HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On if he was encouraged to see CB Jamel Dean and OLB Carl Nassib practice today)

"Not yet, I've got to see them full-speed – [it was] more of a jog-through, so to speak. As we get into it Thursday and Friday, I'll see where they are."

(On LT Donovan Smith and NT Vita Vea not practicing)

"They're sore, so they didn't practice today."

(On if he will still play starters in Week 18)

"As of right now, everybody is playing."

(On if he studies the success rate of teams who do choose to rest starters)

"Not much in that case – [it's] more or less injuries or how bad people are hurt or playing through it as opposed to, more or less, resting them to rest them. We've got a lot of things to work on."

(On dressing QB Kyle Trask for Sunday's game)

"He may dress – he has a good chance of dressing."

(On how Trask has handled being inactive for previous games)

"Since he's been here, every time I look out my window, he's out there working on his own. He has the greatest resolve and toughness and inner strength almost than any person I've seen. A young guy coming out – he prepares every day. When his time comes, he's going to be ready because I see him working at it every day. He has inner toughness, he has inner strength, and he has the drive and the will to win. If you put that together, given the opportunity, I think he's going to take advantage of it."

(On his thoughts on teams starting rookie quarterbacks)

"I really don't have one. It's dependent on where they are with their progression. You start them when they're ready – you play them. Some play them and get experience at the end, some play them because they're ready, some play them because people get injured. You don't know where they are and since I'm not in any other NFL camp right now, I can't really answer my thoughts on it. We thought Sam [Darnold] was ready to play at the time I had him in New York – he got injured after that. It's all different for every team and every guy. Even in our situation, if we have a rookie like [Kyle] Trask who hasn't played yet because he's behind Tom [Brady] and Blaine [Gabbert], obviously – it's different for every franchise. Depending on how fast you need to play them or have to play them or how fast he gets prepared, you go from there and you try to make a decision."

(On Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin and how it impacted him)

"Your heart goes out to the family. You don't want to make it about yourself whenever you see a guy go down, you really want to make it about them and the team and the guys that were on the field that actually saw it. It was heartbreaking and it still is. I have two kids that play football coming up and you think about that part of it. Having played myself, we chose to play this game. It helps you appreciate the little things that you think you have going on in your life when you see something like that happen. My heart just goes out to the family and I hope he gets better."

(On if any players wanted to address the situation with the team)

"I mentioned it this morning – nobody had anything to say or stand up and say. I'm sure individually, they probably feel a certain way about it."

(On if the incident could rattle players around the league)

"I think it rattles you as a person, not just a player [or] a coach or a parent or a friend. Just looking at TV, it rattles you – even as a fan in the stands, it rattles you as a person. It doesn't just rattle you as a player. Monday night, something like that hadn't happened before – that was different."

(On the increase in turnovers as of late)

"I wish I could give you the answer to that – I would have tried to make it happen earlier. Like you said, they come in bunches. We work at it, we swipe at the ball, we try and get picks and everything else. We've had three the last two games and it resulted in wins so we're just going to try to keep it up. No rhyme or reason."

(On the plan at quarterback this weekend)

"If Tom [Brady] comes out, Blaine [Gabbert] will go in after him. If Blaine comes out, [Kyle] Trask will go in after him."

(On Carolina's onside kick last week)

"Cade [Otton] did a good job of going to get the ball before it got to 10 yards because I think they would have blocked him right there if he wouldn't have. You practice it every week and hopefully you never have to use it, but when the situation comes up, you really don't know who can catch it under pressure with guys barreling down at him until you actually see it – it was great to see it handled the right way."

(On C Ryan Jensen's status)

"We're just gauging his progress. He's status quo – if anything changes, I'll let you guys know."

(On if Jensen could play another position besides center)

"I would like to see him come back before I make that decision."

CORNERBACK CARLTON DAVIS III

(On if there is any rhyme or reason as to why turnovers seem to be coming in bunches)

"Man, I wish I knew the solution, but it's just like – sometimes it comes, and it comes in bunches. At that point, you've just got to take advantage of it and stay hungry. Like you said, it just comes and now you're just getting them back-to-back-to-back and now the ball's just finding you. So, it's just one of those things that you've got to be patient for, but also stay ready."

(On if there is a feeling that he gets when it comes to getting more turnovers)

"Oh, for sure. It's like, man, I'm about to get another one. You'll probably have a dream about it just because it's in the air, for real."

(On the feeling of almost having an interception but don't come up with it)

"Man, it's the worst feeling ever. It'll really messes your day up, you'll be messed up for a week. It's like a heartbreak, like your girlfriend broke up with you or something – just cry and eat ice cream."

(On if this defense is playing the best it has all season coming up on this playoff run)

"Oh for sure, for sure. We've always said as a team, once we get in [playoffs], there's no record. It's like you win or you lose and you're out. All the things that happen in the regular season [don't] matter. The only thing that matters is Saturday or Sunday. So, at that point, it's the best [team] is going to win."

(On Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin's injury on Monday night)

"That was just heartbreaking. One of our previous teammates Jordan Whitehead was actually his roommate in college and he used to tell me about [Hamlin] because he was younger than him and he was just telling me like, 'Watch out for him.' And it's just so heartbreaking to see that play, how it seemed like it was just a normal play, and it was just a detrimental play to him. It's just a sad thing to see for the sport. My heart and prayers really go out to him. Last night I couldn't sleep – just kind of thinking about how many times I've been in that position and how I would feel if that happened to one of my teammates. Like I couldn't fathom finishing that game. At that point, it's just about life, it's about getting home to your families. It's about coming out alive, man. It's sad to see and I'm really praying for him – really hoping he pulls through."

(On if the risk of playing football ever creeps into his mind)

"Yeah, definitely. Like you said, you can't go out there thinking about it, but when you see a play like that, it just puts everything into perspective. Like, that can happen to you, and it did happen that play. So, it's like, what are the chances that it could happen to any one of us? So, you just want to be as safe as possible, but we can't ignore that it can happen. We can't ignore the fact that it didn't happen, we can't just move past that. We've got to protect ourselves a little bit more and I'm not one of the higher ups who makes these decisions, but I'm pretty sure they're going to make some type of decision to kind of ensure the safety of us a little bit more because that's something that your families are worried about. Like it's not just me – he has a family. I'm not sure if he has kids or not, but he has so many supporters and it's just heartbreaking – heartbreaking to know that that kid was out there giving it his all for his team and just doing what he did best and you could potentially die from that? It's heartbreaking."

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN AKIEM HICKS

(On being able to stop the run)

"Think about the cold climates that guys have to play in this time of year, you're going to have to stop that run. Or with teams being banged up, being able to take advantage of guys not being in the places that they would normally be. So being able to stop the run in December and January, it pays dividends."

(On this week's game not affecting Tampa Bay's playoff picture)

"Just play football. They're going to be playing, so you've got to bring your hard hat and be ready to do some good work."

(On stats saying it's more advantageous for teams to play starters instead of resting them before the playoffs)

"They've got stats on everything now, man. You just go out there and do your best on Sunday – I think that's a good way to hold yourself and take care of business during the season. Every week, be prepared to play regardless of what the stats are."

(On the injury to Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin on Monday night)

"You hate to see a guy go down like that. I think one of the things that touched me the most was seeing guys on the field having to witness their teammate being down that way – that's a tough feeling. You see guys get hurt all the time, bang up their arms, their legs – but for a guy to be down in the capacity, it's tough to see. It's tough to feel as a teammate, I can imagine."

(On if Hamlin's injury rattles him as a player)

"You know who it shakes up? Our families. Our families call us and they want to know that we're okay. They had those feelings that that could be my son, or that could be my brother. [Those are] the people that are shaken up and eventually it gets to you."

(On turnovers coming in bunches)

"They come in bunches. You've heard all the cliches – we're just happy to have them."

-BUCCANEERS-