HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On avoiding complacency after winning the NFC South four years in a row)

"I feel good that we know how to win. I don't feel good about us finishing the season from a playoff aspect, and [in] the middle of the season, having a drought two years in a row. We've got to be better from that standpoint – from a coaching standpoint, from veterans holding everybody else accountable standpoint, which they do, but we've got to do a lot more of that. We've got to play not even better football at the end, but we've got to have killer instinct. We've got to try to blow people out and try to win the division instead of it going down to the last week."

(On the signing of OLB Haason Reddick)

"I knew him as a player. He came to Arizona after I left. He got there the year after I left, I'm pretty sure. [Run Game Coordinator/Outside Linebackers Coach Larry] Foote had a lot to do with him, and we talked about it quite a bit. I knew he was a heck of a pass rusher. We needed a pass rusher. We knew he started halfway through the season, so I would consider last season a wash for him. We expect him to be his old self with us. He can do a lot of things, but more importantly, he can rush the passer. If we've got guys that can rush the passer, we let them rush the passer. Like I said last year, we need to rush better with four. I think he brings a great addition to help us rush with four, so we can cover more and do those types of things. We'll still pressure some, but hopefully it won't be as much as last year because we had to instead of how we want to. I think he brings that to the table for us."

(On if Reddick's pressure will contribute to increasing the amount of interceptions Tampa Bay records)

"That would be the plan, yes."

(On Run Game Coordinator/Outside Linebackers Coach Larry Foote)

"Well, he never stops talking, number one [laughs]. Larry is a very knowledgeable coach. He's very bright. When he got here, we started him outside. We knew he could coach inside because he played inside, but he had such a good feel for the outside that he really helped Shaq [Barrett] and 'J.P.P.' (Jason Pierre-Paul) and we feel like he can do that again. Bringing [Inside Linebackers Coach Mike] Caldwell back allowed us to put Larry back outside and promote [Pass Game Coordinator] George [Edwards] up to the coordinator part of it. Getting those two guys in place, you've got better thinkers. I've got three coordinators right there that can help as far as being brains in the room, and they all can bounce ideas of each other. It can't be [anything] but positive."

(On how to develop the 'killer instinct' that Bowles referenced earlier)

"It's more accountability. It's more accountability in practice and competing against each other. It's not a coach thing – they can hear me talk every day, all day up on the stage, but when they start talking to each other and start holding each other accountable from a vocal standpoint – whether that's tough love or whether that's kind love – either way, it gets our point across and how we approach games is important. You develop that through the spring and the summer through a chemistry standpoint to make sure you're getting your point across to have more competitive things in training camp or what have you and doing little things like that to help them along."

(On what OLB Haason Reddick told Bowles about his 2024 season)

"He didn't say much about it. I mean, he got there late. It was a wash. It was a wash. He wrote the year off as not a good year. He didn't say much about why it didn't work, he just said he never got his footing and he never got down. When you miss half the season, I can understand that."

(On his biggest takeaway from the playoff game against the Washington Commanders)

"The turnovers [weren't] there. Defensively, they didn't kill us, but they kept getting in third-and-3 and third-and-4 and we were missing plays. Either we missed the tackle the last time on the bootleg, or we had a two yards wider zone drop than we normally have. Defensively, they didn't kill us and we held them down low, but the turnovers have got to come. We've got to be more aggressive from a turnover standpoint and helping the offense get the ball back and get more possessions. Offensively, we've got to cash in when we have the chance to cash in. We were right there and we had our chances…Credit them, they had a heck of a year and they did a heck of a job, but we thought we were right there. There are things we've got to do better, for sure."

(On bringing new Offensive Coordinator Josh Grizzard along)

"We'll have a lot of call-it periods in practice. We'll have a lot of situational things. We want to put him in every position possible before he actually has to call it in a game. Before the preseason starts, he'll see so many different situations and so many types of things and call-it periods that I'll make them go in situations. It helps the defense as well, to say, 'Oh, I should have done this or I should have done that.' We come back to those situations, but you've got to help coach the coaches and bring them along. We've done a good job at that the past few years, bringing those guys along. Josh will be no different."

(On if he feels like there is continuity in the offensive scheme from last year)

"There's continuity in the system but the signal caller is different, so you've got to develop more continuity [in] how you practice and how you play it. Then, you have to tweak some things because if you do exactly what you did last year, everybody watches tape, and they're going to catch up. It'll be interesting to see the wrinkles he puts in and how we adjust and how the coaches interact in practice – that'll be a whole new thing with Liam [Coen] gone. When you have another guy running the entire thing, even though everyone else is the same, it's different. The continuity is going to be big for them to build throughout the spring."

(On the strategy for the upcoming NFL Draft)

"Being a defensive coach, I learn that you win by scoring points. I don't ever want to bypass a very good offensive player. I can figure things out enough on defense to keep us competitive. I would like to have some defensive players if that presented itself, but by no means will I bypass a very good offensive player just to satisfy my needs on defense. We can figure out how to keep the score down, but you can't figure out a way to keep scoring points, especially if your horses go down. You can never have enough horses on offense. But, yes, I'd like to add some pieces [on defense] if that's what you're asking me, but whether they come in the first [round] or whether they come in the middle [rounds], remains to be seen."

(On if there are any areas on offense that he'd like to improve in the draft)

"We always have needs. We have needs on both sides of the ball. We were very good on offense – it doesn't mean we don't have needs. We can get better in a lot of areas and if there's a guy that can help us get better, we're going to take him. You don't bypass him because he's great and you're already loaded – you keep loading up and you kind of go from there."

(On the cornerback position)

"We don't have a lot of depth. That's crystal clear – we don't have a lot of depth. We hope to address that at some point in the draft, as well. We didn't sign many in free agency. We signed [Kindle] Vildor and we signed Bryce [Hall] – he's coming off an injury and we've got to see what Vildor can do, obviously. We're going to address that in the draft."

(On his impressions of LB SirVocea Dennis)

"We thought we had a heck of a player when he was on the field. We really thought he was making big strides – first, second, and third down. He's not just a third down player. Again, he had the shoulder…The shoulder had been hurt since he came out of college. He got it taken care of. We would like to see him healthy. You can't go by that…We've got to keep adding pieces. We think he's a heck of a football player and we also think we got a good football player in [Anthony] Walker Jr. from Miami. He really showed some good stuff on tape. We think we got better there. Would we like to add somebody else there when we get a chance? Yes, we would, because you can't rely on people if they're not healthy, but if he can come back and have a healthy spring and healthy summer, we think he'll be a big factor for us."

(On re-signing G Ben Bredeson and the state of the offensive line overall)

"It was big to re-sign Bredeson. We've got four guys up there that play and they're all guys we drafted and we drafted them pretty early, so to add Ben back without spending another draft pick there will help you as you stagger the guys you have to pay going down the line. Ben was a big part of what we were doing. He was comfortable in our system, we were comfortable with him, he's a very durable guy, he's a very smart guy. Adding a piece back like that helps us."

(On his thoughts about the overtime rule change proposal)

"I'm all for both teams getting the football – at least it gives you a chance. It gives you a fair chance. Now, if one team holds the ball long and you're in the two-minute mode, we'll see, but most of the teams score on the first possession anyway. To give the other team a chance to get the ball back will add some excitement to the game."

(On what he saw on film from new LB Anthony Walker Jr.)

"I thought he was a very smart football player on film. He fills gaps, he understood the game. When he was out there and he was healthy, we really thought he played some very good football. He did a lot of things that we really like. His zone drops were great, how he read the guards and tackles were great, how he communicated was great – just his presence about him when meeting him was very good. I thought he really did a lot of things that we like to do, defensively, so that kind of helped us out when we decided to sign him."

(On if he sees competition at the inside linebacker position)

"Yeah, there's definitely competition. I see competition everywhere. We're not giving anybody's spots away – they've got to earn them. You've got to do the things you did the year before and probably even better in some cases, because if somebody comes in and takes your spot, it's taken."

(On QB Baker Mayfield's turnovers last season)

"That's number one. We've always got to take care of the football – that's number one. When you play like Baker plays, you're going to have a mistake here or there. We'd like to cut that down some if we can, but we're not going to hinder his play. We love the way he plays, we love what he does for us…And for the turnovers that he gave, we'd never be in playoff position if it wasn't for him in the first place. We're fine there, we've just got to clean up some things and he knows that."

(On the injuries that the team suffered in practice last season)

"Some of them were just freak injuries. We're trying to find ways to be better practice-wise. I don't know if we can get any better than we were the last two years, but we're going to tweak some things. We're all looking into it, from the training staff, the strength staff, the nutritionists and [everyone] else are looking into it trying to tweak whether we need to warm up more, whether we need to warm up differently, whether we need to run certain things and change drills around – we're looking at all of that stuff right there. It's up to players to be professional, as well. It's going to be all conclusive once you figure it all out, but we're looking into all of that."

(On how confident he is that S Antoine Winfield Jr. will return to his 2023 form after an injury-plagued 2024 season)

"100% confident he'll be healthy. He's been training his butt off. 'Win' is a guy who's going to train, he's not going to say much, he's going to train and get back to himself. He always has a chip on his shoulder – whether he's a first-round pick or a free agent, he's going to practice. Him and Lavonte [David] are going to practice the same way. If he can stay healthy, he'll be the same guy he was two years ago."

(On if Winfield Jr. was frustrated with his season last year)

"With the injuries, yes. He got injured first, the second one was friendly fire – obviously, that was frustrating for him. He could never get his feet on the ground and the season kind of ended that way. He's very determined this year to come back and be who he was."

(On his discussions with LB Lavonte David and having David return for 2025)

"At the exit meeting, I felt better this year than I felt last year. He was in a much better place leaving, even though he said he had to think about it, I didn't tell him anything. He was more upbeat this year than he was last year. Last year, it sounded like the end; this year, it sounded like he could go some more. In my head, I said, 'He's coming back,' but I didn't know that. When he finally came back and we texted each other, it was outstanding, because that takes a lot of weight off your shoulders…You need one [inside] linebacker instead of two. If you've got to bring two of them in there, it's going to be a problem."

(On if he can share any details of conversations with Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen at this week's meetings)

"Other than, 'What the hell are we doing here?' [laughs] Me and Liam are very close. We have a very good relationship. It's all fun and games. He knows where I am if he needs to call me. He's got a great opportunity there in Jacksonville and that's really all we talked about. I told him once he took the job, congratulations and everything else…It didn't affect me. No matter how he left, I'm looking for an offensive coordinator. That's just the nature of the business, but we've done it two years in a row now, so I move on from there and I wish him the best."

(On being Tampa Bay's Head Coach for the club's 50^th season)

"It's great to be a part of such a historic franchise and I'm sure there were many people before me and many great coaches before me that have a lot of stories to tell. Mine are probably minimal in the grand scheme of things right now. You had colorful guys like Bruce [Arians], you had [Tony] Dungy that was calm, obviously you had [Jon] Gruden that was colorful, as well. So, you've had your colorful coaches, and you've had your more calm demeanor coaches from them. It doesn't take much to be calm when you're going with those two guys right there, but [they are] both great coaches in their own right. They had a lot of great players that have been through here, so to even be a part of it is a blessing."

(On how he would describe himself as a coach)

"Calm on the field…Probably talk a lot of [trash] off the field and a lot of times on the field that you guys don't get to see. Trust me, I'm probably very talkative."

(On when most of his trash talking occurs)

"A lot of it [is] after the games. A lot after the games. But, sometimes, you have certain guys you have to be calm around and certain guys you can talk to, but they all get a part of it."

(On QB Baker Mayfield being able to find success with the Buccaneers, his fourth team)

"The first thing is we allowed him to be himself, number one. You've got to go to the team that has the right system that kind of fits you. Sometimes, you play on teams where the system doesn't fit you. Baker found the right place at the right time. We tweaked the system at the right time after Tom [Brady] left because they were completely different systems. To come in and have a system that fits you [where] you can still be yourself and [it] allows you to grow and process and blossom, I think is important. Baker brought as much to us as we brought to him as far as bringing leadership and personality in our building…Him understanding the game and us have the system that fits him and a place that fits him, I think it was a good marriage."

(On if there was anything that went into his relationship with QB Baker Mayfield early on to allow him to be himself)

"Having a prior relationship with him helps, obviously, getting to know him, so I already knew him from that standpoint. Jason [Licht] had a good feel for him as well, so we thought he was the perfect guy for what we needed at the time."

(On if hiring Director of Football Research Zach Beistline helps him focus on other things)

"I think it helps a great deal. We talked about this a little bit at the combine, that I'll be bringing somebody in. Just having a full-time game day manager with every situation allows me to be a better head coach on both sides of the football while still getting advice from a full-time guy instead of piecing it together from people up top that may know a few things instead of everything. We're going to meet all offseason and during the season and go over situations and things so we'll have good communication on game day. I'd like to test that out in preseason, but I think he brings so much to the table from an experience standpoint and from a league-knowledgeable standpoint. It can't help but make me a better coach and us a better team."

(On if he expects WR Chris Godwin to be healthy and on the field in Week 1)

"I'm hoping he's on the field, Week 1. I'll have more to know about that as the month goes on, see how he's healing and getting running and practicing and everything else, but my hope is for him to be on the field Week 1."

(On where CB Bryce Hall is at in his recovery process having the same injury as WR Chris Godwin)

"I do know Bryce is running full speed right now. He got hurt a lot earlier obviously, but he's running full speed right now and he's ready to go so I'm interested to see how he reacts to that."

(On how he feels he's progressed as a head coach from his time with the New York Jets and if he feels like he's at the top of his game or still has a lot to learn)

"There's a lot to learn. Obviously, in New York, I think when I first got to New York, I hired Chan Gailey as an [offensive coordinator] because I needed a guy with experience because it was my first time as a head coach. I didn't want to have to have a rookie OC and be a first-time head coach while I learned the rest of the offense and how to run the team and everything else. I think I've grown a great deal from that standpoint. There's still a lot more [room] to grow. I think when you stop growing as a coach and learning as a coach, you probably need to retire. I think I'm some ways from that right now. I think I got better in a lot of areas, still getting better at a lot of areas of delegating and letting my coaches coach, from that standpoint. It doesn't have to be me that knows everything on defense. I think I have a good group there. Allowing the offense to grow but still trying to put them in the mold of understanding game-day situations – I've probably gotten a lot better there but there's so many things you can get better at as a coach because there's so many different players that come in, that they force you to do things and coach different ways and with injuries, you have to still coach. We've kind of adapted that mentality of, 'Win [despite] of who's out there, and who's coaching,' and those guys have really bought into that. We expect – no matter who goes out there, from the first team to the fifth or sixth team – we expect those guys to perform so we kind of develop that kind of [motto] and it's been working for us."

(On if he agrees with General Manager Jason Licht saying this is an ascending team and if he takes pride in that)

"I would always like to think we're ascending every year. It might be in different areas in different ways but we have to ascend completely as a team and keep ascending, so I would like to see that this year. We have been ascending every year. We went from an older team to a younger team, to a salary cap team to getting some players in and getting better every year. Next year, I hope to be even more so."

(On if there's any trend that might contribute to a reoccurring losing streak in the middle of the past few seasons)

"I can't, as of right now Rick. I've been pointing – that's the No. 1 thing I've been going over since the season ended other than tweaking the defense as well. We're trying to figure that out as well and I think I have kind of a handle on it that we're going to discuss as coaches and kind of go into the season like that. When the veterans get back, we'll definitely talk to them about it and that's going to be a big form of [emphasis] for us."

(On if 40-yard dash times or any certain metrics matter when he is evaluating cornerbacks)

"They matter for corners. They matter for corners, and they matter to a degree for safeties and inside [linebackers]. Obviously, outside [linebacker] speed is always a good thing if you can get him on the d-line but not necessarily necessary. Corners, you have to be able to run, that's No. 1. If you can't run with somebody on the fade ball, then it's tough. Unless you have a zone type of team that plays a bunch of cover two, you can get away with the other guys. We look for certain things in the corners, not just speed, it's short-area quickness, obviously, ball skills are something else we look at, and a willing tackler. You're small, you're not going to be able to tackle everybody but you have to be willing to tackle those guys. So, a lot of those type of things go into it as well.

(On his confidence level in S Tykee Smith and if he will spend a lot more time on the field)

"Confidence in Tykee is high. It's just a matter of him being healthy. We think he's a heck of a football player. Coming back, just being a rookie, it's kind of tough to go through a year like that and go through 17 games plus playoff games and preseason so hopefully he comes back more conditioned for the NFL season. I think he'll be fine. From a confidence standpoint we feel like we can put him anywhere."

(On how the usage of the running backs will change to start the season)

"I don't think it will change much. Obviously, Bucky will be the guy coming in. Rachaad [White] will play a ton too. Depending on how the game goes is how you rotate and use them. I think Bucky knows more now mentally [than last season] so he can handle more in the beginning of the season and Rachaad has always known more and I think we have to get Sean [Tucker] in there a little bit more as well because he's a heck of a runner for us and we have to play him a lot more than we've played him in the past."

(On how OLB Yaya Diaby has grown)

"I've seen him grow mentally, understanding how people are trying to block him. The first year, he was just trying to run through everything and we kind of let him go because he was a bull in a China shop. Last year, he was more strategic in how he rushed the passer. Despite the sack numbers, he still was our most prolific pass rusher as far as getting pressures. [We] just expect him to finish those plays this year."

(On what he liked about QB Michael Pratt's skill set in practice)

"Well, we knew he had an arm. It's unfair to judge him at this point because all he did was scout team, so this spring will be big for him. This spring and this summer, the practices and the preseason games will be big and we'll find out what we have. We're not sure what we have right now."

(On how he saw WR Jalen McMillan grow last season)

"I think when he got hurt early, it kind of set him back a little bit, so he was behind mentally when he got back. Once he caught up mentally, he really started to show himself and become a true leader over there, especially with Mike [Evans] and Chris [Godwin] going down for little bit of time. He became one of our guys, and he blossomed from there. He's a heck of a football player. As long as he takes care of his body, we expect him to be even better this year."

(On if he wants WR Jalen McMillan to get bigger)

"Not necessarily bigger but just stronger and more toned. You don't have to necessarily get bigger as a wideout. When we say stronger, we mean just taking care of his body more and not as [likely to sustain injury]."

(On if CB Jamel Dean is still the team's top starting cornerback)

"Like I said, everybody's position is up for grabs. I think Zyon [McCollum] is probably 1A, 1B because Zyon stayed healthier during the year. Dean has to get healthy. He comes in and he plays – he can't play half a year, every couple of years. He understands he has to stay healthy and he's doing everything he can to be healthy, but we have to have some depth there just in case. If somebody comes in and competes with him, he's going to have to compete."

(On who he considers to be his mentors throughout his career that influence him as a coach)

"When I played, Emmitt Thomas was my defensive back coach, and Richie Petitbon – those were two big influences on me from a coaching standpoint. Obviously, Bruce [Arians] has always been a mentor, since he was my coach in college as well as Coach [Nick] Rapone. Coach [Bill] Parcells was a huge part of a lot of things that I do. Obviously, Joe Gibbs as well. I learned a lot from Wade Phillips, I learned a lot from Andy Reid and I learned a lot from Mike Nolan. I had a lot of guys, I was fortunate to be around some great coaches that I've took a little bit of each from."

(On how aware he was that New England Patriots were looking to sign WR Chris Godwin)

"You hear a lot of stories. Obviously, you heard a lot of stories, you can't believe everything you read until it pans out. I'm sure they had a good offer on the table for him but Chris felt at home and we're glad he's felt at home and he came back to us and I couldn't have been happier."

(On what kind of player the New England Patriots are getting in CB Carlton Davis)

"Carlton is a hell of a press corner. When we had him, when he was healthy, he did a heck of a job for us. He obviously won the Super Bowl for us, went to Detroit and had a very good year, and now he's going to New England, so he's had a very good pro career. They're getting a heck of a player."

(On LB K.J. Britt signing with Miami)

"We did kind of a swap there. K.J. got banged up a little bit and he was a free agent. Obviously, he went to Miami. He was a big leader for us. He played on [special] teams early on. He got to play some first, second down [linebacker] for us. Obviously, he still has a lot to learn mentally, from a few things, but K.J. can be a heck of a player for them. I don't know if it was a linebacker swap or it just turned out that way, but we kind of like what we have with [Anthony] Walker Jr. as well."

(On if he gets the four-man rush group that he wants and how that could affect the style of play with the secondary)

"It gives you extra droppers, so when you play man now, they can have some safety help at times. Whether it's quarters-man or whether it's two-man, you can have safety help or in-and-out double help. It gives you a chance to play man but also double their top receivers and take those guys away from an aggression standpoint and it gives you a chance to switch up coverages and make the quarterback hold the ball longer. If you can do that and still mix in a few pressures here or there, I think you'll be a better defense."

(On if the defense all starts with the front)

"Always. Always the guys up front."

(On what's the biggest thing that's triggered his evolution as a coach)
"I think being around Bruce [Arians] starting in Arizona – starting in Cleveland as a college coach, watching him watching me evolve, and me watching how he runs an offense and me being an aggressive defensive play caller – it kind of signaled a lot about a lot of things that he showed me from a coaching standpoint. Always be aggressive, no matter how many bullets you have. The less bullets you have, the more aggressive you have to be but if you're going to die, you're going to die shooting all your bullets. He taught me that, but he taught me that intelligently. It's not so a matter of blitz everybody on every play, it's just a matter of what their giving you that you can take advantage of and shooting those bullets accordingly."

(On what message he has for Buccaneers fans entering the 2025 season)

"It's going to be exciting. It's going to be exciting. We're really trying to go a lot further than we went this year and look a lot more impressive than we looked in the last few years and that comes with the guys having a lot of confidence and continuity but again that has to be built from the ground up. We're looking forward to the challenge."

(On how he identifies and strengthens his areas of weaknesses as a coach)

"You watch tape – the first thing I did when the season ends, I watch tape and I go over every call and see whether it was my fault or could it have been done better? Was it taught? And if it was taught, was it executed? If it wasn't executed, what can I do differently? How are people trying to attack me? How can I change as a coach? So from the start of last season, the end of last season until now, I have been working on how we can tweak the defense and make the defense better. What do we need from a playing standpoint? What do we have to do from a coaching standpoint and a teaching standpoint? And, what is it March now? It wasn't probably until last week that where I finally had a breakthrough, because I've been racking my brain for months trying to go through a lot of things and talking to every coach, going over everything, seeing how we can get better. What can we tweak? What can we do? What do they see? What do we see?"

(On what led to his coaching breakthrough)

"It just comes. I wish I could tell you. It comes with plenty of film study, plenty of doodling on the board, watching things, plenty of what we have and you hold out a little bit to what we may get in the draft, but you got to go through all the scenarios in your head. We've finally come up with something that we feel like is a successful formula for our defense going forward this year and tweaking a few things and I'm excited about that."

(On how they come up with simulations in terms of the draft and if it comes with inside information from the teams)

"You get inside information, you hear people's names, you work them out and you get a feel from talking to college coaches, pro coaches, scouts, everything else. [When] you see people's names pop up enough, you have to figure they're going to be in that certain area, but you should always expect surprises. I go, if everybody is there and we can take who we want until everybody's gone and we can't take who we want and if we can't trade back and all those things – me and Jason [Licht] go through that. The scouting department goes through that, I go through it with the coaches. You have a pretty good idea on draft day. You're not surprised by what's gone and what's there and the order of which you would take them. You just constantly go through that in your head and talk about it and you kind of go through that until draft day."

(On what OLB Haason Reddick can teach OLB Yaya Diaby)

"Well, he's been in the league the longest, so he's experienced. Obviously, he can teach him how to rush the passer from a mental standpoint. If he can add some things there to help him from a pass-rush standpoint, that would be great. They all have different body types so it'll be interesting to see the dynamics of it but they both want to get back to the quarterback and if they're beating back at the quarterback then I'm a happy guy."

(On what Todd Bowles Jr. is going to bring to the University of Michigan and how much influence Run Game Coordinator/Outside Linebackers coach Larry Foote had on the decision)

"Before going to Michigan, I used to rip Foote about going to Michigan all the time so now I really have to shut up [laughs]. You know, he had labrum surgery in January but he's getting healthy for fall camp and I just want him to go in there and have a great career."

-BUCCANEERS-