HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On the injury status of LB Lavonte David, CB Carlton Davis III, and CB Jamel Dean)

"They're pretty sore right now. They're still getting test runs so, we'll have an answer as soon as the tests come back."

(On if David, Carlton, and Dean will be getting MRIs)
"Yes."

(On his thoughts on the young players who stepped in for injured players against the San Francisco 49ers)

"I thought they did well. You know, those guys came out, they flew around, made some plays, [and] they gave us a chance. The best thing about them is they're fearless, and they don't know any better. I thought those guys flew around pretty [well]."

(On if CB Jamel Dean got hurt early in the game and re-aggravated the injury again)

"No, there were two different things. He got hurt on the long touchdown pass."

(On if Dean has a foot or ankle injury)

"It's an ankle."

(On the injury status of T Tristan Wirfs)

"He's pretty sore, but it's Monday. We'll give it a chance until the end of the week. Tristan is a pretty tough guy."

(On the details of Wirfs injury)

"He's dealing with a leg."

(On giving OLB Joe Tyron-Shoyinka more snaps than OLB Yaya Diaby)

"We do different things a lot of time with a lot of people on there. We don't have a justification for it when we rotate our guys. Our stats are going to always look different for different guys. Yaya had a lot of production yesterday, [and] I'm happy he did. He plays a lot and he'll play more for us."

(On if there's a reason Diaby played less than Tryon-Shoyinka if Diaby was playing better)

"He didn't get [his sacks] all in the first quarter like when we say, 'Let's stay with him, he's on a 50-point night,' like basketball. He got them throughout the game and he got them. Week in and week out, he's been making some splash plays, but understanding the scheme is way more important of what we have to do as well, and he's coming along with that. We're fine at the pace we have him in, and we have a plan for him."

(On the status of S Ryan Neal's thumb)

"I'm hopeful he practices this week. I know last week he couldn't. This week, he may be able to do something."

(On how he thinks S Kaevon Merriweather handled his first defensive snaps)

"I thought he did a good job. You know, he flew around, [and] he made some plays. We know he's a very physical guy. He can run and hit, he had his first chance to play, and he didn't hurt us."

(On why OLB Markees Watts played three snaps)
"Just schematics of the personnel packages that we were calling. He'll get more snaps."

(On his thoughts on how the cornerbacks played)

"Obviously, [we] got beat on the deep ball. You know, [San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon] Aiyuk made a good play, [Jamel] Dean mistimed a jump, and Carlton [Davis III] gave up a man[-to-man] play. When you play man, you have to have a short-term memory. Last week we played very well, [and] this week they made some plays on us."

(On if he needs more production from LB Devin White especially if LB Lavonte David might miss some time)

"The defense has to be more productive. It's not just Devin. Everyone has to produce more. When you lose a starter, everybody has to make more plays. We don't sit and compare. Someone could come in two plays, and have two sacks, [and] that doesn't mean we are going to play him 50 plays. They have productive things when they do them, but there is a reason why they are not playing. We're happy with everybody, [and] the way they are playing. We have to get more production out of everybody, [and] we know that."

(On why he thinks the offense was not able to finish the drives in the fourth quarter)

"It wasn't just redzone offense. We could have made some plays on defense in the third quarter, we could have made some plays on special teams. We made one in the fourth quarter to get us down there, we had chances to make it close, and even try to take the lead if we got in, but one time the ball got snapped early… We just [have] to execute when you get down that far. I thought we moved the ball between the 20s – we moved the ball pretty [well]. We [have] to find a way to punch it in the end-zone, and that's holding us back. [It is] the small things that are holding us back from winning these ballgames."

(On why the pass defense has been struggling as of late)

"Sometimes it's the rush not getting there, [or] sometimes it's the secondary. It's a combination, it's a defensive thing, [and] it's not a secondary thing. At certain times they get beat, and all you see on TV is the defensive back getting beat, but you don't see the whole play. It's a combination of the defense. The coaches [have] to coach it better, the players [have] to play it better, so we are all in it together. We're not putting blame on anybody, and we'll work on it."

(On the first touchdown by San Francisco 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey and if he expects more from LB Devin White)

"I thought it was a good play call on their part. They caught us out there when he shuffles out to one side [and] he goes back the other way, [so] there is not much you can do. We can change the call as coaches, but that was a tough play, and a very good call by [San Francisco 49ers Head Coach] Kyle [Shanahan]'s part.

(On if this point of the schedule is a 'reset point,' knowing they are still one game back in the division)

"We have to reset every week, win, lose, or draw. We understand, we have four division games left, and three out of the division. We're one game out of first. We also have to play a round robin tournament, so we just have to put it together, and try to string them together one by one."

(On if the end of last season helps prepare the players for the end of this season)

"I think our older guys are confident anyway, but we have a lot of young guys on this team, so they weren't even here last year. It's a whole different year, [and] a whole different group of guys. We [have] to scrap, we [have] to fight for everything we get, we understand that, and we're prepared for it."

SAFETY ANTOINE WINFIELD JR.

(On the injuries to the secondary and how he thought the rookies who saw time on Sunday played)

"I thought they handled it well. That's part of the game – injuries happen, people go down. It's next man up. They came in, they were excited to play and I thought they played well."

(On if he knows whether LB Lavonte David, or CBs Carlton Davis III and Jamel Dean might be able to play this week)

"Too early to know. I'm not really sure yet."

(On if there's a sense of urgency given the point of the season the team is at)

"I feel like every time we get to game week, it's always the same thing – we're always ramping it up because that's just a part of the job and what we do. As we come down to the wire, it's more important because these games start to mean more – especially as far as us making a playoff run. We've just got to make sure we come in here, work hard and just take care of business."

(On what the San Francisco 49ers did well that caused issues for Tampa Bay's defense)

"They're a good team – good offense. They've got weapons everywhere. They put their guys in good positions to make plays. Unfortunately, we lost that one. They're just a good team."

(On the challenge of playing a team like the 49ers with so many offensive playmakers)

"I would say it's definitely more difficult. It's hard to double[-cover] everybody. You can't double everybody when you've got four guys. It's tough, but that's just part of the game."

(On finishing the game with so many new defensive teammates around him)

"It's part of the job. I'm going to go out there and give everything that I have. No matter who's around me, everybody is held to a standard. When you come out there, you've got to be prepared. Next man up – that's all you can do in that situation."

(On being a game out of first place in the division)

"It's still in our hands. We've got to go ahead and make sure we take care of our business. We've got to win our games that we're supposed to win. It's still there for us. We still have hope in that aspect."

(On what was said in the locker room after the game)

"It was just that it's getting serious – it's getting down to the wire, like you said. Coming down to these final games, we've got to make sure that we get some wins under our belt so we can make this playoff push. That's pretty much the message of it."

-BUCCANEERS-