DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR TODD BOWLES

(On Rams WR Cooper Kupp and trying to slow him down)

"You want to try and stop him from getting yards after the catch is the first thing you've got to do. He's going to catch his balls. You've got to slow him down from trying to break tackles and get extra yardage. You don't want 5-yard plays going for 20 and 15-yard plays going for 50. We've got to tackle better, and we've got to react to the ball."

(On S Mike Edwards and his ability to find the ball)

"Mike is a very instinctive player. He's our most cerebral player. He has a feel for zones, a feel for routes and can see what one route is and determine what the other one is going to be, probably better than anybody we have underneath, when we go underneath coverage. He can see the field very well."

(On the energy and confidence that the defense brought in the Super Wild Card Round)

"It's the playoffs. You win or go home. That's energy enough to have everybody flying around. Getting guys back that haven't played in a couple weeks is also energy having them back out there and almost having a full unit. They play for each other, and they play hard. We've just got to keep it going."

(On being close to full strength in the secondary again)

"It's been different every week, so we've been kind of juggling all year. We've kind of gotten used to it. It's almost the norm right now. Whoever is healthy is going to play. We're going to line up and we expect them to perform. We try to coach it the same way. We've figured out what everybody can do, and we try to jell that together to make sure everybody is on the same page."

(On the evolution of the Rams offense over the course of the season)

"They are kind of like us. They've got quite a few guys back from injury. I thought they did a heck of a job last week running the football. We know they can throw it as well. They have a lot of weapons. I think it's kind of like pick your poison with those guys. If you stop the run, they can throw it. If you stop the pass, they can run it. You've got to play fundamentally-sound football and it's going to be a heck of a football game."

(On CB Carlton Davis III's level of play in recent weeks and how long it took him to return to form after his injury)

"He's playing very well right now. I think it took him about two-and-a-half to three weeks to get it back. He's flying around, he understands the game, he's hungry. Being injured, he didn't have to go through the whole grind of the season, so he should have fresh legs. We expect him to be faster than a lot of guys on defense."

(On if the players or coaches discussed the exchange between Head Coach Bruce Arians and S Andrew Adams last week)

"No, we didn't even discuss that."

(On Rams QB Matthew Stafford's success this season against the blitz and if that changes his approach to blitzing)

"No, it all depends on what is in the gameplan. We can do a lot or a little depending on how we see everything fitting with our guys first and worrying about them second. He's done a heck of a job. He's been a heck of a quarterback for a long time and one of the best in the game. We've got our hands full whether we blitz him or whether we play coverage, so we're just going to go out and play our game and we've just got to be disciplined."

(On the Rams pre-snap motion)

"They have a good scheme that way with the jet motions, the double motions and everything like that. We've seen quite a bit of it this year, so we've kind of gotten used to it, but they do a very good job in their scheme of it. We're just going to have to be sharp and make sure our communication is sharp.

OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR BYRON LEFTWICH

(On the type of role RB Leonard Fournette would return to if he is able to play on Sunday)

"We'll see. We'll see. We're still using this week to see if he's healthy and how healthy he is. It's really tough right now to try and put a workload on him without really getting through the end of the week. I'll have a better idea on what he can do as we get more towards Friday. But right now, [it's] just good to see him out there and trying to work his way back in to do what he's doing. Once he's healthy, we'll expect Lenny to be Lenny."

(On what Fournette means to this offense)

"You can't beat it. It's hard to do better from the running back position for us and what we ask him to do. We ask him to catch it, we ask him to run it and we ask him to pass protect. Him and Tom [Brady] are really good together out there. They have a really good feel for each other. Like I tell you guys, I think 'Lenny' has grown as a running back. I think 'Lenny' is a pro and it's fun to see. It's fun to see him go out there and work. It's fun to see what he does with the football. He's tough to get down on the ground. It's good to be able to have a guy like that that can run it the way that he runs it and catch it the way he can catch it, and play with the football IQ that he has. 'Lenny' is a unique guy."

(On the differences he sees from the Rams defense since the last time they faced them in Week 3)

"They added a guy named Von Miller. They're just good at what they do. These guys have an awareness. They always play good defense there. They're playing well right now. We know the guys up front that attack the quarterback are trying to get to the quarterback. They're just good at all three levels. They understand what they're doing. They're well-coached and they just have exceptional players. They have exceptional players that know how to play this game. A couple of guys that will have gold jackets on when they're all said and done. We have to prepare. This team beat us the last couple of times they've played us, so we're just trying to prepare and get ourselves ready to roll."

(On how the team has progressed in terms of slowing down the pass rush of its opponents)

"I think we've been just developing and getting better really all year. We go into each game and try to figure out what we need to do that day to win that game that day. We try to prepare ourselves to be multiple and have a lot of different ways that we can try and have success on offense. That's the way we've always approached it. Now, who we play and who we have healthy will determine the game plan week-in and week-out, but we just try to be multiple and just try to make sure we can do a lot of different things to try and attack people in all sorts of different ways to try and help our team win football games."

(On the benefits of preparing to replace injured players during the week instead mid-game)

"In the game of football, just like last weekend, [injuries] may still happen within the game. That's the game that we play. We play a physical, violent game. You try to prepare as much as possible. My job as a coach is to be able to adjust in game with what's happening [and] to understand who's out there from a personnel standpoint [and] who is capable of helping us. And, still continuously try to put us in position to have success. Nothing changed for me from that standpoint. When you get a week to try and prepare, it's better, but when things happen in game, it happens in game. You have to be able to adjust, have a good feel for it and still put our guys in position to have success."

(On the advantage of having an extra day to prepare compared to the Rams who played on Monday night)

"I don't know because it didn't feel like we gained a day. It felt like you gained a little bit, but you didn't gain a full day because you're watching multiple teams. You really have no idea who you're going to play, so that makes it difficult. We don't have to travel, so anytime you don't have to travel in the playoffs, that's always a good thing. I don't know if we gained a full day because we didn't have an idea of who we were playing until later on that night on Monday."

(On the comment made by former Patriots OLB Rob Ninkovich saying that QB Tom Brady might retire after this season)

"I don't know him. I didn't really hear the comment, but Tom is playing at a high level. I'll leave it at that."

(On the qualities that make Rams Defensive Coordinator Raheem Morris a good leader)

"[He's a] really good coach [and] a really good man. Having the opportunity to know him, play for him and play against him when he was in Atlanta. [He's] a really good guy and a really good dude. A smart guy, I remember him being a smart, football guy – a football common sense guy. Really aware of the game of football from a technique [and] from an understanding of what teams are trying to do against him. He's as smart as they come. Players love to be around him and love to be coached by him just by who he is as a human being. Really good coach, really good guy and I'm sure they love playing for him out there."

(On if WR Scotty Miller is a better runner from the backfield than he expected)

"No. I know everything about Scotty."

(On if Head Coach Bruce Arians sets the tone for the team on making no excuses)

"That's the way we've approached it since we got here, since 2019. That's what we all believe in, and we don't have to talk about it. We understand the situation we're in. We understand what time of year it is. We understand what [needs] to be done to have success this time of year in the National Football League. We're just trying to prepare [and] do what we need to do to get ready to play our best football out here on Sunday."+

(On if he has ever been on another team that embraces the next man up mentality as much as the Buccaneers)

"It seems like it's not stopping. It seems like every week it's something. It's something every week, but that's the game. [Those are] the challenges of this game. It's not supposed to be easy for anyone. You expect to be put in tough situations just because that's what the National Football League is. It's a tough league and it's tough to win in this league. It's tough to have success. We prepare for it. We go into it with the understanding that anything can happen – anything is probably going to happen. How we handle it in the [moment] is going to really determine most outcomes. We try to prepare everybody. I try to prepare everybody that's on this offensive side of the ball with the awareness that there is a chance that they're going to play. So, you approach it like that from the beginning. You approach it like that in OTAs. I have true confidence in everybody that's on this team. It's just about whose name and number is on the back of the jersey."

QUARTERBACK TOM BRADY

(On the importance of RB Leonard Fournette to the team's offense)

"Leonard does a great job when he is in there and, obviously, he does a lot of different things for us in the run game, pass game, blitz pick-up. He's a very dependable, consistent player for us. He's had a lot of production this year. Other guys really stepped up when he was out, but obviously we really love having 'Lenny' in there. He did a great job in the biggest moments last year. I think everyone believes in him, trusts in him and knows he can really come through for us."

(On what about the team enables the Buccaneers to avenge regular season losses in the playoffs)

"I think all of these games are little bit independent from one another. Yeah, we played them earlier in the year, but it's a very different team we had, and I think a little bit of a different team they had too, so they are each their own individual type of game. They're going to require their own individual performance and stuff. I think the point is it doesn't really matter what happened in October when we played them last. It's really about this game and what we learned from the last game. Any time you know you're opponent I think that gives you a little bit of understanding of kind of what they do well, things you wish you would've done. But it's a very talented football team [and] one of the great teams in the NFL – really good offense, tremendous defense, really well-coached, great specialists. It's going to be a very, very difficult game for us."

(On why the team has exceled at Raymond James Stadium this season)

"I don't know, it's a good question. We would want to play well every week, regardless of where we play and who we play. Some weeks are a little bit better than others. We're going to have to play great this week, that's the point. This team really challenges you. I'm glad we are playing at home. There is great communication for us. We're really going to have to be really on top of a lot of different things, especially [against] a team that does as many different fronts and pressures. They have a lot of different personnel packages – a lot of guys come in and rotate for them. Our communication is going to be really important."

(On embracing the chess match of football)

"I think the preparation, it just obviously starts as soon as the moment ends and then it goes right up until the start of the game. I don't put it past any of us to come in Saturday morning or Sunday morning and say, 'Hey, I think we should do this. Or, I was watching some things on Saturday afternoon and I think maybe this gives us a better opportunity.' You've just got to keep using every minute you have to get to ultimately the game. I think it's a really important part of preparation. Once you get the gameplan in, you keep refining it and tweaking it and you always get in a position where you feel like it's a little bit better, a little bit better, a little bit better. We do that throughout the week and obviously it goes right up until kickoff, and then obviously into the game, 'I think we should do this as a type of adjustment.' Those are all really important things to have at your disposal."

(On if his success in the NFL playoffs)

"I think it's just a credit to all the great teams I've been on. I've just been a part of so many great teams over a long period of time. I love that I've been able to do it for as long as I have. I love the game and I love being out there with my teammates. We've just had a lot of success over a lot of years trying to do the right thing. What we've done here the last two seasons has been a lot of fun for me to learn and grow with these players and our organization. We've put ourselves in good position. Now we have to go take advantage of it."

(On the style of zone coverage that the Rams play)

"I think man coverage is definitely a part of things that we face from time to time. Zone coverage has kind of become man once people come to their area. This is a really tough matchup. These guys lock on to you pretty good at times too. They might call it zone, but a lot of time it plays like man and certain route concepts are guarded like man. I think this team does a lot of things well. I think they rush the passer well. They cover you really well in the secondary. They get a lot of turnovers. They sack the quarterback – strip sacks [too]. They have a lot of dynamic players. Jalen Ramsey is one of the great corners in the league. Between the guys they have in the secondary as well as the front, you have no plays that you can take off. These guys, they can turn you over, they can make big plays like they did the other night when David Long got the pick-six. It's a very, very challenging team."

(On his success in December and January over the years)

"I think for all of us it's repeating good processes is the important part. Getting to this time of year, you don't do much different. You just do more of what got you here. The things that work, we do more of. You try to eliminate all of the other distractions. I even told (Vice President of Communications) Nelson [Luis], 'I don't want to do anything extra this week. I just want to do football. That's all I want to do to prepare and get ready. That's how we should all approach it. This isn't the time for the trips to the movie theaters. This is the time to lock in on football. All we have is three days left and we have to earn more. You just look at it like that [as far as] anything you can kind of put off until the end of the year. We just certainly hope the end of the year is not Sunday night. We have to go earn it. You've got to go win and move on."

OUTSIDE LINEBACKER SHAQUIL BARRETT

(On being close to full strength defensively)

"I think it means a lot to have a lot of the veteran leaders back on the defense, just having that energy and that presence out there. Then Lavonte [David] with everything he brings – he brings a lot to the defense. Having him back just meant a lot. We were able to take advantage of being back, being healthy and just being able to make plays."

(On getting more pressure than the team did in Week 3 vs. the Rams)

"We need to get more pressure. We need to be relentless in our effort of getting to the quarterback, getting him off his spots, sacks, hits, pressures – anything to make him uncomfortable back there. I think that will help us be in great position to be able to win the game."

(On what when through his mind when he heard OLB Von Miller was signed by the Rams)

"I knew they were making it tougher on us to be able to get back to the Super Bowl, but it was always going to be a tough road. Last year was a tough road. I knew it was going to be a little bit harder, but we were always going to rise to the occasion. We're going to rise to the occasion and be ready to go."

GUARD ALI MARPET

(On the resiliency of the offensive line overcoming injuries to win in the Super Wild Card)

"They're a lot of tough dudes. I think at this point in the year in order to play offensive line, you're always going to be dealing with stuff. Obviously, we're all dealing with different degrees of injuries here, but I think 'Wellsy' (Josh Wells) stepped up and played great. You've just got to learn how to play banged up if you can."

(On the defensive front of the Rams)

"They do a really good job of trying to figure out ways to get you one-on-one and they have really good pass rushers, so they do a really nice job there."

(On QB Tom Brady's postseason accomplishments)

"I think, like everybody else, it just doesn't make sense to me. It's just next level. Every week it's just like they announce some record, and it's usually his record that [he] broke at the stadium. It's like, 'Oh, Tom broke another record.' It's just unbelievable."

(On having played against DL Aaron Donald many times over the years)

"When you see a guy a lot – like a division opponent that you see twice a year – you start to get a feel for how they play throughout the course of a game, and of course they get a feel for you. It just makes the game within the game a little more complex and nuanced and kind of fun."

(On C Ryan Jensen's toughness)

"Jensen is a special dude. I think the toughness, the energy and the attitude that he brings every week is just awesome. It's just so much fun playing with him. It's nice knowing that you have guys that are going to compete their butts off every week. It's awesome to have."

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