BUCCANEERS HEAD COACH BRUCE ARIANS
Opening statement:
"That was a tough one, I'm not used to losing here. I'm really, really proud of our guys. At one time we had six rookies out there on defense. This was a NFL game for some of them. They got broken in pretty good. Offensively I don't think we could have played much better, a couple of third downs maybe. I thought our kicking game was solid. That field goal before the half was going to be huge. Up here they always are, every point counts. So those three points, I thought that was a hell of a drive with 40 seconds to get to field goal range. It's kind of on Matt (Gay) to make that one. But I'm really, really proud of our guys."
How important was the fumble that Tampa did not get:
"I think everybody gave some great effort. I thought (Devon) White's play on (Chris) Carson was unbelievable, we just don't get that fumble. That's what these young guys are all about. Each and every guy had a hand in the pile."
After scoring the late touchdown in the fourth quarter, any thoughts on going for two points:
"No just because of history here and their (Seattle) kicker had just missed one."
Thoughts on Winston's play today:
"Jameis probably played as good as he has played all year."
Thoughts on the overtime:
"That's the thing, everytime, all the time in overtime, you want that ball. We have had some doozies with these guys before. I thought we had them stopped and they (Seattle) made a really good third down conversation."
This is two weeks in a row you had the lead going into the fourth quarter, what has to happen to close it out:
"We're really, really, really young. We had three rookies in the back end playing including Devon (White). (Anthony) Nelson got hurt. We just have to keep growing. I love the way they competed."
Thoughts on Russell Wilson:
"That's Russell. When he gets out of the pocket, he is most dangerous. We let him up the middle, that's a no-no."
Thoughts on your young guys play today, especially Jamel Dean:
"He made some good plays, he made some bad plays. It was a big learning experience for him. It's the most he has played, just physically being tired. Sean Murphy-Bunting has been growing and growing. It was a good one for Jamel. Mike Edwards got out there and got some snaps. So the growth is good."
Did Carlton Davis hurt himself on the opening kickoff:
"Carlton hurt himself in warmups."
Was Dean expected to play as much as he did:
"No, not until Carlton came in from warmups.
Overall thoughts on the team's play:
"I am really, really proud of this group. Carlton's injury throws a young guy (Dean) out there. When you're playing six rookies on defense, they held their own. It's a bright future. We are pissed off about losing the game, a game we thought we should win, just like last week. I see the growth, I see the capability."
Thoughts on the Winston fumble:
"He went back and just hit one of the guys on the back. That was huge but that was one where we held them to three (points)."
Thoughts on being in a shootout kind of game:
"I can't be more prouder of our guys. To have the injuries we had at the last second and to go out there and take this team to overtime. This is a hell of a football team. This speaks volumes about our guys. A play or two, we were just a play or two and we win last week and we win this week. I said earlier, at one time we had six rookies in on a couple of snaps and they held their own."
What was mood in the locker room after the game:
"Their pissed because it's two weeks in row. They have worked hard in practice this week and it showed in this game. I can't ask any more of these guys. I can't be more prouder of them."
QB JAMEIS WINSTON
On if it feels unfair that they didn't have the opportunity to touch the ball in overtime:
"If we win the coin toss, I guess it's unfair for them if we go down there and score. Those are just the rules. It's a fifty-fifty chance of who gets the ball first. That's really it."
On fumbling the ball in the fourth quarter and coming back with the next possession to score:
"All that credit goes to the defense for stopping them to get three points right there. They were inside the red zone and we stopped them to get three points. It shows the resilience of our offense coming back out there, snapping, clearing, driving the ball down the field to get a touchdown to tie the ball game to force us to go to overtime."
On the difficulty of having a lead in the fourth quarter of two straight games and not getting the win in either:
"We just have to continue to build on the positives and eliminate the negatives and find a way to win. We have to. We really don't have a choice, we got to find a way to win and we will."
On the noise level in the stadium and if it was difficult to communicate:
"It was an amazing atmosphere. We really enjoyed playing here. Communication was not a big problem for us. If we could play every game here, we would love it. It was a great atmosphere, a beautiful day to play football and we fought our tails off."
On how in sync the offense was and what the difference was from last week:
"Just executing. We know what we're capable of and when we're executing we are a tough offense to stop."
On WR Breshad Perriman and how he was able to connect with the wide receiver so well today:
"Me BP get work in after practice all the time. He came in, stepped up, had a clutch touchdown for us early in the game. He's going to keep on getting better, I'm going to keep getting better, and we are going to keep on giving him the football."
On getting into a shootout with a player like Russell Wilson feels like whoever has the ball last is going to win:
"Sometimes, but I just have so much respect for that guy. He's a winner. He's an amazing quarterback. He's been an amazing help to me, helping with my development as an NFL quarterback, so I just thank him for that. I wish we were on the winning end but he went out there and did his job."
On the injuries in the defense and what it means for him to see a player like CB Jamal Dean see important time on the field:
"He's going to grow tremendously. I believe he is an incredible talent. It just shows him having the ability to persevere knowing that they're coming at him. He made some key stops for us, as well. Just that sudden change – him not knowing that 'Hey, I'm going to start,' but he went in there and did a good job to me. Obviously, we all have things that we have to get better at and learn from, but hats off to him. Six young guys having to step up against one of the best teams in the NFL and we fought hard. We just have to find a way to pull it off."
On if he felt like the team grew today or if something positive came from it:
"We just were very resilient today. Overcoming significant injuries, it's the epitome of next-man-up football. It was great to have (Guard) Alex Cappa back after breaking his forearm almost a month ago. Guys were out there playing hard, giving it all they got, and I guess you could say that's growth. We want to win the football game, find a way to win the football game."
On his fumble play being the only time the defensive line got to him today:
"They did a great job, they did an excellent job. I got to get that ball out earlier and I probably won't get hit. If I get that ball out on time, not holding the ball, they hold it up and we execute that third down. I got to find a way to eliminate that."
On if he is more 'glass half full' coming off another close loss:
"The glass is always full. Just because it might be half full of water, it's still full of air. So, we got to keep that glass full, we got to keep a chip on our shoulder and we got to find a way to get a win. It doesn't matter if it's this week, last week, all we can focus on is this upcoming week against another good opponent. Happy to be back home in front of our fans. It was a long stretch. We wish we would have finished on a win. We had two games that just slipped away from us. We just have to get back to the drawing boards and get ready to fight."
WR MIKE EVANS
On what make Tampa Bay's passing game so effective:
"We just executed. We had a really good week of practice. We knew they like to play to a lot of man coverage with one safety. We executed good at times, but there were times we didn't execute."
On what was the difference-maker in such a tight game:
"I think they made more plays than us, probably, when it comes down to it. They made more plays. That's a really good team. A really exciting team as well."
On what made him so effective today:
"Well, I'm effective against a lot of teams, especially when you play man coverage. I work really hard, and I try to use my attributes as best I can. It was working well tonight. I just didn't make enough plays."
On how he thought Tampa Bay played overall:
"This was one of our better games. We've just got to find ways to get the win. That's been our problem for a long time now. If we can just start to find ways to win the game, then everything else is going to be a little easier for us."
On what it will take for Tampa Bay to find a way to win:
"Just to have the ball bounce our way a little bit. Get a little luck on our side. Just make a few more plays."
DL NDAMUKONG SUH
On how well the defense played:
"Not well enough to win. We made mistakes, especially in crunch times. Obviously, we didn't shut down the run. The big play was my fault. I've got to make sure I get the running back down, regardless of the situation. We didn't do enough on defense and get the ball back to the offense to score points."
On what the six rookies who played today will learn from this game:
"They're no longer rookies. They're halfway through the season, so you had your time to be a rookie, and I think they stepped up and played well. At the end of the day, it's the veterans who have got to continue—especially myself—to make sure we come out victorious. We've got to shut down the run, like I said. It was my fault on that big running play."
On what it will take to close out games and turn narrow losses into wins:
"It's fundamentals. It comes down to the basics. Shutting down the run, like I said before, not allowing them to get the ball running. I think they had a creative way of starting out with the pass and then coming back to the run game, which is their bread and butter. We've got to be able to recognize that. I think we did a great job in the first half, but in the second half we didn't really make that true adjustment when they came back to it."
On having five of the next eight games at home:
"We're excited to get back home. We need to figure something out and get some wins under our belt. What's most important is to protect your home."
On how he felt the defense did containing Russell Wilson:
"We don't fear athletic quarterbacks. He's a great player, makes great plays. But we understand what we have on our side of the ball: Shaq, myself, JPP, Vita. We've just got to go out there and continue to finish. So playing a mobile quarterback isn't a really big effect, in my opinion."
OLB JASON PIERRE-PAUL
On the difficulty of absorbing another close loss:
"We've got to go back and look at the film and see what we did wrong. There were a couple plays I think I left out there when I was playing the run instead of rushing the passer. I've got to get better at that, reacting to the play-action passer. That starts with me. We've got to look at the film and move on to the next one. See if we can win the game from there."
On if the defense has the right attitude:
"I think the whole team has the right attitude. At the same time, we have to start looking at individuals, like myself. Like I just told you, I've got to get better at play-action, not staying on the line when obviously it's a pass. I'm tired, frustrated, all in one, whatever you want to call it. But we'll get better."
S SEAN MURPHY-BUNTING
On the fact he and the defense played well despite having six rookies on the field:
"It's just getting me in there, getting me the reps, making sure I'm ready at all times. They're showing that they have confidence in me and they expect me to keep growing as a player."
On the play of Russell Wilson:
"He's a vet guy. He makes a lot of big plays. He dangerous in the pocket, out of the pocket. He has a really good arm. He makes a lot of big plays when he scrambles and uses his feet. A guy like that is going to be tough."
On how good this defense might be when young players get more experience:
"Like you said, we're a young group, getting our feet wet, getting comfortable playing with each other. With time, we're going to grow into a high-performance business, a high-performance game. We all just have to stick together, glued together, and keep it rolling."
On how tough it is when you lose a starting CB just before a game begins:
"It's always tough coming in like that, but when your number is called you've got to be ready either way. It's part of the game. It's a competition. We've got to go out and compete with anybody, whoever is lined up against us, in front of us, and be ready to go."
T DEMAR DOTSON
On having so much success on offense despite the atmosphere on Seattle's home field:
"That was a hostile environment. You don't get a tougher environment to play in. And to go down there and do that that, that was big. We just came up short."
On if they felt like they were able to build off another week with a close loss:
"Losing is tough, no matter how you lost. But, you just see the way that guys competed on the field and that's encouraging. Guys were fighting, fighting to the end and you can build off that. As long as there's guys willing to compete and give you everything that you've got, you can clean up mistakes and errors. I'm sure it wasn't a perfect game by far but, as long as guys are willing to go out there and give you everything they got. We just came up short. That hurts at the end of the day, but you can build off that."
On the six rookies playing on defense today and if it can be a learning experience for them:
"I can only imagine being a rookie and coming into an environment like this and having to play. If I was a rookie it probably would have been overwhelming and it would have been tough. When you got a good veteran quarterback like that, he's going to find the weak spots and pick on it. But, those young guys that came in here and played, it's just an opportunity to learn from in it. Get your feet in wet in a tough environment like this… This is probably the toughest environment in the NFL, so when you come in there willing to compete - I'm sure it wasn't perfect, but you can grow from it and learn from it. It's only going to help you as your career goes on."
DL BEAU ALLEN
On the six rookies playing on defense today:
"There's no such thing as a rookie in week eight or week nine in the NFL. That's just the nature of the game. I think we need to be better and I think that starts with us up on the line."
On what he takes away from this game:
"There's nothing good about losing. It doesn't really matter how you lose or who you lose to or where you lose. There's nothing good about it. It's never something that you want to get used to, but I think there are always some positives that you can take from a game. I think bottom line the thing is that we were good enough to win."
Game action photos from the Seattle Seahawks' Week 9 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
