown receptions. Godwin currently has 33 touchdowns on his resume (32 receiving and one rushing), while Giles has 34, all receiving, and Brate has 33, all receiving.
• DL Will Gholston played in his 158th game as a Buccaneer last week against Detroit, which pulled him into a tie for eighth place on the franchise's all-time list. That means, of course, he will take over sole possession of that eighth spot with his first snap against Atlanta.

NOTABLY QUOTABLE

• Head Coach Todd Bowles on how satisfied he is with the Bucs' defensive performance thus far this season: "We should be further along. We got everybody back, it's time for us to start coming together from a defensive standpoint. We're playing good defense at times. You can't play five minutes of bad defense – you lose ballgames that way. One or two plays you bust that costs you seven points are costly in ballgames. Defensively, you try and keep the scoring down less than what you're scoring – that's our goal every game. When you don't do that, obviously there [are] some things you have to work on. I think we're coming together, I think we're close, but I don't think we're there yet."
• Quarterback Baker Mayfield on if there needs to be more of a threat of a running game to allow the Bucs' offense to open up and score more points: "Yeah, I think to have a complementary offense you've got to be able to run the ball too, but also, in the red zone we just need to score touchdowns instead of field goals. That's the biggest thing. When it comes down to us being able to put more points on the board, we haven't been as good as we need to in the redzone. That's just plain and simple. That's every aspect of our offense when we get down there. We've had some good games, but we need to have a game where we are 100% in the redzone with touchdowns."
• Wide receiver on the importance of building on the division lead: "That's important. Last year, we had the opportunity to gain some ground early in the season and we didn't do it. This would be a great time to take control of this division."
• Defensive lineman Calijah Kancey on Falcons running back Bijan Robinson: "I think he is a great running back. He hits the hole, he makes guys miss, I think we [have] to do a great job at stopping him and getting him down and [getting] eleven men to the ball."
• Bowles on how tackle Luke Goedeke has improved: "I think the way him and Tristan [Wirfs] worked out in the offseason, and him going back to tackle where he's comfortable playing, and the system that we're playing has helped him a great deal. His confidence has skyrocketed that way. He's always been a tough player. He's a very tough player. He's becoming a technician and that's a great thing for him because he's always been almost like a mauler type. He's getting a lot of technique now and he's had some success. He's just grown to be a better player and we like where he's at."