Todd Bowles Talks Offensive Firepower & Defense Depth | Bucs Total Access

Reporter Casey Phillips sits down with Tampa Bay Buccaneers Head Coach Todd Bowles after the Week 1 victory vs. the Washington Commanders. They dive into Baker Mayfield’s consistency and effectiveness in running the offense, provide updates on injuries and defensive line depth, and HC Bowles previews the upcoming game against the Detroit Lions.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Fuck not three?

Speaker 2 (00:01):
What?

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Two?

Speaker 3 (00:01):
Three?

Speaker 4 (00:02):
Please these Buccaneers Total access with head coach Todd Bowles.

Speaker 5 (00:09):
The hell of the job.

Speaker 6 (00:10):
Going back here may Field shotgun look looks right.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
I'm back to up those twarters.

Speaker 4 (00:19):
Left Coldball Evans at the five?

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Another three? Two?

Speaker 4 (00:21):
What touchdowns? Have a bay there you go, fire the cannons,
Mike Evans. Brought to you by at Vent Health.

Speaker 5 (00:27):
No matter what helps you feel whole, swimming, laughing, or
finding peaceful moments in your day, advent Health is here
to support you with world class expertise and whole person care,
because feeling whole always speakins at advent Heealth dot com.

Speaker 1 (00:41):
Fire the cannibs, now.

Speaker 4 (00:43):
Your host, Bocks, Team reporter Casey Phillips and head coach
Todd Bowles.

Speaker 2 (00:47):
Welcome into Week one of the Todd Bowles Show. Casey
Phillips here at with head coach Todd Bowles and man,
congratulations on such a fun win.

Speaker 3 (00:55):
I have to imagine that, I mean.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Fourth highest points and third highest point differential in a
week one game in franchise history in terms of statements.

Speaker 3 (01:04):
And what you want to see week one? Where does
that stand for you?

Speaker 6 (01:08):
I think for the most part we were physical and
that was the biggest thing I wanted to see. There
were gonna be some mistakes made, and we understood that,
but they stayed with it. They grinded it out and
we got a good win.

Speaker 2 (01:18):
And for you, as a head coach, you come into
each season, I imagine each year feels a little different for
you individually as a person. What were you what were
your vibes this year, your mindset, your attitude as you
came into this season, because it felt like across the building,
across the team, and this game seemed to be a
continuation of it. Just felt like everyone had some good
feelings about this year.

Speaker 6 (01:39):
From a continuity standpoint and a camaraderie and chemistry standpoint,
I thought we were far ahead of where we were
last year. So going into the game, I felt good
as far as as long as we played good football,
and we did.

Speaker 2 (01:51):
And I know last year there was outside noise of
little expectations for the team, and I know you guys
internally always had higher expectations and what was being talked
about outside of the building, you ignored the haters.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
Do you feel like there's a similar vibe to it
this year?

Speaker 2 (02:05):
Still the team not getting the credit you guys think
they deserve, and as a head coach, what's your role
in trying to ensure that the team can again ignore
that outside noise and know what you have here?

Speaker 6 (02:15):
Again for us we earn credit. We're not out to
prove them wrong. We have to prove us right. And
for us to prove ourselves right, we got to play
the right way and do the right things to play
and let everybody else jump on the bandwagon.

Speaker 2 (02:26):
You score in the first five possessions seven of eight
total thirty seven points. You guys didn't score thirty until
week nine of last year, So how exciting is that,
especially when it's week one with a new coordinator and
there's still probably a lot of things that you feel
like need to be worked out.

Speaker 6 (02:41):
It was very positive, and those field goals still probably
need to turn the touchdowns. I thought we did a
good job getting three when we had to get three,
and we could have easily executed a little better to
get fifty something points on the board.

Speaker 2 (02:54):
Baker mayfield man, I mean twenty four to thirty two
hundred and eighty nine yards, four touchdowns, zero interception. Tell
me what stands out to you about his game?

Speaker 6 (03:02):
It's consistency. You know, I thought he dumped it off
when he had to dump it off. He threw it
deep when he had to throw it deep. He ran
and used used his legs when he had to use
his legs. I thought he played a very smart game.
I thought he was very focused. I thought he's very sharp.

Speaker 2 (03:15):
How do you see his approach, mindset, attitude this year,
having the contract, not being in a quarterback battle. Did
he feel different to you? And what did you see
from him out there?

Speaker 3 (03:25):
In the way? He seemed to approach it with confidence.

Speaker 6 (03:28):
He played the same, But I think from a confidence standpoint,
he feels more like home. I think he knows he
has a place to stay. Nobody's looking over his shoulder.
He's more comfortable that way. But the chip on his
shoulder will never leave.

Speaker 2 (03:40):
And I think one of the big takeaways from the game,
Mike Evans Chris Godwin is still very good at football.

Speaker 6 (03:45):
Damn good at football. They make a lot of plays.
They make a lot of plays. And it was the
one two punch and he throw Jalen in there, made
it a third punch and they did a good job.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (03:55):
So when Mayfield was throwing to Chris and Mike in
the first half. He's ten for eleven, one hundred and
fifteen yards in a touchdown just in that first half.
And of course Godwin got that touchdown, which made him
second all time in the franchise in terms of receiving touchdowns,
receptions yards, and of course he trails only Mike in
all three of those categories. So you have the top
two in franchise history in all those categories playing at

(04:19):
the same time.

Speaker 3 (04:20):
What is that like to watch for you?

Speaker 6 (04:23):
It's unbelievable to see. I didn't know they had all
them categories. I know Mike had them. I and Chris
was right there with him. I just keep telling Baker
to throwing the football. You can't go wrong if you
throw those two guys the football. But for us as
a team, those guys are such team players as well.
They block, they do the little things right, and they're
very good for the young guys to help prepare us

(04:43):
for professionals.

Speaker 2 (04:45):
Take me through that first Mike touchdown that even when
I feel like Mike can't shock me anymore, that one's
still I felt like my jaw just dropped watching it.

Speaker 6 (04:54):
That was tough coverage. I mean, Saint Jews had them
on the sideline. They were hand fighting the whole way
down and at the last minute, his focus and put
his hands out to snatch that ball in there almost
out of bounds with that guy hanging on him was unbelievable.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
I know.

Speaker 2 (05:07):
With his two touchdowns in the game, he jumped past
Devanta Adams into twelfth place in NFL history with ninety
six touchdown catches. What have you seen specifically from Baker
and Mike's chemistry and how it might be different going
into this year as compared to last year.

Speaker 6 (05:22):
I think Baker has a better feel for when Mike's
one on one and where to put the ball at.
I think they have that chemistry. The eye contact will
always be there, but they're starting to understand each other
where to put the football at, even when he's covered,
whether it's back shoulder, whether it's on top, whether it's inside,
whether it's outside. I think they have a good feel
for that.

Speaker 2 (05:40):
And Chris Godwin is the god of third down, it
feels like at this point, and the team overall was
nine to thirteen on third down, which is a great
performance there. What do you feel like makes Chris in
particular so good at third down? And what stood out
overall about his performance to.

Speaker 6 (05:56):
You, Chris is a very good one on one receiver.
He has a knack forgetting open, He has outstanding hands,
He has great run after catchability like he did on
the screen play on the third and fourteen or sixteen
whatever it was. And he just makes plays. He makes
plays anywhere close. His catch radius is so big. He
comes down with the hard catches, but he makes him
look easy.

Speaker 2 (06:17):
And you know, we've been hearing a little bit about
the way Liam Cohen was gonna use him as compared
to the waves used last year, maybe getting back into
the slot more. What do you like about what Liam
has decided to do with him, and what is it
particularly about the slot that suits Chris so well?

Speaker 6 (06:31):
You have more options, you know, you have more options
for a guy of his skill set. You have more
options to get in and out. You get on smaller
DB's at times, the bigger ones you can run by.
And he's a heck of a blocker as well, so
it helps in the run game.

Speaker 2 (06:43):
Does it feel like looking at Chris this year it
felt like you were looking at pre injury Chris?

Speaker 1 (06:49):
It does.

Speaker 6 (06:49):
It usually takes two years to get over the injury
he had. He played well last year, but he came
out the gates yesterday and he played great.

Speaker 2 (06:56):
And Jalen macmillan you mentioned him as well, adding a
great third option, and of course his first catch of
his career is a touchdown.

Speaker 3 (07:03):
Not a bad way to start, and.

Speaker 2 (07:04):
With just how successful his whole preseason has been, I'm
not surprised that it seemed like that was the way
that it was going to start. I know that you
have some comments about maybe the first two attempts to
get him a catch, but we're gonna focus on the
one that turned out.

Speaker 3 (07:16):
In the touchdown. But tell me for him, what did.

Speaker 2 (07:19):
You notice about that play his game and just the
way he's been able to come in and build confidence
and trust in you by Baker so quickly.

Speaker 6 (07:26):
I think that catch was huge for his confidence. I
think in training camp him and Baker connected quite a
few times because we didn't play the starters most of
the time, so he got very comfortable with him. But
that catch for him in this game is a precursor
to what he's going to do the rest.

Speaker 2 (07:41):
Of the year and what does bring him a unique
specific talent, Like what are the kind of physical traits
mental traits that stand out.

Speaker 6 (07:47):
He can play all three spots. You know, he's not
just fast, he's quick, he's very smart. He can get
in and out of breaks very well. He has out
standing hand.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
Casey Phillips here with head coach Todd Bowles, let's talk
a little bit about your offensive line. Did you see
from them overall in this first game.

Speaker 1 (08:02):
As a group? I thought they played well.

Speaker 6 (08:04):
You know, there was some plays that got through early on,
but they cleaned it up. They finished the game with
heck of a drive.

Speaker 1 (08:11):
They blocked well.

Speaker 6 (08:12):
I thought they played and they finished blocks, and they
played together.

Speaker 2 (08:15):
Graham Barton's first game not the easiest interior d line
to start your career against. How do you feel about that?
As a head coach of do you do you like
kind of the idea of sinker Swim throwing him against
some of the tougher competition. Wish it was maybe a
not quite as strong a group he's going against to
ease him into it.

Speaker 3 (08:32):
How do you feel about that?

Speaker 6 (08:33):
Well, he's sank or Swim with Vita and Kansi and
the whole Spring in the entire training camp, So anybody
else is just what type of sink of swim, so
his confidence was high. He played fast, he got on
his blocks, and I thought he was sharp.

Speaker 2 (08:45):
And I know the run game has been a huge
point of emphasis for you guys going all the way
back through last year. Ninety three yards between Rashad and Bucky.
I know Rashad's average wasn't as high as you guys
would hope. Bucky, of course had a big thirty one
yard run, so that his.

Speaker 3 (09:00):
Average up a lot. But what did you see overall
from the run game.

Speaker 6 (09:03):
I thought it was a great one to two punch.
Rashad helped us a lot in the passing game. Bucky
got in late, helped us in the run game. Early
in the game, it's gonna be hard sledding against the
run and stopping the run because they're predicated to stop
it early on. Once the game opens up and you
get in the third and fourth quarter and you wear
them down some with the passes with Mike and Chris,
obviously the run game opened up and Bucky was in there,

(09:24):
he did a heck of a job.

Speaker 2 (09:26):
In your mind, what is kind of the ideal use
of having two running backs and how their skill sets look.
What are the ways that you feel like is kind
of the if everything goes according to plan, the ideal
way to use them.

Speaker 6 (09:37):
Rashad's bigger. Obviously, you try to wear them down some
and you try to pop some through the hole with
Bucky because he's a little quicker that way. But Rashad
has our standing hands and he's a great receiver as
well as Bucky is. But Rashad is probably bigger for
pass protection. So whoever has the hot hand, and there
we're gonna go with, and it's great to add two
of them.

Speaker 2 (09:55):
What do you see as Bucky's potential? And what you
remember about even as you guys were scouting him and
bringing him in here, of what excited you about him?

Speaker 6 (10:02):
He always made the first guy miss, even in college.
That first guy's not tackling him. He's very sudden in
the hole. He can see to the side and make
quick cuts while he's going full speed and.

Speaker 3 (10:14):
Take us through his thirty one yard run. What did
you see on that play?

Speaker 6 (10:17):
Oh, that hole was big. I could have ran through
that one. But you know, Buckie's a lot faster than
I am, and he can see it. And once he
gets out in the open, he can move.

Speaker 2 (10:26):
And speaking of being able to move, Jayden Daniels. That
guy is a very mobile quarterback and rushed for eighty
eight yards. You know, it seemed like at times he
was kind of their whole offense was the him just
using his legs and trying to scramble. So what do
you feel like you learned about trying to stop a
quarterback like him, and what you learned about your defense
in that sense?

Speaker 6 (10:44):
Oh better him beat us with his legs than his arm.
It takes about three seconds to score a touchdown. It
takes longer than that to run with the guys down inside.
I thought we were planning to run, well, he got
out the pocket a few times, we lost contain or
we misfit one of the lanes. And of a quarterback.
That's why he got drafted so high, and he's gonna
be a great quarterback down the road. We held him

(11:05):
down in the pass game for the most parts of
the last drive. And you know, quarterback that has to
run in this league not gonna beat you with his feet.
He's gonna beat you with his arm.

Speaker 3 (11:14):
And I know that.

Speaker 2 (11:15):
Of course, you were also trying to face him with
a depleted defensive front a little bit, especially that defensive
line very banged up. Take us through how you feel
like your defensive front played considering you were missing several guys.

Speaker 6 (11:26):
I thought they played well in the run game. I
really did. They did a good job coming in. All
three of them did a good job coming in playing.
Will did a good job starting the ballgame for us.

Speaker 1 (11:34):
He's a warrior. And you know.

Speaker 6 (11:36):
The pass rush we got to hold down some. We
had to mush rush them some because we were injured
in the secondary as well, So you had to help
out one place, Rob Peter to pay Paul sort of
speak and that kind of that's kind of how the
game went.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
And tell us a little bit about the timeline for you,
even as a coach preparing when not only is Calijah out,
but out so late in the week that you already
knew you were gonna be without Logan Hall. Then you
find out late in the week without Klijah. What does
that do for you from a preparation standpoint?

Speaker 6 (12:03):
It deflates me. It deflates me. Then you regroup and
you go back. Like I said, you make this team
for a reason. We got guys, we know how to
use them when they play and they come through.

Speaker 2 (12:14):
And how do you feel about the depth of the
defensive line. Now getting a chance to watch a game
without those guys in there, and who are some of
the guys that you feel like, depending on what happens
with them moving forward, who might step up.

Speaker 6 (12:24):
I think it's severely being tested. I think Gain stepped
up and played the three technique, which he's normally a nose,
which did a very good job. Brewer came up from
the practice squad as well as Mike Green. Mike has
played in games for US a year ago. Brewer had
a heck of a training camp, so we were confident
in him, and still we kind of threw him in
on the fly, so he got some plays in as well.

(12:45):
So I just looked for those guys to get better.

Speaker 3 (12:47):
Man injury, bug, bitch you guys in that game. Just
you know.

Speaker 2 (12:50):
I think it's that now you know how to coach
a game so well that you got to get all
these things thrown at you to really keep you keep
you on your toes.

Speaker 3 (12:58):
Tell me for you what this was like?

Speaker 2 (13:00):
You was like, You're already without a couple defensive linemen,
and then one corner goes down, another corner as.

Speaker 3 (13:06):
These things mount up, What is this like for you?
In the game. What goes through your head and how
you try to adjust for this.

Speaker 6 (13:12):
I got accustomed to the d line being down because
it happened during the week, So game time I was
kind of like, okay, this is what we got. One
corner went down. I was okay, Bryce go ahead, and
Zion went down.

Speaker 1 (13:23):
We were good.

Speaker 6 (13:24):
Bryce went down and Hayes went down. I was like,
we're at a corner.

Speaker 3 (13:27):
We're out.

Speaker 6 (13:29):
And then my first thought was, okay, is he played
nickel so he's done some corner ish type of thing.

Speaker 2 (13:35):
Is can we put that on the on the rosters
corner ish and the depth chart?

Speaker 6 (13:40):
I said, safety is you got to talk to him
every play and we tried to put calls in that
he knew that kind of was familiar with the nickel roll,
but playing outside and he made some plays, and is
he is one person that will be out there playing
football no matter what. He's very feisty, he's very tough,
and he's gonna compete and I knew that part about him.

Speaker 2 (14:00):
So now as we record this, what are the updates
about who you think you may or may not have available.
There's also been some news of Aline Winfield being in
a boot, which I mean, God, your DB's they're killing
you this with sweet So what do we know at
this point very early in the week or not.

Speaker 6 (14:15):
No, I know we won't have Bryce that part, I
do know, and Winfield and Hayes will and Zion we'll
see later on in the week.

Speaker 3 (14:23):
And if they're not able to go, what is your
process then? Am I getting a call?

Speaker 6 (14:28):
I'm gonna call Dan Campbell tell them to just go
heavy personnel so we can just play all the big
guys and we'll just play the game that way.

Speaker 2 (14:34):
We'll go back in time to just everyone runs the
ball and that's all we're doing. I know, even with
all those injuries, you were still really successful in stopping
Terry McLaurin, which that's a talented guy.

Speaker 3 (14:42):
You've said a lot of good things about. How do
you feel like you were able to manage that?

Speaker 6 (14:46):
We paid attention to him. I mean, we thought that
was more dangerous than the quarterback running, so him hurting
us getting over the top would have put more points
on the board for him, So we kind of took
attention to him and laid off the quarterback a little bit,
and he got out a few times.

Speaker 3 (15:00):
And your inside linebacker group.

Speaker 2 (15:01):
Tell me about how they played his first game where
the season is kJ Britz your starting guy going in.
We also saw Servassier Dennis getting some reps maybe on
third down type throwing packages. So what did you see
from those main trio of inside linebackers.

Speaker 6 (15:16):
I thought they played well for the most part. I
thought we missed two or three tackles that led him
out a couple of times. They had two passes they
got over fifty yards and they were five yard check down.
So we got to do better there. But the communication
is one of two areas we got to clean up.
But they played well, and I say got a sack.
Levonte had a bunch of tackles. K They had a
bunch of tackles. We just got to clean up the
small things. And that comes with playing a full game

(15:38):
as opposed to playing a few plays in preseason. And
I think they'll settle down.

Speaker 2 (15:42):
And then Joe try and Shrinka got a sack fumble
out there. What have you seen from him in that
first game and just your your expectations and hopes for
him now, especially that the team doesn't have Shack and
he's one of the elder statesmen now of that room essentially.

Speaker 6 (15:55):
So it was very talented. We asked him to do
a lot of things, from rushing, the dropping, the covering,
to picking to spying the quarterback. He does a lot
of things for us. He did a lot of things yesterday.
The Zach was great. He had some tackles as well.
He played strong at the point and probably due to
his haircut.

Speaker 3 (16:12):
That's what it is he I mean, Rashad.

Speaker 2 (16:15):
We had a bunch of guys all decided was it
just that they wanted it a little bit closer to
the Todd Bowles look?

Speaker 3 (16:19):
Was that what it was?

Speaker 6 (16:20):
Always imitated and never do exactly right.

Speaker 3 (16:24):
That is very true fcing the Lions.

Speaker 2 (16:26):
I know a lot of times coaches like to say
every game is the same, every game matters the same.
But it feel a little bit like a revenge game
against them, having ended the season with them last year.

Speaker 1 (16:36):
No it doesn't.

Speaker 6 (16:37):
I mean it's weak two, it's week two. They're a
different team and we're a different team. We have a
lot of new guys, different offensive coordinator, it's a different scheme.
We know they're a very good team, but we came
in first as well. It's gonna be a first place schedule,
so they're not gonna be the only good team we face.
It's a good measuring stake early on. We just gotta come.

Speaker 1 (16:54):
Ready to play.

Speaker 2 (16:55):
Uh, Jared Goff, tell me what it's been like each
time you faced him, and some of the unique challenge
the he brings.

Speaker 1 (17:01):
He can get rid of the ball real quick.

Speaker 6 (17:03):
He has a lot of talent on the outside as
well as in the backfield, a lot of choices he
can go to, and you know, it's hard to get
to him because he lets the ball go so fast,
and then they can pound you in a run game
as well, so that helps out a lot. But he
has very good commands of the offense. He knows where
to go with the ball, He understands defenses very well,
and he's playing well.

Speaker 2 (17:23):
And that run game you mentioned, tell me a little
bit more about that and those guys, we definitely saw
that that ended up being very key to them and
their win last night. So what stands out to you
about that group.

Speaker 6 (17:31):
They have a great one two punch. I mean, Gibbs
is very explosive. He can go to the house at
any time. I think Montgomery plays. He does a very
good job slicing through the middle. He's very tough. They
have a great one two punch. They can catch screens,
they can catch out of the backfield, and both of
them can block.

Speaker 2 (17:48):
And tell me about I'm on ros Saint Brown that
he's become. I know that for that team, as good
as they are, wide receiver is not necessarily their deepest position.
But the couple guys that got at the top, in
particular him, he has really come on the scene in
recent years and improving himself. So what are the unique
skill sets that he has that can make him a
tough cover.

Speaker 6 (18:05):
He can do it all. He's very quick, he's very
elusive in the slot. He can go outside and run
deep balls. He can he can go in the back
of it and run the ball. He'll run reverses, jet sweeps.
He can do everything that a receiver can possibly do.
And whether it's a fleet flicker, whether him running routes,
he's a great route runner. He gets in and out
of breaks very well. So it makes him a very
tough cover.

Speaker 2 (18:25):
And how about Jamison Williams now a number two guy
behind him, and again showed he has some major big
play potential in their.

Speaker 3 (18:32):
Win the other night.

Speaker 2 (18:32):
So what is it about the way he can especially
compliment him and that it's a challenging thing having the
two of them out there together.

Speaker 6 (18:39):
A lot of speed, he can take the top off
at any time. He's just coming into his own. This
year they moving him around a little bit more than
they have in the past, and he's making them. He's
making people pay.

Speaker 2 (18:49):
And then Sam Laporta another weapon that they have out
there at tight end. What makes him challenging, Well.

Speaker 6 (18:55):
He's a tight end, but yet he's a receiver. He
can do all the things the wideouts can do, but
yet he can block and he can overpower you on
the inside. So when you have that kind of power
and that athleticism, it makes a tough cover.

Speaker 2 (19:06):
So now I know their defense was bottom third in
the league last year. As good as that team was,
that was a bit of occasionally their weakness, especially on
the secondary end. They added a few new pieces, of course,
including our friend Carlton Davis. So what could be stronger
for them defensively this time around?

Speaker 6 (19:23):
They have more man than man cover guys. They have
more athletic safeties and they can cover whether you're in
base or whether you're in sub They have they have
three corners they can cover three receivers and that's hard
to do in this league.

Speaker 2 (19:36):
So if you were to pick a couple keys to
the game, maybe on each side of the ball, what
would you say for us?

Speaker 6 (19:41):
Offensively, we got to take care of the football, We
got to be able to run it, and we got
to score in the red zone. Defensively, we got to
stop the run. We can't give up the big play,
and we got to get to the quarterback.

Speaker 2 (19:52):
All right, Well, coach, as always, thank you so much
for spending your time with us.

Speaker 3 (19:56):
We really appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (19:57):
And congratulations on that really exciting and awesome to watch
first week win.

Speaker 6 (20:01):
You're very welcome.

Speaker 1 (20:02):
Love the new studio.

Speaker 3 (20:03):
Oh I thank you.

Speaker 2 (20:04):
Coming up next on Buccaneers Total Access, brought to you
by advent Health, we'll have general manager Jason Light.

Speaker 3 (20:09):
This is Buccaneers Radio.

Speaker 4 (20:10):
Buccaneers Total Access brought to you by advent Health.

Speaker 1 (20:14):
Shotgun look Jared Goff Bell High snapped here.

Speaker 4 (20:16):
Coups a pressure, Peace sacked on the back fielding the
thirty one yard line le Monte.

Speaker 1 (20:20):
David shoots like a rocket and got it. Bill High.

Speaker 4 (20:23):
I'm dropping now more with Bucks team reporter Casey Phillips.

Speaker 3 (20:27):
Welcome back into Buccaneers Total Access.

Speaker 2 (20:29):
First half of the show we had head coach Todd Bowles,
and now we are so excited to be joined by
none other than general manager Jason Light. Jason, thank you
so much for being with us.

Speaker 1 (20:38):
I appreciate your having me and man.

Speaker 3 (20:39):
Picked a good week. Not gonna lie, we picked a
good week to have you on.

Speaker 1 (20:42):
Yeah. No, that's always a good week for a win.

Speaker 3 (20:44):
Yeah, And I mean that wasn't just a win.

Speaker 2 (20:47):
That felt like in my mind, Okay, so fourth highest
points and third highest point differential in a week one.

Speaker 3 (20:53):
Game in franchise history.

Speaker 2 (20:55):
I have to imagine in terms of statements you want
to make in week one? Was that a about ideal
in that sense?

Speaker 1 (21:02):
Well, first of all, we just wanted to win. It
wasn't about making a statement. But it felt good to
get the contributions that we did from young players. And
then also, you know the players that we have just
re signed, you know, our core players, all of them
had big games. So it was good to see. You know,

(21:25):
it's also good to see that you know, there's a
lot of room to grow too. So we we did
score a lot of points, We had a we had
a lot of success, but there's a lot of things
that we can improve on, and believe it or not,
that's that's kind of exciting to know that it's wasn't
the finished products.

Speaker 3 (21:38):
Yeah, that wasn't the ceiling. There's still even more. That's great.
How did you feel going into this year? I imagine
I mean, you've been here with the eleventh season? Is
that right?

Speaker 1 (21:48):
And great?

Speaker 3 (21:48):
Yeah? Everybody here in this building did that to you?
I'm sure so.

Speaker 2 (21:53):
I imagine that every year, each team feels a little different,
and it can for you even feel different as you
approach the sea. And what was your kind of mindset
attitude going in this year?

Speaker 3 (22:04):
What did you like the vibe of this team in
this season?

Speaker 1 (22:07):
Was? I liked? I like the It's one of the
better vibes that I've been around here going into the year.
That doesn't always mean that you know you're going to
be guaranteed a certain number of wins or anything like that,
but it certainly is better having a good vibe than
a bad vibe. And and that's because of the the

(22:29):
players that we have, and that's because of the the
culture that Todd you know, Fosters, that he keeps that
he wants, and so I had a great feeling the
way the season ended last year. We always always hate
to lose, unless you're you know, I mean, even if
you lose the Super Bowl, it sucks. But so losing

(22:51):
is a bad way to end the year. But still
so many good things, so many exciting things. We've managed
to get all the players back that we wanted, important pieces.
So I just kind of felt like, you know, we're
going to not just pick up where we left. I
think we're going to be better.

Speaker 2 (23:07):
And I know one of the big storylines of in
terms of you do have a lot of continuity, but
you do have a new offensive coordinator, Liam Cohen. And
here in this first game, you score on the first
five possessions seven of eight total thirty seven points. You
guys weren't able to hit thirty until week nine of
last year. So how exciting is it when week one
already you're putting up that kind of stat line.

Speaker 1 (23:24):
Yeah, it's a good feeling. It's good to know that
we that we're going to go into games and we
have a lot of options and a lot of weapons,
and there's a lot of creativity going on with our
offense right now, and it's something that Todd spoke to
me a lot about before we hired Liam, what he
was looking for and so far they're delivering.

Speaker 2 (23:47):
And what do you remember about the hiring process with
Liam and why you felt like he was the guy
what you expected him to sort of bring to this team.

Speaker 1 (23:54):
A lot of energy, a lot of fresh ideas, a
lot of I mean, he's he he did a very
good job at University of Kentucky with the quarterback that's
now with the Titans. Will Levis had his best year
when William was the offensive coordinator there, and but then

(24:16):
he's also has the experience in LA with Sean McVay.

Speaker 3 (24:22):
He's he's Baker for a hot second, Baker.

Speaker 1 (24:24):
For for a minute, but he's not he's not a copycat.
He has his own ideas, the way he likes to
do things. So it's not like you're just hiring somebody
from you know, a staff. You're expecting him to be
Sean McVay. He's his own guy and you know, may
end up being. For so far, it's been awesome, and

(24:45):
it's it's it's it's so far as we're very very happy.

Speaker 2 (24:49):
Yeah, that's great, And we're talking to General manager Jason
light here, and you're probably also pretty happy with Baker's
start to this season. This guy, I mean twenty four
to thirty two hundred and eighty nine yards for touchdowns,
no interceptions. Tell me just kind of first about this
game in particular, what stood out to you, and then
same thing of how he felt and looked coming into
this year.

Speaker 1 (25:09):
Well, you never know what's going to happen in that
first game. The teams don't have, you know, the advantage
of because nobody's really showing their true colors in the
preseason what they're actually gonna do with their schematically, so
any team can beat any team in the first game.
That's the way I always kind of look at it.
So it for him to go out and you know,
play damn near perfect was very very exciting. But you

(25:30):
could tell throughout the preseason there was just a little
bit of a different makeup to him as compared to
last year. You know, he's more comfortable, he's a father now,
but he was very serious. Not that he you know,
was goofing off or anything last year, but it's just
it was just a very serious demeanor to him that

(25:52):
still but still having fun, but a very serious demeanor.
I think he's uh, he's all about business and he
wants to prove the world that, you know that all
the critics are wrong.

Speaker 2 (26:01):
I feel like Baker does feel like the quarterback people
want to have a beer with. And I feel like
I've heard also, you're the GM people want to have
a beer with. I feel like, what do you look
at of how Baker fits this team and this city?
As you've now you have been here, this is your
eleventh season. You've gotten a really good feel for this
organization in this city, and it feels like Baker and
Tampa just work.

Speaker 1 (26:21):
Yeah, it sure does. He's He's one of those guys
that can relate to anybody. I think he'd be willing
to have a beer or a drink or whatever or
hang out with just about anybody. And anybody I speak
to or see, you know, out and about, you know,
whether I'm run an errand for my wife or you know,
at a restaurant or whatever it is. They just everybody

(26:42):
wants to, you know, ask about Baker. Mike Evans. Of course,
you know all of our players, but it just in
this last year Baker's knew. So you know, when are
you going to resign, Baker, we need this guy, you know,
it's it comes from all walks of life. So I
think he's just one of those. That's what makes him
such an exceptional leader.

Speaker 2 (26:59):
And I know that we're very happy to see Mike Evans.
Chris Godwin absolutely still know what they're.

Speaker 3 (27:05):
Doing about now. That's for sure quite a game.

Speaker 2 (27:08):
Let's first talk about Mike Evans here that two touchdowns
made him pass DeVante Adams in a twelfth place in
NFL history with ninety six touchdown catches.

Speaker 3 (27:19):
What did you see from just Mike's opening game?

Speaker 2 (27:21):
And I think about even that first touchdown, I feel
like sometimes I'm like I can't be surprised by Mike
Evans anymore, and he still does something else that you
just leaves your draw on the floor. So what did
you see from him going into again another year where
he is continuing to it seems get better.

Speaker 1 (27:36):
Even I think you nailed that. It seems like he's
getting better. It's it's hed made some incredible catches that
were used to seeing over the years. But he's in
he's in great shape. He showed it through camp. He's
he looks he's better than he was as a rookie.
I mean it's uh, you know, he's amazing.

Speaker 2 (27:57):
He's amazing and as a first draft pick for you,
not a bad one for sure. And tell us a
little bit about Mike and Baker's chemistry and the way
you've seen it grow over.

Speaker 3 (28:05):
These last couple of years.

Speaker 1 (28:06):
Well, it was it was pretty quick. The you know
last year when the Baker's first year with us, I
think those two got on the same page pretty quickly,
and it's just gotten better and better, you know, every
all minute that they're together. You know, that was a
big thing for Mike to come back. He wanted to
make sure the Baker was going to be back. So
that's a that's very telling of the relationship. So and

(28:28):
it went both ways. So you know, they just have it.
It's just natural. It's just natural. But Baker has that
same relationship with Chris with our young guys. But but
those two just really it's it's it's pretty special.

Speaker 2 (28:40):
And the team was nine to thirteen on third down,
which is a great stat in and of itself, and
then I mean Chris Godwin practically had that stat by himself.
It was just it seemed like Liam Cohen's plan was, oh,
it's third down, Let's throw it to Chris, and that's
a good plan. What's it out about Chris Godwin's performance
in this game?

Speaker 1 (28:56):
It's I mean, I've I've heard it a million times
from people that I've talked to around the league, or
people on our on our staff, on the players. The
ball just finds Chris. It's just seems to be just
the recurring thing when you need a big play, the
ball finds him.

Speaker 2 (29:13):
And what do you like about the idea of how
Liam is using him and what makes Chris so good
in the slot? And even thinking back to when you
originally scouted him, was this the vision you guys had
for who he could become and where he'd be most successful?
Has that evolved over the years, It's evolved.

Speaker 1 (29:29):
You know, we knew that he had some versatility because
just the way he plays his play strength, He's He's
a bigger, sturdier type guy in there, which makes it
effective in the slot. But I think I think the
way that they're using him right now is just perfect
for Chris. He's gonna he'll have a he'll have a
longer career doing it this. Hopefully. He just has an

(29:53):
instinct inside because running back's vision once he gets the
ball in his hands. So that's what makes it makes
some ideal for the ways he's the ways being used
now looking.

Speaker 2 (30:03):
At Mike and Chris, I know also the stereotype of
wide receivers. We all know that, right of Oh, their
divas are this. You know, Mike and Chris could not
be further from the stereotype of a wide receiver. Did
you know how much did you know that about them
as you scattered them? How much was that a part
of it? And how much does that affect a locker
room when a high profile set of positions and people

(30:25):
like that are the way they.

Speaker 1 (30:26):
Are, It's it's very unique. It's it's rare actually to
have one like that. But now we have two veterans
that have really have no ego. They want to win first,
but they have you know, competitive nature to him to

(30:46):
be the best. It's it's a it's a general manager,
as a head coach's dream to have players like that
that are your leaders, that are your veterans that at
that position.

Speaker 2 (30:55):
Like you said, and of course we talked about there
were a million great things about the game. One of
the unfortunate ones is the injury bug that has happened
this last week where I think a lot of people
probably think your job is done. In the off season.
You do the draft, you find the guys, and then
you're done. In a week like this where you had
guys just dropping like flies, particularly at certain positions, and
you look at the d line pretty decimated going into

(31:17):
the game, and now your secondary pretty decimated in the game.
And it's early in the week, so we don't know
exactly who all will or won't be available. But what
happens now for you and your department as this happens
in the way you try to the coaching staff's going
to do what they can do with.

Speaker 3 (31:31):
Who they have. What's your route of trying to help
with this situation.

Speaker 1 (31:35):
Well, it really kind of starts in real time during
the game as we were getting injuries. We were already
kind of formulating a plan and reaching out to certain
people that we thought maybe could be available or were
available at the time. And then you know, as the
days unfold, we you know, put a plan together. So

(31:56):
we've got one. We've got to bring some players in now,
but we're going to get some players back, and so
it's just it's just the life of a season. You know,
it's it's kind of a weird. It's a very strange
profession where you know going into the year that you're
gonna have players get hurt. It's just kind of sick
knowing that this is. Yeah, this is part of the business.

(32:18):
But you just have to prepare for it at all times.
And luckily, I have a staff that is ultra prepared
for these situations. We have lists upon list of this
is what we're going to do if this happens. But it's,
like I said, it's just kind of strange that you're
preparing for players to get hurt.

Speaker 3 (32:35):
Yeah, you have to basically prepare for the worst case scenario. Yeah, yeah,
that's so inch. All right, we are going to take
a quick break here.

Speaker 2 (32:40):
We're gonna have more coming up with General manager Jason
Light on Buccaneers Total Access brought to you by advent Health.

Speaker 3 (32:45):
This is Buccaneers Radio.

Speaker 4 (32:47):
You were listening to Buccaneers Total Access with head coach
Todd Bowles and Bucks team reporter Casey Phillips, brought to
you by Advan Health.

Speaker 3 (32:56):
Welcome back into Buccaneers Total Access. I have General manager
Jason Light joining me here.

Speaker 2 (33:01):
Let's talk a little bit about Kelijah and ya Ya.
These are a couple of guys that as rookies last year.
Is it safe to say they exceeded expectations last year?
Or maybe you already knew to expect that much from them?

Speaker 1 (33:12):
I would say expected a lot from Klaija, being you know,
where we selected him. I would say, yah, yah exceeded expectations,
came along quicker than we thought he would. And uh,
we're you know, very very excited about them, both of
them coming into.

Speaker 2 (33:28):
The season and what are sort of the hopes for
in the ceiling for each of them? Of I feel
like you hear all the time about this year one
to year two jump. Is that something you guys are
expecting to see out of them? Or and what you
feel like now that you've seen him for a whole
year here, once they're both of course able to be
healthy and back and playing, what's the idea of what
they could hopefully become.

Speaker 1 (33:47):
I think I think we we were we are expecting
a you know, significant jump from where they were last year.
Now with Kalija being out here for a little bit
and then yah Ya, I'm missing all that time. It's
it's gonna probably take a couple of weeks, or maybe
maybe it just takes one week, but I think, uh,
but I think at at some point during the season

(34:08):
we're going to see a significant jump.

Speaker 3 (34:10):
I know.

Speaker 2 (34:10):
Another area of emphasis this off season for you guys
was the run game overall. There's a lot of different
ways that the team has gone about working on that,
whether it's from you know, Liam Cohen being brought in
and his ideas, But for you and your staff, how
did you approach that this offseason of that knowing it
was such a focus, and then just what you are
hopeful to see from Rashad and Bucky and the offensive

(34:31):
line and where we could maybe see that grow from
last year.

Speaker 1 (34:34):
Well, we we obviously drafted, uh, you know, Graham, So
we felt Graham has a chance to be a very
dominant player on the interior at center or guard, but
at center right away, which is which is you know
already coming you know, he's already shown a lot of
promise there. So and then with Bucky, he's more a

(34:56):
very direct runner, very instantly sees things, and I think
with the fans are seeing that, you know, we're seeing
it in training camp. And then Rashad with his style
we're of a glider, but very very good in the
passing game. And then you know, we're leaving out Shawn Tucker,
who had an outstanding preseason as well. If he was
forced in action, I think we would all be very

(35:18):
impressed with him too. So I think with the fresh ideas,
with the new scheme, everybody just has come together very quick.
We have an excellent offensive line coach and Carberry and Brian,
so I think everything's just coming together. It's I don't
think we've seen the best yet.

Speaker 2 (35:35):
And the offensive line, I know that now there's a
couple new additions in there with with Graham and you know,
and with Ben as well. Now you do at least
have Tristan and Luke at their same spots of after
being moved around a little bit.

Speaker 3 (35:47):
You have Cody. You're one of ye or two.

Speaker 2 (35:49):
What have you seen about the chemistry from that group
and where they are coming in for week one? Of
knowing that that group more than any other, the idea
of chemistry is maybe the most important.

Speaker 1 (35:57):
Well, they've all improved so especially we've seen a mark
improvement from Cody and then Luke too as well. So
that's good that room gets together or it gets along
as well as I've ever seen.

Speaker 3 (36:12):
Yeah, they seem to move in a herd. We've all noticed.

Speaker 2 (36:14):
Even in the facility there, it's like you'll hear the
thundering footsteps of the whole giant group.

Speaker 1 (36:18):
They do and the whole organization. Everybody's job, whether it's
your job, a coach's job, my job, all really depends
on how well that room gets together. It gets along.
So because if the old line gels and is playing
well together, the whole team plays better. So that's kind
of been a goal of ours to make sure that

(36:40):
we get the right type of guys for all positions,
but especially that offensive line.

Speaker 2 (36:45):
I feel like you are particularly good at finding offensive
linemen in the draft, and even from small school guys
that are not just kind of the mainstream ones that
everyone's saying, Yeah, that guy's going to be good.

Speaker 3 (36:58):
Is it in your mind?

Speaker 2 (36:58):
Do you think it's the position your best at scouting
talent for? Do you have a position you think is
your best?

Speaker 1 (37:05):
You know, I don't want to take credit for I
can't take all the credit. I've got a great staff.
I'll keep telling you that, Tom blue in the face.
So we have had a lot of success with offensive lineman. Now,
I do enjoy watching offensive line. It can be boring
for some. It's not as sexy as watching a receiver
or running back or even a quarterback. I really enjoy

(37:29):
all aspects of offensive line play because I did play it.
I didn't. I also played defensive line, so I enjoy
that as well. But offensive line, I can spend a
lot of time watching them.

Speaker 3 (37:40):
I like that.

Speaker 2 (37:41):
We're talking to general manager Jason Light. Let's go through
some of your other draft picks this year as well.
Tell us a little bit about Chris Chris Braswell and
what you think his expectations could be.

Speaker 1 (37:51):
He's playing very well for us. He's a very physical player.
He's very heavy handed. You've probably heard that over and
over again. He can set the edge, he's he's improving
daily as a pass rusher that position. What we asked
them to do in the scheme a lot of drops,
you know, a lot of reads. It can be once

(38:14):
the light clicks like we did for ya Ya about
halfway through the season last year, then you see the
full player and right now he's coming along at the
pace that we expected.

Speaker 2 (38:24):
And how about that O line or that outside linebacker group, overall.
I mean you lose shack switch. Not only is that
a thing from a production standpoint, but just who he
was to that group and the locker room and character
guy and leader. Now as you look at that group overall,
what are your thoughts on the depth and on the
leadership and what you think that group as a whole
could be this year?

Speaker 1 (38:46):
Like the depth, Like the young talent that we have there,
not just ya Ya, but Jose and Marquis. It's we
you know. Then there's Anthony Nelson who's been here the longest,
who is just a steadies. They come. Like the depth.
I like the energy, I like the youthfulness with yah Ya.
It's uh, it's it's a good group. It's a good group.

Speaker 2 (39:08):
And Joe try and shrink. I know, we've got that
sack fumble in the game as well. Coach said he
did a lot of things really well. Do you feel
like he's a guy that needs to step into a
bigger role, in bigger leadership role with Shaq leaving as
he is one of the other elder statesmen in.

Speaker 1 (39:22):
The group, and he is he is all of that.
He's he's taken us, has a lot of pride in
his play. I think he's shown a lot of improvement.
We joked around about it. I didn't realize that he
cut his hair and that was it.

Speaker 3 (39:37):
He's aerodynamic now he's able to get in there.

Speaker 1 (39:39):
It was reverse Samson. That's Todd said the other day
to me. But no, I think he's you know, he's
got a lot to prove this year. He's got a
lot to prove.

Speaker 2 (39:48):
That's how you could tell how hot it was this
summer year, Joe, Bucky and Rashad all cutting their hair.

Speaker 3 (39:52):
They were like, this is too hot. I can't deal
with this anymore. All right. How about a couple of
your other rookies.

Speaker 2 (39:56):
I know Jalen McMillan, a guy that splashed early and
often in training camp in preseason and made a lot
of headlines and seemed like he earned Baker's trust pretty quickly.
What did you see from him in college and then
have you expected him to make this kind of an
impact this quickly?

Speaker 1 (40:13):
Saw playmaker somebody that's uh, He's got a lot of energy,
he's got a lot of confidence. He's a he's a
very smooth athlete that has you know, he's got quickness
on top of it. He could run but he's he's
a very quarterback friendly receiver because of the way that
he moves and the way he can contort and catch balls.

(40:34):
Like if you if you squinted, you wouldn't know on
that touchdown if that was him or Mike Evans. They
kind of move a lot, alike. I know Mike's a
six foot five guy, but yeah, but he's he's just
got this, uh, this confidence and swagger to him that
he's a playmaker. He's a playmaker. He expects to make
big plays.

Speaker 2 (40:54):
And Tyke Smith another guy that I know coach Bowls
and a lot of coaches been very complimentary of his
football IQ in particular, and take us through kind of
the position you were expecting him to maybe play of
looking at him at nickel safety in different areas and
what you saw in him that said, especially in Todd
Bowles defense, why this guy would fit Well, he's very.

Speaker 1 (41:16):
Smart, very smart football player. And we knew that off
the tape. We knew that when we talked to him,
but then when you have him in the building, that's
all anybody says. He knows this defense as well as
any veteran right away, which is, you know, really unheard of.

Speaker 2 (41:31):
Especially Todd Bowles defense. Everybody says it's not easy to learn.

Speaker 1 (41:34):
So the things on the field that you love is
he's very, very tough, he's explosive, He's got some explosive
movement to him, but he's he loves contact, and he's
got a he's got a nose for the ball. But
he he has, you know, very quick to make reads
and he's got a quick trigger. So I think we're

(41:56):
going to see him making some big plays for us
this year.

Speaker 2 (41:59):
And yet again, you and these University of Washington guys,
let's talk about Devin Colp. First of all, is this
just a coincidence You've ended up with so many Washington
guys like, is this is this crazy to you?

Speaker 1 (42:08):
Well maybe a little bit, but.

Speaker 3 (42:11):
You couldn't get further away.

Speaker 1 (42:13):
No, that's right. And my Blair thinks that we should
at least get some kind of scholarship offer for our kids,
whether it's you know, it doesn't have to be an
athletic scholarship, but something something from credit, some kind of
credit if our kids want to go to the University
of Washington.

Speaker 2 (42:29):
Yeah, well then you can draft your kids because obviously
that's all it'll take, you know.

Speaker 1 (42:33):
So you know, it's the you've heard over and over
the type of kids, the type of players that we
want as people, and there are just certain programs that
recruit that type of player. Georgia, Alabama, and Washington happened
to be three that you know, we've got some players
from so and we haven't been disappointed. So they've done
a great job there with the type of guys that

(42:56):
get and it's no coincidence that they've had a lot
of success as a program as well.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
So Devin cult late round guy, definitely no guarantee you
make the roster at that draft spot. And then we'd
heard a lot about the fact that Liam Cohen may
use only one tight end as often. So even for
there to be four guys that earn a spot on
the fifty three, to me says that Devin Culp.

Speaker 3 (43:15):
Showed you something that said I need this spot. Tell
me what that is he did.

Speaker 1 (43:19):
He's got something different to him. He's he's not a big,
you know, in line type blocker, but he's tough. He
loves to compete as a blocker. But what he has
is he can run. He can run and he can threaten.
He can threaten the defense. He can threaten in the
middle of the field. So at some hopefully some point
this year, we get him active on game day. But

(43:41):
right now, you know, we're trying to put the best
forty eight out there during the best for the situation
that we're about to encounter. The game plan.

Speaker 3 (43:49):
Yep, all right, We're gonna take one more break.

Speaker 2 (43:51):
We'll have one more segment coming up here on Buccaneers
Total Access with General Manager Jason Light, brought to you
by Advent Health.

Speaker 3 (43:56):
This is Buccaneers Radio.

Speaker 4 (43:57):
Buccaneers Total Access with Hyko Todd Bowles now continues, brought
to you by ad Van Health.

Speaker 3 (44:03):
Welcome back into Buccaneers Total Access, brought to you by
Advan Health. I'm joined by General Manager Jason Light.

Speaker 2 (44:09):
We just went through the draft class, but also wanted
to bring up the undrafted guys that were able to
secure a spot. Cam Johnson and Tyreek Vunderberg. I'm imagining
Tyreek is about to be a little bit more important
even than you thought. He might have to be earlier
on and then Cam as well as a guy who
he was hurt a lot of the preseason. Even so,
for an undrafted guy to do enough in limited time

(44:30):
to show you he earned a spot. Tell me about
the same thing with Tyreek. I mean they were both
injured a lot of the time. So what did these
two guys show you in a limited amount of time
that said I need to be on this fifty three.

Speaker 1 (44:40):
Well, they showed a lot. First of all, they have
to be able to pick up the offensive defense pretty
damn quick for us to make the team and get
alone be active, you know, for Cam's case week one,
So that number one, and both of them are very
very smart football players, which is incredible for Cam, you know,

(45:02):
coming from a smaller school. I think it's a it's
a great school, great college, all those things, but that's
but you know, it's a program that's only had football
for four years. So He's it's really amazing. Uh, the
story that he's had. He's made some explosive plays all
through camp. He's been impressed you know, the quarterbacks, the coaches,
the scouts, everybody in terms of Uh, Tyree, He's he

(45:27):
wasn't active week one. It had a lot to do
with he was still kind of coming back from the injury.
We've been talking about him since Ota is that you know,
he he has starter qualities to him, So he's very
patient in coverage. He's got he's got great feet, he's
got great feel, and he's got great ball skills. It
would not surprise me at all for him to have

(45:47):
success early this year when he's thrown out there, So
we're not at all afraid of him, you know, quote
unquote throwing him to the Wolves. Yeah, so it's a
I don't think it's too big for him, which is
a great quality to have for a dB.

Speaker 2 (46:00):
Yeah, high compliment him for sure. Looking at the roster overall,
I just the number one thing I've been so excited
to talk to you about is just this idea. You
have forty four out of your fifty three guys that
are what we call homegrown that whether it's you drafted
them or they were undrafted free agents you signed right
at the beginning they started their career with the Buccaneers.

Speaker 3 (46:17):
That is an insane number.

Speaker 2 (46:19):
And then it's twenty out of your twenty two starters,
the only starters it's not, I mean based on pre
injury and all the way the starters were to start
the year, that it's only Baker Mayfield and Ben Breteson.
So your whole defense and all but two of your
offense are homegrown guys. How have you guys been able
to manage that? And just what does that say even
about the success you've been able to have alongside your staff.

Speaker 1 (46:40):
Yeah, well, first of all, the staff, the coaches and scouts,
they've done a fantastic job. And those are two staffs
have to work well together. The head coach and the
GM have to work well together. If there's any kind
of rift there, it just never works. It may work temporarily,
but in the end, it's just it's disaster. So we

(47:03):
luckily every coach that we've had here, but especially with
Bruce and then now Todd, we have an outstanding relationship
so that that helps during the process when we bring
players in, there's no arguments. I mean, there are arguments,
like but then we walk out of the room and
we are all on the same page, you know. As
my goal, I can think if you go back when
I was first hired, probably my first press conference, where

(47:25):
I was terrible, you know, and looking at it, it
was very nervous. But my goal was we want to
draft and develop, and then you you want to have
some free agency some here and there. But in the
perfect world, your draft, your your drafts are outstanding, you
don't have to worry about free agency because free agency
it's there's a lot of risk. There's a lot of risk.

(47:47):
There's always a reason why those players are available that
their teams, you know, didn't want to resign them. So
there's there's success stories like Ryan Jensen. There's success stories,
but then there's a lot also a lot of ones
that don't work out. So to have our most of
our players now, I'm not saying that we're not going
to tap into free agency.

Speaker 3 (48:06):
It work kind of well with Tom Brady Gronkowski. There
are some times.

Speaker 1 (48:10):
Are some times it can work.

Speaker 3 (48:12):
Gronk was a trade, that's true, that's fair. He was
a trade, that's true.

Speaker 1 (48:16):
But it's it's it's always better to draft and develop.
But it doesn't always work out, but it's it's always
better that way.

Speaker 2 (48:23):
And I imagine that you guys are good at evaluating talent,
you're probably pretty good at evaluating yourselves as well when
it comes to what works what doesn't. Learning from things
kind of like almost watching film on yourselves. I imagine
as you watched the season, what are the biggest things
you think you've learned along the way, Where you've grown
as a general manager, where your staff has grown, and
what that has led to of now this idea of

(48:45):
that I am that man, and what you guys look
for in someone you draft.

Speaker 1 (48:50):
Well, the number one thing is resisting the temptation to
take a player that you think will will we'll get
it out of him. Maybe he's uh's got some problems
that he can't seem to get rid of, but we'll
take care of it when he's here. To avoid that,

(49:11):
it just avoids a lot of problems. And because most
of the time you're not able, you're not the person
that is going to be able to reach him. I mean,
if they couldn't reach him in college, that usually we
won't be able to reach him. So that's one thing
I've resisted. The other is talking yourself into a player.
Maybe he's got all the tools, he's got the speed,
he's got the strength, he's got the quickness and athleticism,

(49:33):
he just doesn't make plays. Well, we'll get that out
of him. It's trying to resist, trying to resist that
and take what is a good football player and what
is a good person.

Speaker 2 (49:42):
So and looking at the guys that you resign this offseason,
I mean, man, what a testament to those values and
who that is. And I'd just love to hear for
you what it was like this whole lot of season
you resign Levante and Mike and Baker and Tristan and Antoine.
I mean, you were a busy man. What led to
you being able to do that? Tell us about those guys,

(50:02):
why that was so important, and how you've been able
to truly reload as compared to rebuild.

Speaker 1 (50:09):
It was a daunting It was a daunting task. I'm
luckily I have Mike Greenberg and Jackie Davidson working around
the clock during a period there. Well. Number one thing
it takes is money, and luckily we have great owners
who give me all the resources that I need. So
money talks, and we were able to secure those guys

(50:32):
with you know deals now they all, they all I
think took into account that they might necessarily not necessarily
be the highest paid. But this will allow us all
to work into the confines of the cap the situation
that we're in. So we've had a lot of cap
situation that we've had issues that we've had to work
through last year, this year, and then a little bit

(50:53):
next year. So for what we did after the super Bowl.
So been fortunate that we're able to get through and
win while we're doing.

Speaker 2 (51:00):
And you mentioned Mike Greenberg and Jackie Davidson, the people
who really help you with salary cap and contracts and.

Speaker 3 (51:05):
All of that. Explain to the average person.

Speaker 1 (51:09):
Oh boy, I hope.

Speaker 2 (51:11):
Oh I'm not gonna make you explain everything they do
because I know that's a daunting thing for sure. What
makes them so good at it? Because we just hear
it's like there's a salary cap? How much can really
be done? How much can really happen with these contracts?
Why are they able to help you get guys get
this done in ways that other people might not.

Speaker 1 (51:28):
Well, they're creative and they're very good at explaining to me,
laying it out. This is what we can do. You
can there's one hundred different paths that we can go.
Do you want to just focus on two people here?
Or do you want five? Do you want ten? I mean,
I'm just kind of making this up as we go,
But this is what we can do if you want

(51:49):
to go down this path. This is what you can
do this path. And you know they're not telling me
who I should draft or who I should sign. They're
just they do a great job of laying it out there.
These are the different avenues you can go, and you
pick the one that you want to do.

Speaker 2 (52:03):
Now, we got the Lions coming up. Tell me, does
this feel like a bit of a revenge game.

Speaker 3 (52:07):
A little bit?

Speaker 1 (52:08):
It's a I feel like it's a It's a very
good test for us. It's obviously a tough place to play.
They're a very good football team. We have a lot
of respect for them. They're coaching staff, their scouting staff,
their front office, so we have a lot of, like
I said, respect for them, and they're tough, tough teams.
So this is gonna be a good test for us.

Speaker 2 (52:29):
And yeah, tell us about some of the changes they've
made of just how they might be even a more
formidable especially I know they've made a lot of changes
on the defensive side of the ball for them, but
some of the ways that you feel like this is
a similar Lions team to who we faced last year
and a little bit different.

Speaker 1 (52:41):
Well, they've got a little bit more. You know, every
player gets a little bit better, and they're especially the
young players, so you know, they've got a really good
receiving car on offense, and I think James and Williams
has improved a lot from last year. We're going to
see a little bit different dynamic there. So yeah, we
have a lot to prepare for and Todd's doing Todd's

(53:02):
doing a great job right now putting the game plan together.

Speaker 3 (53:05):
That's great. Well, Jason, thank you so much for taking
time to talk with us. We really appreciate.

Speaker 2 (53:08):
I know you got a lot going on this week
for sure, and uh and again just congratulations on a
great draft and off season and signing everybody and we're
just looking forward to everything this season.

Speaker 1 (53:16):
Well, I appreciate you having me on, and I'm glad
that you didn't dig deep into my past to find
out that I was a DJ in college as well.
But that wasn't I wasn't believe you didn't find anything
to imburse me.

Speaker 3 (53:27):
I yeah, absolutely happy to help, all right. That's going
to do it for us.

Speaker 2 (53:29):
On this edition of Buccaneers Total Access, brought to you
by Ivan Health, this is Buccaneers Radio