HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On what he sees in CB Bryce Hall)

"[He is a] very intelligent player, [he] doesn't make the same mistakes twice. He's a bookworm and he brings it to the field every day. You're not going to beat him mentally. Physically, he's been where he's supposed to be right now. It'll be great to see him in pads, but he's doing an excellent job."

(On if he feels like he has three starting-caliber cornerbacks)

"You can never have enough corners. I wish I had five of them."

(On the decision to waive WR Deven Thompkins)

"Well, he was injured and we needed some healthy bodies, so we'll take care of that. The door is open. We understand it's a tough business and he understands that, as well. We'll see what happens in the future."

(On if Thompkins got injured in practice)

"Yeah, I mean, that's the only place it could have happened."

(On how he anticipates the kick and punt return game will be different this season with the new rules)

"I think it's going to be a lot different. It didn't affect the decision, but I think it's going to be a lot different. There's going to be a lot of experimentation in preseason, whether it's a running back, a bigger guy, a smaller guy, what kind of athletes are on the kickoff going down there, and what kind of guys you need on kickoff return. It could affect the roster in certain ways, whether you keep extra middle[-sized] guys like tight ends and [linebackers] or whether it's more D-linemen or you still keep the extra DBs that you need to keep. It's going to be interesting to see."

(On what he likes about the offense that's being installed right now and how the parts of the running game are coming together)

"They're coming off the ball, they're in sync early on. This is [really] early for them to be in sync. For me, I thought that would take a little bit of doing. 'Car' [Kevin Carberry] and 'Pick' [Brian Picucci] have done a great job getting those guys ready. Obviously, we're out of pads right now, but the chemistry is coming in pretty [well] and that's what I like about it."

(On having so many veteran players participating in a voluntary workout)

"It's a lot of guys that want to win. The chemistry starts here and it continues in training camp. It's important for these guys to come in. We understand it's voluntary and we thank them for coming in. They know they need to work. They're very professional about it and they're trying to help the young guys."

(On where he feels like the team is as a whole)

"For the most part, we're healthy – that's the biggest thing. We want to come out of it healthy. Hopefully we're smarter – that's the biggest thing, as well. We want to be mentally smarter. By the time we get to training camp, we should have some type of base in place when we come back so they can hit the ground running and we don't have to start at square one."

(On what he hopes to accomplish during the final OTAs)

"The biggest thing is to cut down on the 'M.E.'s' (mental errors) and the penalties. That's always the case when you first start out these things. Until the pads come on, you really don't know, so you want to cut down on the penalties. We don't want to beat ourselves. We can't beat ourselves. If the offense makes a great play or the defense makes a great play, we can live with that – but we don't want to shoot ourselves in the foot."

(On his faith in young players in the wide receiver room)

"We've got a lot of competition come training camp. We've got some guys that [are] going to surprise some people. I'm looking forward to seeing them in pads. We're excited to see where it goes."

(On what he's seen from WR Kameron Johnson)

"[He is] very athletic – extremely athletic. He can catch and get up field in a heartbeat. He's a very good pattern runner and has very good hands. It'll be nice to see him in pads."

(On how much chemistry QB Baker Mayfield can develop with the young receivers)

"He's been here all spring. It's a new offense for them all, so Baker [Mayfield] can help because he's been in it before. But, the chemistry he builds with them is more of the timing of the route running and all that type of [stuff] – getting the motion right, getting the field position right, learning their stances and getting that down. If we can get that done this camp, that's a plus."

(On if there are any injury updates to provide on players who have missed some time during OTAs)

"I don't expect them to be ready for mini camp at this time. We'll see about training camp."

(On what he's seen from RB Bucky Irving)

"He has [elusiveness] – we saw that on tape in college. But, his intelligence is something we didn't know as much of until we got him here. We knew when we interviewed him, but he's a very sharp player. He picks things up well. In t-shirts and shorts, I think everybody is an All-American."

(On the status of LT Tristan Wirfs' contract)

"Those things have a way of sorting [themselves] out. I don't worry about that right now. I understand it's the business part of it, and we'll go from there."

QUARTERBACK BAKER MAYFIELD

(On what this portion of the offseason is like for him in terms of learning the offense)

"It's a lot of, obviously, continuing the chemistry that we've had with some of the skill guys from last year [and] carrying that over. And then just, offensively, scheme-wise, getting everybody on the same page. It's really awesome that we have everybody here on offense, just going through that. Everybody's hearing it; we're all talking about, learning from good and bad plays. That's what this time period is about. You can't win or lose ballgames right now, you can only try to get better. Yeah, just trying to get to know the younger guys. We've got a lot of guys that have promise and that's what you want to see. You want to see them busting their tails, working and trying to learn it, because you really want to stress the mental aspect of the game right now to try to learn as much as you can, to where when it comes to live bullets in training camp, it's second nature. That's why I like the way [Offensive Coordinator] Liam [Coen] has installed the offense as well. It puts a lot on you mentally in the front. It is a little mentally taxing but it's good in the long run."

(On what he likes about Liam Coen's offensive scheme)

"It just presents so many different issues for a defense when it comes to their rules. Obviously, there's a lot of shifts, a lot of motions, things like that. It makes them think about their rules and have to react on the fly. For us, it's a lot of learning that part, because if we're not doing our job, it doesn't matter what the defense is thinking. It's tough there, but it presents different issues that they have to conquer."

(On rookie WR Jalen McMillan and rookie RB Bucky Irving)

"Jalen's got such a natural feel as a receiver. He's extremely smooth, one of those guys that doesn't look like he's covering a lot of ground because it looks effortless, but he really is. He's a guy that can run every route that you have in your route tree. [He has] really strong hands at the point of attack – he always attacks the ball when it's in the air, which is great to see for a young guy, just to have that natural tendency. Then Bucky, yeah – obviously it's a little hard in the run game stuff right now with no pads on, but the one thing I'll say about him, obviously he's got good hands, but when he decides to cut it up field and get north and south, he goes. He decides and he hits it. That's good to see."

(On how much more responsibility the quarterback has in the new offense)

"There's a lot more responsibility – line of scrimmage, a lot more double play calls where you're having to get the guys in the right positions. But as a quarterback, you want to have that responsibility and accountability. You always want to put your guys in the best position to have success, so now Liam's giving us the opportunity with a couple play calls to be able to do that. Like I said, it's more mentally taxing but [I'm] just relearning the system and not taking it with the mindset that I've been here before but really starting from square one."

(On if there are any aspects of his game that he's focusing on improving)

"You try to improve everything, but for me right now, [it's] slowing my feet down a little bit. I've always kind of had constantly-moving feet like some of the QBs do, but just slowing it down to where I'm not passing up progressions and it's smooth through that process. Yeah, just going through it, being decisive with the ball and getting everybody on the same page is the most important thing."

(On WR Chris Godwin going back to playing primarily in the slot)

"Obviously, Chris has had a ton of success in the slot. This offense is one, though, that we're going to move everybody around. But this one really gives Chris the chance to…the stuff that he's really, really good at, he's going to be doing a lot of. He's more comfortable in it, and you can just tell, body-language wise, talking to him about it, he loves it so far. Right now, we're just growing and going through it together, but it's good to see him back where he's best."

(On his perspective on LT Tristan Wirfs' offseason and contract negotiations)

"Our situations are different, because he is playing under the fifth-year option. So there's a difference there, where it was free agency with mine. When it comes down to Tristan, everybody knows he's a team guy. At a certain point, does he deserve to be paid? Absolutely. The guy's a stud. He took the transition from right to left [tackle] with ease, did it better than I think he thought he was going to. But yeah, you just trust in that process. I know he's probably more eager to get back here and get the deal done than anybody else. But it gives other guys a great opportunity to come in and get reps, as well, to have that communication. Tristan is still around. We're not holding out on the friendship even though he's holding out on us."

(On having almost all of the roster at OTAs and where the team feels it is after having some unfinished business from last season)

"I think we proved to ourselves last year of what we really believed in, what we knew we were capable of. Obviously, [we] fell short of the ultimate goal; only one team gets to have that. But when you get that close it almost makes you more hungry – when you're just a few plays away on the road in a tough environment, knowing that it came down to a two-minute drive. It's great to see that people haven't forgotten that, that we're just as hungry to get back here and get to work. It's still early June, but the guys are putting the work in right now to be on the same page so when we hit the ground running in August, or late July, we're ready to go."

(On rookie C Graham Barton)

"The one thing I'll say: Playing center in the NFL, it's not easy. There are just so many different looks, fronts, blitzes and just the communication. It's a whole different ballgame. I think he's handling it really well. Now, the physical aspects of Graham – he's a stud. He can move people off the ball, he's quick, just the way he gets his feet up under him, how he leverages blocks and understands what we're trying to get done, that's really special. I think, for him, he's got all the physical tools that he needs – that's why he got drafted that high – but it's taking time to learn it, get the reps. It's just going to take time for him. Luckily, he'll be surrounded by good people, though, and will get to learn from some greats as well."

(On if he wants the national media to underestimate the Buccaneers)

"It doesn't matter. It's pretty much right where they had us last year. Like I said, nobody's played a down yet. We're all working for the same goal. Mentality-wise, this team, we're hungry, we're back at it. At this point, it's pretty much expected for people to underestimate the Bucs, but we just put our heads down and work."

(On how much different it feels for him this year to have a long-term contract instead of fighting for a job like last year)

"Obviously, last year was a lot of trying to learn the system on the fly, get to know teammates as well, balancing that with performance versus getting to know everybody and trying to be a leader. Now, going through a year…obviously you have some new faces here, but going through a year with these guys, I'm trying to be more in command. I am vocal, but most of the time I'm only vocal when I need to be, kind of a lead-by-example type of guy. Really now, it's taking the next step in the vocal aspect of getting everybody on the same page. You never want to feel comfortable. Yeah, is it great that I know I'm going to be here for a couple years? Of course. It means I get to settle in here, be myself even more so, and push these guys to the next level. Yeah, that's a good feeling."

(On what he means by calming his feet)

"When I say calming my feet, sometimes I process information pretty quickly and my feet get out of whack a little bit. Obviously, when it comes down to playing football, you can always run for a first down, whatever you've got to do. But not drifting in the pocket, not putting extra stress on these guys up front, and just going through it in a balanced setting and just trying to handle it the best way possible."

-BUCCANEERS-