HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On OLB Yaya Diaby and other players returning to practice and how it bodes for their game status for Week 1)

"He got some work in. We'll see how he progresses during the week. A lot of them [are] just being out there for the first time, so we'll see how they progress during the week as it goes."

(On S Jordan Whitehead returning to practice)

"Jordan did some stuff last week, so he'll be fine."

(On what he's looking to see from the offensive line in Week 1 against the Commanders)

"It's going to be huge. They've got some talented players up there. I'll probably be saying this every week. We don't play any scrubs anymore. Nobody is playing their three's and four's [like] in preseason, so it's going to be a tough challenge. We know they're a tough bunch. They get off the ball very well. Dan [Quinn] is a great defensive coach. It's going to be a challenge for them."

(On the challenge of preparing for someone who's never played in the NFL before)

"Really, it's Week 1 in general. Every time you start the season out, you have no idea what the other team is going to do. You have your basic plays, but then you have every other thing you've got to prepare for. We've got to read our keys and we've got to play our assignments and see what we see."

(On Washington QB Jayden Daniels and his ability to run)

"Any time you face a dual-threat quarterback, it's going to be a problem. He can beat you with his legs or his arm. He was taken that high for a reason. He's very accurate, very calm in the pocket, has a good mastery of the offense from what we've seen…It's going to be tough trying to keep him in the pocket and trying to cover those guys."

(On Daniels' arm talent)

"He's accurate. That about says it all. He's accurate. He understands what he's doing, he knows where to place the ball at, and he's very good at it."

(On the Washington Commanders' offensive playmakers)

"I mean, they've got a ton of them. They can play them all. They've got a ton of them. They've got two running backs, obviously, [Austin] Ekeler and [Brian] Robinson. They've got [Terry] McLaurin, they've got [Noah] Brown, they've got [Luke] McCaffrey, they've got [Zach] Ertz at tight end, they drafted the kid from Kansas State [Ben Sinnott] that can play very well. They've got a lot of options."

(On WR Trey Palmer wearing a non-contact jersey in practice)

"[He is] just sore."

(On when the team might name captains)

"We'll talk about it in the meeting this afternoon. It may be this week. If we don't, it'll definitely be the beginning of next week if we don't get to it this week."

(On what he learned from the new kickoff rule in the preseason and if teams might be better served kicking it into the end zone)

"I don't know if there's a negative right now. There's not a [large] body of work that everybody went through. There were some kicks that were stoned, there were some kicks that got out. I'm sure everybody didn't show everything. I don't know how much we've learned."

(On the division of labor of his coaching staff in terms of studying down-and-distances, situational play calls, timeouts, etc.)

"It's consistent throughout the season. Everybody has a responsibility that they do during the week. We meet on it, they go over everything they've found and what we want to play against it…We kind of match it up and go from there as a group."

(On trying to gameplan against a rookie quarterback)

"I think if you find yourself just facing a rookie quarterback, the other 10 guys are going to kill you. We're facing the [Commanders], we're not facing Jayden Daniels. They've got 10 other guys that we've got to worry about, as well. We don't look at it as facing a rookie quarterback – we're trying to beat the [Commanders]."

(On how well young quarterbacks can hit the ground running)

"I mean, right team, right fit, you have success. C.J. [Stroud] was a great quarterback last year, and there were a few others. Jayden is probably going to be a great quarterback, as well."

(On if the team will emphasize practicing third down plays this week)

"Once we get to that period – once we install the game plan – we'll get to it and we'll stress it. Right now, we have a lot of other things to stress before that."

(On signing former Tulane QB Michael Pratt to the practice squad)

"We liked him in the draft process. We thought about him late – he got taken. He's a very good game quarterback. He can throw the ball, he can make all the throws, he's not afraid, he's accurate, and he's smart – that's one thing we liked about him. We don't think we just got a practice squad quarterback, we think we got a guy we can develop."

(On if he was able to attend the University of Georgia game to watch his son play)

"I did. I went."

SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR THOMAS MCGAUGHEY

(On if he has figured out the kickoff)

"Absolutely. [I] have it all figured out [laughs]. No, it's been fun. It's a work in progress and it'll be interesting to see what happens [in] Week 1. You know, nobody's going to show their hand in the preseason, so it'll be interesting."

(On if there are any overarching things he's learned about the new kickoff)

"Obviously, it's a quick play. It happens fast. You have to be [really] disciplined at the point of attack. You can't be over aggressive, but you have to be aggressive. You have to be [really] violent with your hands at the point, and then you just have to – it's a run play. You have to take care of the gaps. You set the edge… You have to make sure you stay in your gaps. You have to get off blocks – it's a run play. It's a very unique play and every week, literally every snap, you're learnings something new about the play, so it's very interesting."

(On if he's been studying the other 31 NFL teams and what they did through the preseason)

"Absolutely. We look at each game every week, you know. It's a lot of snaps but you see a reoccurring thing every week. That's why we kind of come to [those] conclusions… Unless somebody just jumps completely out of the box in the season, I think the play is the play. I can see some people jumping out of the box just because of the personality of our league, but I think, when it comes down to it the play is going to be the play."

(On what he has seen from some of the returners throughout the preseason)

"All [of] those guys are doing a good job just trying to feel their way through it. It's not easy. I think Bucky [Irving] and some of those guys [have] done a really good job of kind of feeling their way through and just understanding what it is and just, how to play the play and just play football. I mean, like I said, the play is the play, but it is a little different and it happens quicker, and you have to be able to take some shots, because you don't take a shot from time to time because things happen so fast, but again it's interesting and it's fun. It's just been fun to watch."

(On what the average return has been)

"It's right in between 25 and 30 [-yard line]. I want to say the average drive starts at like the 28, you know, so it's been right there at the line. Again, unless something happens differently – you saw the one with Jacksonville where it got out, but Parker Washington just made a ridiculous play, but there [hasn't] been a ton of them that have gotten out. We'll see moving forward."

(On the different play outcomes of the kickoff based on the new rule)

"It's going to be organizational. If you spend time and resources on it, then it will play to your advantage. If you don't, you'll just kick it out of the endzone, and you'll see some of the teams do that."

(On how much time and resources he and the Buccaneers have spent on getting the new kickoff down)

"This is a play for us. Todd [Bowles] knows this is the first play [of] defense – like we're playing defense. It's not something that we're skimping on. We work on it all the time and he gives us plenty of time and plenty of resources too. We [have] who we [have] and we're working with them, and we have some good players. We [have] good length, we have good speed, and we have some guys that are physical, so it'll be fun for us."

(On if the defensive backs are good at the play in terms of coverage or if you have to mix positions)

"You have to have a good mixture. You [have] to have some big bodies in there because again, it's happening quick. It's not like the long speed, where you can get the long separation and you're able to beat a guy early, like it's right now. If he doesn't have length, if he doesn't have power, and he can't get stuck on a block, that seam… It opens up in a hurry, and those returners, they're hitting it downhill. I think we'll [have the proper personnel] – I think we kind of have it figured out a little bit. You know, unless something happens crazy – unless you start seeing all these wholesale personnel changes and then you [have to] make adjustments, but you can see that. It'll be interesting to see what happens. Expect the unexpected."

(On if he knows who he'll lean on most in terms of coverage units)

"Yeah, for the most part. I think we have – Jason [Licht] and Todd [Bowles] – they have done an outstanding job of putting together this roster, and we have a lot of depth at that spot. It's more depth than I've been around in a while, you know, at the gunner spot. It'll be a good rotation of guys, but for the most part, Josh Hayes and Tavierre Thomas – those will be guys that we lean on heavily there. It'll be a rotation of guys after that, but I think we have some pretty good speed there."

(On what he wants P Jake Camarda to improve upon and if it includes his net punting and consistency)

"That's always – when it comes to punting, I care way more about net punting than gross. You know, gross is more of an individual deal and net is more of a team deal. Our concern is always yards per return, and the net. Obviously the higher the gross, potentially the higher the net. More than anything, just more ball striking – getting back to striking the ball good, hitting a good clean ball, and that's it. We're doing some things technically, that he's working on, and they all go through it. All punters – all specialists go through some kind of funk, and they just have to work their way through it."

(On if anyone has stood out to him from a coverage standpoint)

"You watch the tape, and Chris Braswell Jr. made a ton of plays. He just knows what he's doing – it's a football play. He said the other day, 'It's just like setting the edge and playing defense.' Yeah, it is. It's the exact same thing, so you know, him and Ko [Kieft] and some of those guys – they've done a good job. They're working hard and their trying to figure the play out and again, I always tell them, 'Just lean on your rules. Expect the unexpected but lean on your rules.' And if they do that, it'll take care of itself.''

CENTER GRAHAM BARTON

(On how much confidence he has gained after going through six weeks of training camp)

"[I've] definitely come a long way, just getting in there at center and competing, building chemistry with the guys, improving on communication. Obviously, [there's been] a lot of reps between six weeks ago and now, so I feel good. [I] feel ready to go. [I'm] just looking forward to diving into this game plan and getting ready for Washington."

(On looking ahead to playing against Pro Bowl defensive linemen in Week 1)

"Obviously, we know where they're talented at. Those two interior d-tackle spots are definitely two really good players. [I have] a lot of respect for what I've seen so far of them on tape, so we're excited. It's going to present a unique challenge for us, but I think we're ready. We're going to prepare throughout the week and see what we can do on Sunday."

(On how game preparations are different for him in the NFL than in college)

"Obviously, [I'm] playing a different position so [I'm] scouting different types of players. I think everything heightens – attention to detail heightens, multiplicity of looks heightens. It just kind of – you take it up a notch and I think I'm doing just that and learning more in depth and [I'm] just excited for what it brings."

(On having a 4:25 p.m. game on Sunday in Florida and getting used to the heat)

"Obviously, we practice hard here, and not only do we practice hard, but we practice in the heat, so I think guys are in game shape. Guys are ready to roll, and we'd really like to use our home field to our advantage."

-BUCCANEERS-