(On if he thought it was fun to be back at Raymond James Stadium)
"It was fun to be back out there and win. [That's] something we didn't do last year in that stadium. I'm glad to come out here and finally get that done. So yes, in that regard, yes it was fun to get out there and win."
(On him taking a couple of big hits)
"Yeah. You know, it was part of playing the game. I kind of got caught in between on the last one because I had Brian [Hartline] for a second and didn't want to force the ball, and then situationally, I didn't really want to throw the ball away because I didn't want to stop the clock. You want to keep the clock running and get out of the half [first half]. So I kind of leaned back with it. Everyone asked if I was okay, but it didn't feel as bad as it looked, I think. Other than that, the other ones – I tried to get down the best I can, and like I told you guys before, when they take the field and turn the lights on, lets go compete, and that's my mindset. I tried to be as judicious as I can be, but relative to us winning, you definitely want to get that done."
(On what memories came to mind when he entered Raymond James Stadium today for the first time since being the Buccaneers starting quarterback last season)
"Well, not really – not a whole lot of memories. Like I said, we didn't win here, [so] more than anything, just frustrations. You know, things I wish I would've done better. And just things that at a point now that I'm going, into a new situation that I want to make the most of, I think that's the biggest thing. For me, seeing the guys and seeing the relationships that I built through the course of last year. [Over] the course of this career, [whether] you play on one team or you play on different teams, the main thing is the relationships that you have with the guys. For me that's what's most important. [There are] a lot of great guys in that locker room that I have a ton of respect and love for. That's probably the only thing as far as relative to here that I was thinking about."
(On how he feels about the team's performance during the preseason and playing against Chicago, his former team, this upcoming Thursday night)
"You know, [we want to] close it out the way we would have liked to, with a drive and I had a touchdown. And so, for a person about to throw another one – there were good things, when you look over the course of the first three games, it's kind of preseason football. Some ups and downs, some things that you would like to see happen that we got done. We put drives together, we finished drives with touchdowns, we had some good runs, things like that. So I think, for the most part, the preseason has served us well as far as getting the work in. We need it."
(On if today's start was as good as the team can hope for)
"Yeah, I mean, if we can bottle that up, we could make a lot of money. That's the key. That's what we want to do. No question about that. You have moments where you capture that and then you say, 'Okay that's where the bar is. Let's set it there and stay there.' We'll do everything we can to make that a norm for us. The defense was lights out. They were awesome. And then Trav [Travis Benjamin] really set the tone with the big punt return and then the special teams played great. It was kind of like, once we finally got out there, we said, 'We better do our part because everyone is pulling their weight.' That's what you want. That's what makes team football fun."
(On if he expected to go out there in the third quarter)
"I didn't know how it was going to go. We [he and Head Mike Pettine] had talked about possibly going and possibly not going and so I think, just with the way the half ended and not really getting to finish off that drive, we talked about it and I said, 'Hey, lets go put another one together.' Because we felt like we could. It was just a great way to finish the preseason for us as starters. You know, just punching that last one in."
(On if wide receiver Dwayne Bowe and running Duke Johnson were getting acclimated after seeing their first playing time this preseason)
"Yeah, I think so. I mean they are two games behind us. So, yeah, I think in time, we'll be fine. I'm not worried about that at all. We'll get those guys rolling and it was good to have them out there."
(Thoughts on Duke Johnson's injury)
"Yeah. That's a bummer. It is. It's disappointing, but those things happen. Hopefully it won't be too serious and you know, we can get him back soon and get back healthy. But you know, it's part of the game. It is just a bummer that he waited so long, finally gets out there and then has another setback."
(On the importance of getting some momentum getting built back up after his off performance against Buffalo)
"I think so. Like I said, you go out there [against] Buffalo, and we didn't finish drives. And of course, you've only played that half. Both those interceptions, they were third-and-long. So you know, you throw the ball away, you're probably not converting those anyway, and like I said, you don't want to put that on tape. You don't want to turn the ball over. You can't do that. For us to go out there and not get accomplished what we wanted to against Buffalo but to come out and respond the way we did, I'm proud of that, the guys, and Flip [Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo] called a great game. We really, you know, on all parts – the coolest thing to me was, I wish we could have gotten Dwayne [Bowe] a ball, tried to get him that one early, but everybody got a ball. You know, you look across the board and every guy gets the catch and three running backs get a catch, and so, I think that's a real good way to sum up our preseason, is that we spread the ball around and got everybody a little bit of work."
(On trying to avoid taking big hits)
"You know, I've been talked to about taking those hits, so, like I said, I'll try to be more judicious with that. But, I've said this before, I want to win and you know, I want to do what it takes to keep our team, the offense moving and for us to win football games. And you know we talked about that when I came here, the passion of those fans and the way they support us. We've got to put it back out there on the field and try to play that way. If that calls for me to lower my head to make sure that we get a first down, then I'll do that. But at the same time, you know, obviously trying to be smart with that so that we don't risk injury."
(On what he thought of receiver Brian Hartline's touchdown catch that was originally deemed incomplete)
"Oh, it was outstanding. And it was cool because we knew it [was a touchdown] when he caught it. You know, you obviously have to further review that they overturned it, but I think the ref realized, you know, Brian Hartline's reputation as far as catching the ball and making those kind of plays in the league and realized who it was, he was probably like, 'Yeah, it probably was a catch.' And sure enough, it showed up. It was an outstanding catch. And when you can do that, when you can put balls in spots where only your guys can get it and then make those plays – Gabe [Taylor Gabriel] made one along the sideline. Same thing, where it's him or nobody and they make those grabs, that adds to it, and that's going to be the difference in two or three first downs every game, and so that's huge for us."
