HEAD COACH TODD BOWLES

(On what he likes most about his defense heading into this season)

"I like that they play hard and talk to each other. The communication is better. We've got to execute and [there are] still some things to learn, but I like where they're headed."

(On what his expectations for QB Baker Mayfield are)

"My expectations are to get wins. Whether it's running the ball or throwing the ball, if he can take care of the football and understand the offense and get it where it needs to be, those are my expectations. The stats will come with it."

(On if he will rotate players defensively more than usual this weekend due to the heat)

"We do that a lot anyway on D-line. We're used to the heat here in Florida – you're going to play in the heat right there. [Jayden Daniels] is a very athletic quarterback, so it's going to be tough to chase him down with just D-linemen."

(On WR Mike Evans' longevity)

"He's smart, number one. He's durable, he takes care of his body, he's the ultimate pro, he comes back in shape all the time. He [does] what's necessary for him to get ready to play ball games and he goes out and plays."

(On where Evans' game has evolved over the last few years)

"Just mentally. I think different systems put you in different positions. I think he's been moved around a little more the latter part of his career. He understands the game – he's just a good football player."

(On DL Logan Hall not practicing today and if he might play on Sunday)

"He's got a foot [injury]. It'll go up until the weekend. We'll see how he feels. We've got a plethora of guys that are going to platoon in that rotation right there."

(On if he knows how Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen will utilize the running backs)

"I think it'll be a game-by-game basis. You normally go with the hot hand, but since nobody has played yet, obviously Rachaad [White] starts and then we'll kind of go from there and see how the other guys are used."

(On the most impressive part of RB Bucky Irving's game)

"He's in early. He's probably the first player in after me when I go to the training room and work out in the morning – I see him in there. To be that young, to be in that early, day-in and day-out, and not having any mental errors…It's impressive."

(On when Irving arrives)

"It's five-something, almost six, maybe, for him."

(On Washington's secondary)

"It's a different system. I don't know if we can exploit them. They have long corners, they're very good with their hands, they can move their feet, and they can play the ball deep. Obviously, you can't throw it over their heads very much because of their height and their length. It's going to be a challenge for us. Obviously, it's a different system that they were in. We've just got to be ready for anything."

(On how difficult it is to gameplan against Washington because of the new personnel)

"You watch a little bit of everything. With two weeks before the season opener, you probably overthink the week before. Then, the week of, you kind of get back to basics and go with what you know and make sure that our own team has their rules down and play what they see and not just play off of plays and formations and everything else and play ball from there. It's the first game – whether it was Washington or anybody else – it's the unknown."

(On what C Graham Barton brings to the offensive line)

"He's athletic and he's tough. He's facing two great players on Sunday, but he's tough. He played like that in college. I think he'll be fine. Our big thing is getting used to playing 60-something plays with the consistency that we want to play [with] – that's what I've been harping on all week. It'll be a big game for him, but he'll face a great nose [tackle] or a great tackle probably every week."

(On going up against a Dan Quinn coached team)

"Very smart, very disciplined, very tough – they get after you. [They are] very well coached. Dan is a hell of a coach."

(On WR Jalen McMillan and DB Tykee Smith making their first NFL starts)

"Depending on the personnel group, I don't know if Tykee is starting. We have enough confidence in them that those guys will go out there and play the right way and play smart and the game won't be too big for them."

(On what season openers are like for him, considering he's a pretty stoic guy)

"It's exciting! You always have the butterflies when you go out there. It's opening day in the NFL. It's no different than when you were a player."

(On if he reminisces about his time as a player in Washington)

"I mean, it's the place that gave me my start. I can't ever forget playing for Washington. [I had] a lot of great teammates – a lot of great games I've played in. I've played against a lot of great players. Without going to Washington, I wouldn't be standing here. Without Coach [Joe] Gibbs giving me a chance, I wouldn't be standing here."

(On college free agent CB Tyrek Funderburk saying he looks up to Todd Bowles because Bowles had to earn his opportunity in the NFL)

"Yeah, but I was a lot better than Tyrek, so…[laughs]"

(On if he or Funderburk had better ball skills)

"I had better ball skills than Tyrek. He hasn't gotten one pick in this league yet – I'm way ahead of him right now. Talk to me in about 10 years."

(On Washington WR Terry McLaurin being overlooked)

"He's elite. He's always been elite, for me. Just watching him play, the way he gets off the ball, the way he gets in and out of routes, the way his catch radius is, the way he fights for the ball – he's an outstanding receiver. I don't think he's overlooked by a lot of people that [are] in the league at all."

(On if players coming out of college are more ready to play than they were five or 10 years ago)

"I can't answer that question, only time can answer that question. I'm only concerned about one [game] right now."

(On Washington bringing in LB Bobby Wagner and what he brings to a defense)

"Besides his playmaking ability, he's extremely intelligent. There's probably not an offensive play he hasn't seen or he hasn't dissected. He can really breathe confidence into a defense because of his communication and the way he plays."

QUARTERBACK BAKER MAYFIELD

(On if he is excited for Week 1)

"Yeah, I mean, you prep all year, all offseason… It just feels like the waiting game forever and you finally get to the game prep and game planning and all that stuff – it is exciting. Obviously, you get the roster down [and] you know who you're going to be with. Obviously, some things can change but it's just exciting to be able to get into a routine and focus on competing against somebody else for good now."

(On how he earned a lot of his career highs last season and what he wants to improve on)

"I think, consistency… We started out great last year. Obviously, we talked about the highs and lows that we endured last year. Just [be] more consistent, I think, and I think this group is more than capable of that – of being extremely well coached, detailed throughout the year and really keyed in on the details. I think for me, just being more consistent. I say it all the time – my job is to put us in the best position to win, so for me – whether that's checking the right run plays, getting the ball out on time [and] being accurate. For me, it's just [being] more consistent overall."

(On if it feels any different heading into Week 1 this year compared to last year)

"Personally, obviously it feels good to be with these guys and [to] have known them for over a year now. You have the chemistry and all that, the camaraderie, everything that everybody wants to talk about. For us, it's just [that] we know what type of group we have. We don't know exactly our identity scheme-wise yet. We have a pretty good idea, but we know mentally what our identity is. We're a tough team that's going to play extremely hard and fast, and offensively, we want to be very physical. It feels good to know that going into this and to try and go achieve that."

(On heading into his first season as a dad and how his mindset may have changed)

"Obviously, life is a lot more than just football. For me, setting a good example and that's – I try to do that each day in the building – of work ethic, being the same person each and every day no matter what's going on. Everybody [has] stuff going on outside of this building but handling all that, handling my business being a good role model and obviously, it's even bigger now. There'll be stories written and all that, that she'll look back on and be able to read down the road, which is really special, but for right now, it's about winning and doing my job at the highest level."

(On the photo of him and his daughter on the sideline and what it's like to have his family there to look over at during game)

"I don't know where mom finds this stuff – all the gear, but she does a really good job of dressing her up. It's just so special and there's a lot of Bucs guys that are new dads or [have] new members of the families here so it's awesome to look over at the sideline and see, in the midst of [us] about to play a game [and] how serious that is – that you can stop and take a second for yourself, take a deep breath and enjoy the family that you have before you refocus up. So yeah, it's awesome."

(On the good and bad that could come from being the 2^nd - youngest team in the league)

"I don't know if they took out Mike [Evans] and Lavonte [David]'s age from that [laughs]. There are good and bad. You know, you have your rookie mistakes, your learning curves and that's just the nature of this game, but then also, sometimes they play so fast that they might not have any regard for their body and just go out there and play as hard as they can. The young guys always bring juice, because I think your veterans – they get into such a routine. Not that you get bored with it but it becomes so normal to go through this routine, the ins and outs [and] be detailed about it. Yeah, you get excited on game days but it's always fun to have new guys bring in new energy and to elevate that standard, as well."

(On if Week 1 is more about what the Buccaneers do in this game than the Commanders, and what the focus of the offense is)

"It's honestly pretty similar to every single week. We have to game plan for these guys. You mentioned it. They haven't shown a lot of stuff [and] what they're going to do. We can look back on what Dan Quinn's done in the past. We can do all that stuff – look at the personnel they have [to] try and get a good idea of it, but it always comes down to us executing. Whatever play we have and then back to my job – getting us in the right position [and] what look I'm seeing [and] being able to adjust on that. It comes down to us executing our plays at the highest level and that's week-in week-out. You game plan your opponents, you understand who they are, who can ruin your game, where those guys are lined up, at but after that it's adapting and reacting on the fly and being able to adjust on the sidelines."

(On what he's seen from the Commanders defense so far)

"Obviously, [a] high draft pick in Mikey [Sainristil] at nickel. He's a really athletic guy. I think he's a guy that can do a lot of things for them in the secondary, so we have to kind of find out how they're going to use him. I played with Jeremy Chinn as a safety. [He's] a guy that's very versatile, and something [where] I know that they'll be able to move him around. He's a guy that can play safety, linebacker, and move around all over the field. Frankie [Luvu] and Bobby [Wagner] – obviously Frankie's a high energy guy. [He] doesn't have an off switch, a high motor, great guy. He's going to compete his tail off, and then Bobby Wagner is a legend. He's a seasoned vet. He's seen every type of scheme. You can tell, just his recognition of plays. People can talk about his age but I'm pretty sure he led the league in tackles last year, so I don't think he's really lost a step. Their strongest point is the D-line. It's been that way for a while. I know they lost Montez Sweat but they replaced some guys, brought in some new pieces and it starts with the interior guys, [Daron] Payne and [Jonathan] Allen – two really good players that have been with them for a while. When you talk about [the] basics of football game planning, you always say it starts up front with the big guys and this is one of those matchups that it really does start up front, so we're looking forward to that and seeing our guys handle it."

(On what it's like for him when he walks out of the tunnel to start the game in Week 1)

"Not to steal Coach [Todd] Bowles' line, but it's exciting because of all the prep work. The long months waiting for it. You finally get into the game week, you get dialed in on what you want to attack [and] how you want to scheme it up. You prep all year and then obviously week to week, you prep all week just for those 60 minutes of game time. You have to go out and you have to relax and have fun. You've prepared for this moment. Our guys are going to be ready by that time, so just have fun, enjoy that. It's a really exciting moment. Week 1 energy is always really special."

(On if he still gets butterflies)

"No. I get a little ammonia packet [and] I'm ready to role."

(On his level of confidence with Tampa Bay's run game)

"I'm extremely confident. I'm extremely confident in the guys we have doing it, and then obviously, the new schemes and just the new stuff that they have brought in. I think Coach [Kevin] Carberry has done a great job of detailing all that work up for them. Brian Picucci in that room is also helping those guys out and then Liam [Coen] just brings that focus to it. He demands excellence on the tracks and everything that the [running] backs are doing too. He's extremely critical on their footwork and what not but that's what it takes to be a great running team. It's been good to see that it's transferred [to] not just the first group when we're out there, but the second and third group is really translating it from the practice field to the game field. For us, I have a lot of confidence and I'm expecting that, and I know the guys are too."

(On how a good ground game would affect his passing efficiency)

"Every time the ground game is working, most of the time it means you have guys running open, or free in the play action game because safeties are biting on the play – action fake, if you're just more efficient on early downs. With our guys that we have, I expect to be efficient no matter what. No matter what our ground game looks like. We have three studs [that] we expect to go out there and start and then the guys that are going to come in – there's not really a drop off so I expect us to be extremely efficient as a whole offense."

(On what it means to play with WR Mike Evans and the milestones that he has a chance to reach this season)
"You look at how consistent Mike has been. He's the definition of consistency and when it comes down to it, all those accolades are great. I think we want it more for him than he really does because he just wants to win. That's the truth. He doesn't act any different way behind the scenes. He really just does want to win. He'll get his touches. He'll get his yards. He's done it with pretty much everybody so it won't stop now and just with the added weapons that we have and the new scheme, it should be a great thing for him."

(On the camaraderie and chemistry on this team and how it helps going up against a team with newer components)

"This is the closest group I've ever been a part of, and that goes back to college days too, and that's pretty special and extremely rare, to be honest with you. Our guys – we have a group that's not going to take it for granted. You can't just expect everybody to go out there and roll over on people. You have to be able to go out and execute and we have a group that's that focused. We just expect that's the standard, and like I've mentioned before, the standard was already extremely high before I got here, and our vets do an unbelievable…We have the group that understands what we have to do to attack it and go out and win, but the chemistry will take you a long way. Week 1, I wouldn't necessarily say it's the biggest difference. It's really when adversity hits down the road, [that's] when you see what a team is made of, like last year. We expect to be a tight knit group and if a game is close, we expect to be coming out on top."

(On the video posted of his dancing)

"They did that at Pro Bowl. Technology's a crazy thing because the only people I was there with were Geno [Smith] and Puka [Nacua], so you can really green screen some things."

-BUCCANEERS-