00:00Coach, let me go into the Bucs here and, you know, I'll ask you right out of the gate.
00:04You know, one of the big names going around Indianapolis this past week has been Mike Evans.
00:09Jason Light, the general manager of the Bucs, and also Todd Bowles was there speaking and they really want the
00:14player back.
00:15But, you know, with today's economics, coach, it comes down to money.
00:19This comes down to building on the other side of the ball.
00:21You know, these are always tough transition moments, aren't they?
00:24When you got a legendary player on how you have to deal with it.
00:27In your opinion, should the Buccaneers bring Mike Evans back?
00:30And do the Buccaneers look at Mike Evans as a guy that maybe he should be able to go out
00:36and free agency and test the waters?
00:39Yeah, I think everybody realizes Mike, he's earned the right to check it out.
00:43And, you know, I know everybody desperately wants him back in a Tampa uniform because he means so much, not
00:49just to the team, but to the city.
00:51I mean, he's one of the best dudes that has ever played in Tampa.
00:54And what his foundation does is amazing.
00:57So, yeah, I mean, we want the person and we want the player back.
01:01Absolutely, coach.
01:02I mean, how difficult, though, is that decision when you got a player like that?
01:06Because, you know, years ago when I was doing sports talk down in Tampa, we went through the same thing
01:11with Derek Brooks.
01:12How do you balance that out when you got a legendary guy like that?
01:16And as you know, coach, the economics of the sport, this is what makes the sport and the word parity
01:20that the NFL so embraces.
01:22How tough is that to be in an organization in a spot like the Glazers are right now?
01:27I don't think it's very tough.
01:29I mean, it's just a matter of just meeting somewhere in the middle.
01:32You know, I think Mike loves Tampa.
01:35Tampa loves Mike.
01:36I mean, Chris Godwin went through this last year and he was actually rehabbing more so than Mike is.
01:42But, you know, I think he earns the right to check the market and then bring the market back.
01:47I don't I'd be I'd be very, very shocked if he wanted to leave and just all the parties just
01:54got to come to a good agreement.
01:56You know, I mean, coach, I'll tell you one thing that, you know,
01:59one of your last nuggets that you left for the Buccaneers before you stepped down as head coach was being
02:05involved in the negotiations.
02:06I know you were with bringing Baker Mayfield to Tampa.
02:10And that was one of your crowning, you know, nuggets as you walked out the door there.
02:13You know, where are they right now with potentially giving him a contract extension?
02:18Do you believe the Buccaneers want him to be the face of the franchise for the next couple of years?
02:23I don't think there's any doubt about that.
02:25You know, because he's won over the town.
02:27I agree with Jason and Todd.
02:30Hey, man, you need to slide a little bit more often and quit.
02:32You know, but that's just the way he plays, man.
02:36And but you got to avoid those injuries.
02:40And but he is he's earned the right to be the face of the franchise.
02:45Coach, when you have so many changes on the coaching staff, as Coach Bowles has had there in Tampa,
02:5012 new faces in the coaching staff and you have that kind of turnover.
02:54Are you expecting a rocky start?
02:56Are you expecting maybe an energized start?
02:59Because sometimes when you get new thoughts in there, Zach Robinson, who was in Atlanta, obviously, as the OC there,
03:05did a really nice job,
03:06probably more so in 24 than in 25, because there were a lot of indecisions at the quarterback position on
03:11what they were doing with Michael Penix and Kirk Cousins.
03:14How do you see that whole transition on what they did there in Tampa with all those new faces on
03:18the staff?
03:20Yeah, I don't think it'll be very hard offensively, because I think a lot of the terminology is the same.
03:25Those guys all came from Sean McVay system.
03:28And so I think it's just a matter of personalities, getting to know each other and getting to know the
03:32players and what's what the strengths are and then building the offense around the players.
03:37Defensively, there's still a lot of continuity.
03:39Todd's running the same defense and and the core guys are back.
03:42Mike Caldwell, Larry Foote.
03:44But so, yeah, I mean, I think there needed to be some changes, sometimes not that many changes, but I
03:50think Todd did the right thing for the books.
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