Quotes from Todd Bowles at the NFL meetings in Arizona
The NFL’s head coaches and general managers are getting together in Arizona for the league’s annual NFL meetings, and naturally, coach Todd Bowles fielded his fair share of questions.
The second-year head coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is coming off a season where the team faced some struggles, but he’s ready to make a run for the playoffs again in the post-Tom Brady era. He’ll have both Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask competing in camp, but he had some other things to say about some of the team’s defensive pieces as well.
Check out some quotes from his media time in Arizona below:
On QB Baker Mayfield's displays of leadership
"Guys naturally gravitate toward him."
🗣️: HC Todd Bowles on @bakermayfield pic.twitter.com/s6bkp10DrC
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 28, 2023
“I can’t give you a specific [time], but I was on a college trip and I went down to Oklahoma, and everything he stood for as far as leading the team on offense — he had moxy, he had natural leadership skills that aren’t overblown. Guys naturally gravitate toward him, he has an excitement he brings toward the game. And he’s hungry, and I can live with that, I can live with that right there. I liked him a couple years ago, and that we’ve got him now and that he’ll have an opprotunity to start, I think that’s a good thing for him.”
On QB Kyle Trask's drive
"Every time I look up and come in the office, he's out there working by himself trying to get better."
🗣️: HC Todd Bowles on @ktrask9 pic.twitter.com/ElYlOhQERF
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 28, 2023
“Just his knowledge of the game, I think Kyle has a lot of moxy that you don’t get to see, those of us who see him every day. Kyle does more work on the side away from the cameras — every time I look up and come in the office, he’s out there working out by himself trying to get better. I think that’s No. 1 for a quarterback to have, his inner drive. His inner drive is there, he can read defenses, he can process very quickly, he can run an offense. It’s just when you have a guy like Tom Brady, a guy like that doesn’t give him any reps, so it’s hard to do. So I look forward to him coming out this year and showing what he can do.”
On Antoine Winfield staying at free safety
"I really want him to stay at free safety this year."
🗣️: HC Todd Bowles on @AntoineWJr11 pic.twitter.com/Vrwd1zRxyg
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 28, 2023
“That’s my goal this year, I forsee. Winfield’s such a playmaker, he’s such a good tackler and you want him down there making tackles, but we talked about it and I told him I really wanted him to stay at free safety this year. And if we can help it, I’m gonna try to keep him there, and let him componsate on that. Because he is a ballhawk and we need more turnovers, so I’d like to leave him there.”
On Zyon McCollum and Logan Hall's development
"He's going to be a big force for us this year."
🗣️: HC Todd Bowles on @loganhall_ pic.twitter.com/molw8MjzTG
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) March 28, 2023
“I would like to see Zion take the next step in the defensive backfield. I think he got hurt at the beginning of last year, it kinda set him back a little bit, but I look forward to him. I look forward to seeing Logan Hall make the next step. I thought at the end of the year, there weren’t splash plays but I thought he really got better doing a lot of things and he’s really going to be a big force for us this year. I look forward to seeing him take the next step mentally.”
