SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR KEITH ARMSTRONG

(On if he found some guys that can cover kicks in the draft)

"We sure did. We got younger, we got faster. I'm looking at the list and you have linebackers that are 4.5 and 4.6 [40-yard dash times] – and that's what you're looking for. We've got some good body types – that mid-sized guy: linebackers, running backs, safeties. So, you have some guys in that mid-range body type that can match up with a linebacker, can match up with a fast guy – because they can run."

(On kickers Chase McLaughlin and Jake Verity)

"I think Chase has done a nice job – 83% last year. He was nine-of-11 from 50-plus [yards] – which is pretty good, 81%. You take that every time with a long of 57 [yards]. [He is] a very dialed in, mature guy. He's obviously played in games and been in some tight situations – game-winners, that type of stuff. [I am] really happy with him, glad we got him. [He has] good handle, good height on his ball, consistent. When you look at Jake Verity, you know that he's got the talent. Obviously, he was injured, but he's got the talent and he's got the ability and I think he'll give some good competition."

(On the returner position)

"You've got [Deven] Thompkins out there right now. We've also brought in a young guy, but I think Deven will get better. I think after [last] year – that was really the first time he's really caught punts and kickoffs in consecutive games. The arrow is pointing up with him. I'm very pleased with him. I think he'll do a much better job this year."

(On if rookie WR Trey Palmer will get a chance to return kicks)

"Yeah, he's going to get a chance. 4.31 [40-yard dash time] and he's returned in college. He's actually done it, so it will be a good competition."

(On rookie DB Josh Hayes potentially playing on special teams)

"[He's a] good core player – he's going to do a nice job for us. He gives us a chance. Again, a mid-sized that can run and will also be able to match up."

(On Hayes not being afraid to tackle)

"That's the other thing that came up – when you look at all these rookies, they all run and hit. Good tacklers – getting guys on the ground. We have a good collection of guys that are physical."

(On college free agent K Jake Bates)

"Yeah, a kickoff specialist. [He's a] developmental guy. He gives you somebody, obviously, for rookie mini camp and then [is] a guy that can also be here during training camp to give us some things to work on, kickoff-return wise and that type of stuff."

(On P Jake Camarda)

"The biggest thing is that he really got good at turning the ball over and placing the ball outside the numbers. It's hard for college punters to transfer to the NFL and directionally punt and be able to place the ball outside the numbers. You say, why is that? Well, when you think about it, the hashes in college are almost on the sideline. So, their directional punting at the time the ball is snapped – now, they actually have to take an angle. I think he'll get better going both ways, in terms of what he was to work on. He'll get better at being able to go both right and left and I think he's a guy that can dominate. He does a hell of a job."

(On if there's one area in particular he'd like to see improved over last year)

"I think you try to improve everywhere. You're always trying to get better. We can get better in punt coverage, we can get better on kickoff coverage, we can get better drive starts on kickoff return and punt returns. You can get better – we can make a difference there with our punt pressures and that type of stuff. I think everywhere and within each phase, there's things that we can grow at in all six phases."

(On if the lack of in-game reps at kickoff returns affects the proficiency of the return game)

"I think so. If you think about it: preseason, there are no touchbacks – you're trying not to kick touchbacks. If a guy kicks a touchback, it's actually by mistake because you're trying to find out who can cover, so you're kicking the ball in play. Then everybody's game starts to develop because you're getting better at blocking. So, you've got guys that are going to execute the single blocks and taking care of business there because you're getting constant work at that – playing in space. So, if you don't do it live, it's hard to get good at. What you're seeing is when you have all these touchbacks, what happens is you don't have the opportunity to get good at kickoff return… So, [kicker Jake Bates] – the kickoff specialist – you also don't see the live foot in practice or you're going to wear your kicker out. So, if you bring a guy in that's a young guy that's a kickoff specialist, he can come in and kick off and now that gives you a chance to develop on your kickoff return. So, yeah, I agree – a lot of touchbacks [makes it] hard to get good at kickoff return."

(On how much burden falls on the return man as opposed to the blockers)

"I think there's a really good blend. I had the opportunity to coach Devin Hester at the end of his career in Atlanta. When Devin was in Chicago – not taking anything away from Devin, he's a great player – but Devin had a damn good group blocking for him. You look at any good player – whether it's offense, defense, or special teams – you can spot that player but then you start looking around and say, 'Oh, [dang], he was good, he was good, he can block, he can block.' So, if you've got a great quarterback, there's usually two pretty good tackles in there too, probably two pretty good receivers, and a hell of a running back. Same thing ends up happening: if you go get a returner, you better put a bunch of people around him that can block. It doesn't change – it's still football – all we're doing is kicking the ball 40 or 50 yards to get to the snap count."

(On the skills that a returner needs to possess)

"You've got to have vision, you've got to be able to set it up, you've got to have patience, you've got to have lateral quickness. Then, on top of that, you've got to manage the game. Are you fair catching? Are you petering people away from the ball? Are you playing it off the first bounce? A lot of situational things will come up in terms of that. But, you love the speed. I can't make a 4.6 [40-yard dash time] guy run a 4.3, but I can sure work with a 4.3 guy."

(On what else he likes about WR Trey Palmer)

"Size – he's got good size. I think he's a willing guy – he can be physical. What I'm going to try to do is help him with, ok, this is how you set a return up, as far as how to set blocks up and how to play penalty-free football. Sometimes you hear me say, 'The rooster is loose,' with a returner – in other words, his guys don't know how to block for him because they don't know where he's going. Whereas, if you get a feel for what a guy likes to do, now your players can react and start blocking better for you."

(On free agent signing S Ryan Neal and his comment about Coach Armstrong when he was signed)

"I get these guys as young guys. They're all young guys. I'll give you an example: everybody in that running back room wants to play running back; everybody in that tight end room wants to play tight end; everybody in the wide receiver room wants to go catch passes; all the DBs want to play defensive back; all the linebackers want to play linebacker – somebody has to cover a kick. That's my job. What I usually do is I'll adjust to you – so you're really telling me how to coach you. So, if I say something to you and you react and you do it, fine, then I can talk to you. If I say something to you and you do your own thing, I'll say it to you again. What he's getting at is that I coach with a passion, I would guess. I know this: I've got 30 years experience in this league and that gives me some good vision as to how to coach a guy and what he needs to know and how to teach him. Sometimes, I can get a little emotional when I'm talking to you. The more I know you're into it, the less you see of that – but if I have to somehow find a way to spark you or to get you going…because you want to be that tailback, and I want to help you be that great tailback or that great receiver, but this is the path that you're going to have to take. You're not a first-round pick – that's what I deal with everyday. You're not a first-round pick, you're a free agent or a seventh-round pick. So, look here: if you get good at covering this kick, guess what's going to happen? The offense is now going to want to use you. So, Zyon McCollum, Cade Otton, [Ko] Kieft – all three leading tacklers were all rookies last year. The more they play, guess what? The more the offense wants them, the more the defense wants them. That's the role that I get put in. Sometimes I get to coach guys that want to cover kicks and then sometimes I have to help you cover the kick – that would be a good way of saying that."

RUN GAME COORDINATOR/DEFENSIVE LINE COACH KACY RODGERS

(On DL Calijah Kancey)

"You're talking about a guy who's really, really explosive – that's what we thought. In the past couple years, we've been really big and powerful – now we want to tweak and add some quickness and more explosiveness. A lot of the ways we set our front, we create a lot of valuable matchups for certain people. We play a lot of barrel front, which there are only so many ways to protect it. We put Vita in certain places – there are only so many ways to protect it. So, we're just really looking for more explosiveness and quickness."

(On how DL Logan Hall's role changes)

"Before, in the past, we played like four and three, left and right, this and that – now with these different pieces we've got, Logan can be in one position all the time and doesn't have to go all over. Kancey can be in one position all the time, Vita can be that way. We've been playing musical chairs in a lot of ways."

(On if he views Hall's role as being similar to what Will Gholston's was)

"Very similar measurables, if we look at it. If those group of guys were in there at the same time, we'd see Logan playing this role, Kancey playing it, and Vita playing it – but the skillset is very similar to what Will brought for us."

(On Hall's physique)

"I just talked to him – he's like 296 [pounds] right now. He's getting bigger and stronger – he's been here every day. We like where he's going."

(On where DL Calijah Kancey is as far as his pass-rushing skills)

"Usually the guys that really get sacks in college usually translate into this league, for the most part. There's somewhat of a transition period where they're adjusting to the way the guards set up on you in this league – but with his skillset, we feel that he'll be able to match up, be able to adjust and be able to make the adjustment rather quickly."

(On Kancey being undersized)

"There's a lot of undersized guys in this league."

(On if he likes the defensive line group as it is right now or if he wants to add more players)

"With the group we have right now, this is the way we feel like we're proceeding – but we're open to possibly bringing in more people if we need to."

(On DL Greg Gaines)

"In studying Greg in the offseason and then having him in the meetings the last couple of weeks: he's a very intelligent football player, very heady, and very knowledgeable from the schematic [standpoint] because they played some three-four principles. The transition so far has been pretty good."

(On if Gaines can play a starter's level of snaps)

"We haven't really talked about that. As far as my vision for him, I see him on the nose. We had Akiem [Hicks] kind of all over the place – right now, I see Greg more in that nose role."

(On who benefits the most when DT Vita Vea is double-teamed)

"In the way we usually play, the guy who gets the most one-on-ones would be the role we see Kancey playing in. When we first got him in here, [Ndamukong] Suh fit in the same role. It's the same kind of situation where we're going to try and dictate which way the protection turns and create the one-on-ones for our edge guys here and our interior guy there."

(On if Kancey is too small to play in goal line situations)

"No, not at all, but you wouldn't want to make a living with him on the center because there's a lot of bad stuff happening down there. We need to try to keep him away from some of that."

(On how to get back to being a top-five rush defense)

"That will be the first thing we address when we come back as a whole and are getting ready for mini camp. When we have all of them sitting in there, I promise you that will be the first thing we address. I look back at it and evaluating it – first of all, we've got to get back to techniques and fundamentals. Then, when I looked at the overall scheme of things – a lot of times when your rush defense is really good, your pass defense suffers. This year, our pass defense went up and our rush defense went down. Then I looked at the people we played – we played six or eight of the top 10 rushing offenses in there. They get paid, too. Stopping the run gives us a chance to win so that's the first thing we want to try and fix going in."

(On if getting more tackles for loss from quicker players like Kancey and Hall is important for run defense)

"From the time we walked in to now, schematically we haven't really changed. We bring our safety down quite a bit, we pressure, we stunt – we don't really see that change. But we do want to offset some positive gains with 'TFLs' (tackles for loss) from quicker guys. We really felt like we had to get faster on defense – we really did."

(On OLB YaYa Diaby)

"We were looking at his measurables – 6'4" and some change, 260-something pounds, sub-4.5 [40-yard dash time]. We see a lot of different roles for him. Now, you're going through the exercise of do we want to play left and right? Do we want to play Sam and Will because of the different pieces we've got? Which is kind of a fun exercise to go through because we feel like now we can create some matchups that could be favorable for us."

(On if he wants to see anything in particular from DL Logan Hall)

"Just make the growth. The beauty about him – talking to the strength coaches – he's been here every day. That's the thing – the growth and maturity – he was a young player last year. He stepped in and did some good things and [it's on] me for not putting him out there more, but some of the people we had had more experience or this and that and it just kept him out. Really, hindsight is 20/20 and I should have put him in more but he'll make the jump and we expect big things from Logan this year."

(On DL Pat O'Connor)

"In coaching, we always say when we're evaluating guys… for certain guys, we always say, 'If you let him in the building, you'll never get rid of him.' And I mean that in the most positive way because Pat does everything right. I've got very few of my defensive linemen that go to special teams meetings – I lose Pat a lot for special teams meetings. There's not a position that we haven't asked him to play on defense here – he's a jack of all trades. He does so many things for us and is always ready to go. My hat goes off to him because he's always been the ultimate team player – ultimate team player. [He says,] 'Kacy, where do you need me?' What else can you ask for as a coach?"

(On who is going to be the vocal, energetic leader moving forward)

"That'll be interesting as we go through it to see who assumes that role. As we walked in, we saw Vita ascend to the captain level and we'll see as it goes who takes the pride of, 'Let's get us going.' But a lot of time, your rah-rah guys are ultra-confident. If you're not confident in what you're doing, then you're not really saying a whole lot. As people grow, that'll separate itself."

(On the defensive coaching staff having continuity)

"It really helps as far as the working relationships. I've been on some staffs where they get destroyed before they even take the field, but our staff has been together since 2019 and then the addition of Coach [George] Edwards. Going back, I worked with Coach Edwards for the first time in 2008, so I've known him for years. Todd [Bowles] worked with him prior, so there's a lot of continuity on our side of the ball. We share the same philosophy and ultimately the same goal – so that helps. We agree to disagree but when we come out, everybody is on the same page and let's go get it."

(On what separates outside linebackers coach George Edwards from his peers)

"He's an extremely knowledgeable guy. He's well-versed on the front end and the back end. You get some coaches who are really good at the front and some who are really good at the back but George is the ultimate combo because he's really good at both aspects. He's coached multiple positions, he's coordinated. This is one of the toughest leagues to stay in and when you look at the number of years that he's coached and the people that he's coached – I think he's coached the defensive MVP the last couple of years. He's a really, really, outstanding addition."

(On DL Mike Greene and Willington Previlon)

"Both of those guys, we expect to make a tremendous jump because both of them are ultra talented. Mike was a great find in a rookie weekend workout and Will we got as a free agent and the skillset that he has is kind of what you're looking for. It'll be a big task for me to get those guys ready to play and give them a chance to compete for jobs because they're both really talented."

(On if he senses any differences about Coach Bowles as he goes into year two)

"I first worked with Todd in 2005 in Dallas. We were together at Miami and we were together at the Jets and then we came here and he's the same guy he was then, the same guy he was as the head coach of the Jets – he's the same guy every day. He's excited at this time about every year as he was every year I've worked with him. That's the one thing about him – he's been the same guy since the day I met him. It never really changes for him."

(On the loss of OLB Shaq Barrett's daughter)

"First of all, that was really, really a tragedy. Our hearts go out to Shaq and his family. We want to give him as much support as we can because that's something you don't have the words to express for what Shaq means to us as a player and as a person. He's a heck of a player, but I was talking to my mother last night – they came to the Tennessee game – and Shaq was talking to her in the locker room and she remembered how nice he was and how nice he is and everything. It goes to show… words just can't say what he means to us. We're pulling for him – we know it's a tough time for him and his family right now."

PASS GAME COORDINATOR/INSIDE LINEBACKERS COACH LARRY FOOTE

(On LB SirVocea Dennis)

"I was pleased. I was surprised we got him in the fifth round. Like every year, I was surprised [about] the other linebackers that were picked before him, but good for us. He's a smart guy. When you watch him on film you can tell he plays above the neck. He's a good athlete, he's savvy. He plays the game like it should be played. He can blitz – he's got some ability. He can wear a lot of hats for us and [I] was definitely excited about getting him."

(On LB SirVocea Dennis being able to drop back in coverage in the NFL)

"Yes. The times he did do it he understood coverage and underneath. He did blitz a lot [being the] fourth rusher, but he's a smart guy – just being around him on Zoom and seeing him at the Combine. We were pleased."

(On if they look for players with high sack numbers in the draft)

"Yes. When you're rating guys, you want to find their strength. Can they cover? Are they good underneath the zones? Can they blitz? We are a team that blitzes. We might be changing that up next year. We're not going to blitz next year [Laughs]. But as linebackers, we look for if they can blitz. A lot of teams, they don't do it in college, but that's what we're here for to teach them how to do it. It's definitely a plus if you can blitz."

(On relating to guys going through contract discussions and his thoughts on LB Devin White requesting a trade)

"Well, he's not going to be the first and he's not going to be the last, we know that. Like I told him, he's getting paid 11 million this year [and] those are champagne problems. I get it on both sides. He's played a lot of ball. Does he need to be here in the spring? We'd love him to be here, but it's not going to hurt him from the standpoint of playing. But I want him here and I'm sure that's going to get worked out. But I understand both sides. It's part of the business that nobody likes, but it is what it is."

(On if he has heard when LB Devin White will report)

"I haven't really talked to him about that. We were just talking more about getting in shape, stuff we need to work on, and offseason tape and breakdown, and stuff we're looking for him to do. But we have not talked about when he's going to show up. Right now, he's fighting for a contract – champagne problems."

(On White's opportunity to grow next season)

"Everything – just get better – pre-snap stuff, zone coverage, even blitzing better, attacking the run. In the offseason, you want to look at any plays, explosive plays, that you gave up and we want to minimize that. Just little things, new ideas that we're putting in – getting him up to scheme on the new things we're implementing. And every year you have to be better than the next year. This league demands it. So far, during his short career, he's been evolving."

(On potentially sending White clips until he reports)

"Absolutely. If that's the decision he makes, I will be doing all that I can do to make sure he stays in tune with what we're doing."

(On linebacker UDFAs Jeremy Banks and Brandon Bouyer-Randle)

"Both of them are good athletes, both of them can run. They're run-hit guys. Banks is very explosive, played in the SEC, [and] was definitely pleased by his tape. Brandon started at Michigan State, is from Michigan. I had a good conversation with him and his dad – they're Spartan fans. But those guys are good athletes. I was pleased to get both of those guys. There's going to be a lot of competition in my room."

(On incorporating LB SirVocea Dennis more on the field as a third linebacker)

"We're not going to do that [Smirks]."

(On DB Josh Hayes)

"Tough, quick. Can play different positions – safety, nickel, corner. In our package, the more you can do, the more you can help us [and] the more you can help yourself. [He's] a good athlete. It's amazing the type of talent that this league has. You can get those guys in late round and even free agency. They weren't like that back in my day, but I was pleased to get him."

(On if he was worried about not getting LB Lavonte David back)

"I was worried. I think my kids might have been a little more worried than me. That's a household favorite. I was knocking on some doors around here trying to persuade everybody in the building. Those type of guys, if you're a fan of the game, you don't want those guys to be in any other jersey. He should retire a Buccaneer. His name is going to be in that stadium, and I'm glad he's back."

(On how many David jerseys are in his house)

"My daughter has three of them. She's like his number one fan – she has pictures with him. It's probably about six. I think she's looking for the new [creamsicle uniforms] that are coming out."

(On why his family appreciates David as much as they do)

"I don't know. Nationwide people love Lavonte David. When I'm at combine or talking to recruits, they mention Lavonte David. But they love him. Him and 'JPP' (Jason Pierre-Paul) were 1A, 1B in the Foote household."

(On LBs K.J. Britt, J.J. Russell, and Ulysees Gilbert III)

"[They're] all good athletes. It's going to be a lot of competition and that's how you like it. Those guys definitely have to play a big role. They are not only competing in the linebacker room but on special teams, and you have to impress. Everyday you have to come to work. Those guys are physical, they love the game, their mentality. You love coaching guys like that – they're hungry. We have lot of rules in the offseason and they want to meet all the time, but due to the rules and CBA they can't. Those guys are excited to be back on the grass and I can't wait to see how it all unfolds."

(On if LB K.J. Britt is trending in the right direction)

"Absolutely. I went through that as a young player. The guys you're backing up, if they don't get hurt, if they don't miss games, you just have to keep learning but you have to be ready for your opportunity. When you're a late round guy or you're a backup, you never know when it's coming but you have to seize it when it comes."

(On having roster turnover in the cornerback room)

"We have to jell with the news guys. That's always tough losing those guys. We won a Super Bowl with those guys. It's a challenge but everybody in the league has to go through that, [now] it's our turn. [Antoine] Winfield Jr., [Jamel] Dean, and Carlton [Davis III] have to step up as far as the leadership and off-the-field stuff. You have to bond together and create that brotherhood, get used to one another, terminology, and get things rolling."

(On the team's options at nickel)

"Competition. We have some other free agents, so we'll see who can do it. See who can handle it – the more you can do. At that position you can mix it around. A lot of guys can play it, even linebackers can play it. Just show the coaches you can handle it and by the time season comes around we'll have it honed in who has that role."

(On DB Josh Hayes having an opportunity to play nickel)

"The whole secondary, everybody is going to have an opportunity to do it. We have two corners outside, so if you're a corner and you want to play, you better step up from a learning standpoint and try to get that position."

(On what it's like as coach having young players coming in to play)

"We're teachers. I don't want to compare it to elementary teachers, but you're just excited when guys get here during this time of the year. I can't wait until next week to get to know those guys. It's exhausting, trust me. You have to start off day one making the close calls and stuff like that, so I have to get into the swing of things. I'm doing a lot of studying so I can be sharp for those guys, but I take this position very seriously because this is their dream. I've been in their shoes, so I want to give them everything I got [and] embrace that proud papa role."

(On players making mistakes on first day installs late in the season last year)

"It's always communication. In this league, you win and lose the fourth quarter on mental errors. It's so important. It's not talked about a lot but communicating is so important out there, especially in hurry-up, fourth quarter when you can't really get a call in the headset. You guys have to do it. You have to go back to the gameplan and what we want to do, and guys have to communicate. That's what I spoke about earlier, off the field these guys have to enjoy being around each other, especially the linebackers. We need everybody to talk and communicate. We're kind of in the middle, well, we are in the middle, so we have to communicate with the big guys and then on the backend, but we need everybody on the same page. It's nobody's fault. I tell them guys all the time, it's everybody's fault. If you're not playing the same thing, you're going to lose."

(On if LB Devin White's contract situation is strictly business)

"It's money. You're looking out at the guaranteed money, and he wants his money now. He has to understand the organization is preparing for next year, so we have to meet somewhere in the middle, however it's going to play out. [We] picked up his fifth-year option, [Saw] yesterday a lot of players don't get that option. But it's money and I understand that. Like I said, he's not the first, and he's not going to be the last. That's part of the game."

(On OLB Shaquil Barrett losing his daughter on Sunday and how the team and organization supports him)

"That was one of the worst days of my life."

SAFETIES COACH NICK RAPONE

(On S Ryan Neal)

"6'3", 200 and something pounds. Put four years out in Seattle. What I liked [is] he played 769 snaps last year. He was a nickel and a dime, over in Germany he played some safety and what stood out for me is for the amount of plays he had he was pretty active. So, we're going to put him at strong safety and see how he goes. He's been in the room for two weeks, we've been on the field, this is the third day so there's not much more until we get moving along. What's nice is he's a 6'2" and a half, 6'3", 200-pound kid and we're going to put him at safety."

(On moving S Antoine Winfield Jr. out of the nickel spot)

"What it really is, is this: when you play nickel, you have to play man, you have to play zone, you have to work stacks in man, you have to work bunches in man. Most guys in the NFL are corners because what we do in practice is all adjustments. So, it's hard to get Antoine all that man that he needed. So, [Head Coach] Todd [Bowles] and him made the decision what's best moving forward, [is] let's move you back, [and] let's take you out of the nickel. Now in base he's still going to be up close to the line of scrimmage [because] he's our best blitzer, by far. The reason is what that job description is, yeah there wasn't enough time to do all the adjustments and then get him enough man work. So, Todd and him after the season sat down and that's what they came up with."

(On who is going to step up after losing three veterans)

"Right now? We have three guys here - Antoine [Winfield Jr.], Ryan Neal, and Nolan Turner. Nolan Turner was a free agent from Clemson [and] Nolan played a whopping one play last year. Against Carolina he made a great play on a tight end screen, so we only have three here. Whoever is with us is going to have to step up and then as usual, [General Manager] Jason [Licht] and 'Spy' (Vice President of Player Personnel John Spytek) do a great job. We've got two kids coming in – when you're 66 you can say kids – we've got a kid from Rutgers [safety Christian Izien] and a kid from Iowa [safety Kaevon Merriweather] coming in. They do a great job of bringing in free agents. So, next weekend we'll have both of them but right now we'll have five safeties on the roster and go from there."

(On what safeties Kaevon Merriweather and Christian Izien bring to the table)

"First of all, I'll start with the young man from Iowa [safety Kaevon Merriweather]. Iowa does a great job with safeties and he's exactly what an Iowa safety is. There's no flash to him, he is fundamentally sound, and he's physical. That's what we liked about him. The young man from Rutgers [safety Christian Izien] 5'8 and a half 5'9, extremely physical, [and] plays with his hair on fire. So, we liked his athleticism, and we liked how physical he was. That's what the two free agents [bring]. "

(On wanting to put an emphasis on interceptions last year and not meeting expectations)

"This will be year 44 and all I can tell you is I don't want to give you a cliche but I'm going to give it to you, 'They come in bunches'. It's the same kids that were playing the last three years so why didn't we get them? I couldn't tell you. They come in bunches. You're right, we started off like gangbusters. Antoine Winfield Jr. was in today, he was in Monday, and that's still what I emphasize with Antoine is let's get the football. He says, 'I know coach. I know coach. I know coach. So, hopefully we will get back to where we were able to get the football."

(On what he has noticed about QB Kyle Trask over the past four years)

"I mean, [me] being a novice at quarterback, I think the kid does everything that the organization asks him to do. I think at this point, there's only one way you get better, you go out and you play. Then at least you have something to go on. But I think the kid's a good kid, he works in practice, he throws a good football, but besides that I'm such a novice I really couldn't [tell you]."

(On Trask's demeanor)

"Oh, he's a great kid. In the building, 'Coach how are you doing?'. I think he's a smart kid, I think he was like a sponge around [quarterback] Tom [Brady]. At some point, and I think that's what the organization is doing, it's time to say 'Hey, let's go. It's your time.' I think the kid is a good kid. At practice he's always working, I don't see him mope around. I think he took advantage of being behind Tom, who wouldn't?"

(On Nolan Turner's growth from last year)

"Nolan is extremely intelligent, he's out of Clemson. What jumped out on us and jumped out on [Head Coach] Todd [Bowles], [is] you can't have unintelligent kids playing back there, that's just our system. Nolan's very intelligent, works hard, keeps his head down, and he's going to get an opportunity. That's why we kept him. And because of the NFL rule where you can't bring people up, we went into Atlanta that last game, [and Antoine] Winfield played the whole game. We didn't have any safeties, but we couldn't bring Nolan up. That would've been a great game to bring him up. But his intelligence, his work ethic [are] really good."

CORNERBACKS COACH KEVIN ROSS

(On DB Josh Hayes)

"I watched a little tape on him. I saw he's a physical guy, he can get off of blocks really well, tackles really well in space, which is important, can blitz, [and] seems to have a high football IQ so we expect some good things out of him."

(On who will be playing corner this season and if they are bringing guys in)

"Well, we do have guys on the roster right now who have played it and practiced it, Zyon McCollum, Dee Delany has played in there, [and] [Anthony] Chesley – he played in the last Atlanta game in that area, so we've got guys that are in there. But, like any season you're always looking to upgrade at all positions."

(On if the defense needed more opportunities last year)

"We don't need more opportunities, we need to take advantage of the opportunities we had already, we dropped a lot of balls, like you said. We left a lot of plays on the field and that will be the emphasis this summer, the whole summer is to make sure we capitalize on the opportunity to make plays and we make those plays.

(On what's it like to have two guys at cornerback that have been there for a while)

"Well with high pay [come] high expectations, so they need to take the next step up. I'm looking for these guys to lead the young guys and show them what it's all about. So, it's good and its bad.

(On what the next step is for cornerbacks Jamel Dean and Carlton Davis III)

"If they catch the ball like they can then there's no reason they shouldn't be an All-Pro player or a Pro Bowl player and that will propel us to play even better on defense."

(On if it was shocking to end up with 10 interceptions in 2022 after having 17 in 2021)

"A little bit. I mean it's not like these guys are not conscious of it, we bring it up every day. We try to practice it before practice, even start catching balls and things like that from all kinds of positions. Sometimes your eyes just get big, you just get so excited that you just fumble the ball every now and then. I think they'll both do better this year at that."

(On how he has seen CB Zyon McCollum progress and expectations for this year)

"I expect him to be the most improved player on both sides of the ball, period."

(On if McCollum needs to work on the technique aspect of his game)

"From every aspect of his game – the tackling, the coverage, the whole thing. He was doing well until he got hurt, he got a little set back and that position right there you need as many reps as you possibly can get, different looks and things like that. So, it held him back a little bit but he's very smart, he's a very intelligent football player. His football IQ is off the chart, I like his chances of really improving big time."

(On what he notices about McCollum's confidence)

"He's not lacking confidence at all. I don't think anybody in that room is lacking confidence. We stress what you have to be, you've got to be a different animal to play out there and it's not like you're playing the A-Gap and B-Gap out there you're being exposed. You guys see that before you see the lineman or linebackers making plays, so they don't have a lot of room for errors like a stunt man."

(On the greatest challenge the secondary faces after losing free agents)

"Chemistry. Chemistry is a big thing in the secondary, [and] you have to be able to play off of one another. The great secondaries they know where people are going to be, they know exactly what's happening in that defense and they play off of one another. That's the main thing, we've got to get some chemistry back there, we've got to get things [better]. Hopefully nobody gets injured, and we get set back that way because that's what's been happening the last couple of years. We've had to change secondary people, in and out. They don't know each other, they don't know how each other's going to react during the game. Practice and the game [are] totally different deals."

(On how cornerback Don Gardner has developed behind the scenes)

"He's doing the same [as cornerback Zyon McCollum]. I think he's going to be a very improved player as well. There's going to be some interesting deals here. I think we have a tough time getting those [last spots]. We keep five corners and the first three, I think they're ok but the next two, it's up for grabs."

(On what he sees in cornerbacks Keenan Isaac and Derrek Pitts Jr.)

"I like what I saw on tape with those guys, too. I think they're fundamentally sound, we'll see how they react next week and go from there, but I like their chances. They look like their solid players on film."

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS COACH GEORGE EDWARDS

(On what he sees watching tape of OLB Joe Tryon-Shoyinka)

"You see a guy that skillset-wise can do a lot of different jobs. Between dropping, rushing and playing behind the ball, he has a unique skillset. I think the more that he grows and the more he is comfortable within the system… you can see he's not thinking as much right now, at least in the phase that we're in right now as far as the training part of it. Now, I think you'll see a lot more of his athleticism taking off where he's not thinking as much and just going and playing. Joe – I've really been impressed with him. I've only been with the guys probably about seven days, but just with the habits and work habits that he's exhibiting right now, I foresee him feeling pretty comfortable. The terminology and all of that is the same. We're doing some tweaks to some things schematically, but I think he really does a nice job of paying attention to the details of those things. Same way with 'Nelly' (Anthony Nelson) – he has done a great job thus far in that."

(On 2023 draft selections YaYa Diaby and Jose Ramirez)

"I think the unique thing – and I think Todd [Bowles] does an excellent job with it along with Kacy [Rodgers] and [Larry] Foote – is you take a guy's skillset and you find ways to get the most out of his skillset. Both of the young men that we drafted at the position – number one, they're very athletic, they can move and they're fast. We've talked about all of those things this far, but having a vision for them coming into our system schematically, moving them to different spots and being able to do different things – I think that will be a big plus to add more pressure players defensively."

(On Head Coach Todd Bowles' ability to generate sacks and a consistent pass rush, even if it doesn't always show up in individual sack numbers)

"The whole thing is how you're going to affect the quarterback, whether you're doing it by disguising coverages, bringing different guys off the edges [or] asking ends to drop. Those are the things that make it hard for offenses to have success. To be able to line up in this league and just line up in a static look and be able to execute is tough, but when you've got guys moving around and different positions doing different things it causes some problems for the offense as far as recognition. It's not like the way they drew it up when they came in the game, so now all of the sudden they're getting un-scouted looks and next thing you know that helps us trying to get them off the field."

(On if the creativity and versatility of his defensive scheme is Bowles' strength)

"I would say so. I think when you look at us schematically, he has done an excellent job throughout his career of using different guys' skillsets, moving them around and disguising things to have you formulate a plan that when the ball turns over you're thinking one thing and now all of the sudden post-snap you're getting something else. Any time you can do that, I think it gives you more time to get pressure on the quarterback at the end of the day."

(On what appealed him about joining Head Coach Todd Bowles' staff in Tampa Bay)

"I've known Todd for a lot of years. We've coached on a couple of different staffs together in the past. Kacy [Rodgers] and I have coached together, and Tim Atkins is a guy that [I have worked with before]. So, the familiarity of us as people is already there and, schematically, we've both been in 3-4, 4-3 defenses so it's the culmination of those things. When you start looking at just the way that he has had success of identifying skillsets and being able to put the players in the right position – that's what this is all about at the end of the day. I'm excited about the opportunity to be able to contribute in the ways that I can, but the biggest thing is to get our position group to be accountable and to be able to hopefully have success in what we're asking them to do."

(On what sets Bowles apart as a head coach)

"When you talk about Todd, you talk about him as a man. You talk about him as a father, you talk about him as a husband, as a brother, as a son. Those are the things I think that really detail not only his coaching ability, but also how close he is to the players and how he has gained the respect of them because of the trust that he puts into what we do detailing it from day to day. That was an easy decision for me. I've always had a lot of respect for Todd – the times we've worked together and the times we haven't, so I'm excited about the opportunity and pleased to be here."

-BUCCANEERS-