The Buccaneers survived the first five days of training camp and will now have Wednesday off to rest. Head coach Bruce Arians spoke to the media following Tuesday’s very physical and hot practice and touched on a number of subjects including the running back battle, the rookies and Todd Bowles’ new defense.

Below are his quotes from Tuesday.

(Opening Statement)
“I applaud our players. That’s five hard days in a row and probably the last time we will go five days in a row until next year. They pushed through it today. I was glad to get outside in the elements – it added some stuff. Mike [Evans] got some cramps, but he is just getting some fluid. He is fine. Obviously, the offense picked it up today – it’s a nice ebb-and-flow. You don’t want your defense winning every day and you don’t want your offense winning every day. The offense kind of bounced back and I really saw the beginnings of a solid running game. The backs played really well today. We had a really good blitz-pickup drill and they stepped up. It was a very nice step forward today.”

(On RB Ronald Jones’ long run at practice today in which he fumbled at the end of it)
“Yes, it was an unbelievable run down there – just finish it – wrap it up when you are down there. He is an explosive player. He’s going to be a heck of a player for us. He’s going to make big plays like that for us. That was a third-and-13 or third-and-14 check-down [pass] and he went about 60 [yards]. But, just finish it. After the long run we got a hurry up in and then he walked in the endzone. That was a good sign.”

Bucs RBs Ronald Jones II and Peyton Barber – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

(On the running back competition)
“Oh yeah, it’s going to be a heck of a one-two punch. Whichever one is the one (on the depth chart) and whichever one is the two – they are both going to play.”

(On Jones’ ability to run between the tackles)
“He’s probably best between the tackles, but he took that one around the end and nobody could catch him. That was really well-blocked by [Cameron] Brate and [O.J.] Howard – they really sealed the edge for him, and a really good block downfield by the receiver. So yeah, he’s got that breakaway speed and size, but his best runs so far have been tackle-to-tackle until that one.”

(On if he has enough time with practices to evaluate talent)
“Oh yeah, we were out here a full two-and-a-half hours today. If you went any longer, you’re going to have injuries. In the studies, the last 45 minutes of a three-hour practice [players are the most susceptible to injury] … But yeah, it’s plenty of time. We can evaluate a them mentally and then in the two-and-a-half hours. Our rookies have had 500 reps. I don’t know if any other team’s rookies had 500 reps. But, they were on that field all of spring, they were on the other field all of this camp – until the last two days when we were done with that stuff. If you can’t show me in 500 plays, you can’t show me.”

(On how he felt about QB Jameis Winston running to make a tackle after a fumble)
“That’s enough of that. Love the effort – always tackle [with your] left shoulder.”

(On how much the different looks of Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles’ defense will help the Buccaneers offense during the regular season)
“We’re not going to see anything this fall that we probably haven’t seen in OTA’s in spring. Every front, every blitz, double A-gap pressures – we’ve got it all. That’s the beauty of going against this defense when you’re putting in an offense, instead of going against cover two or cover three and all of the sudden you start seeing that stuff during the season and you are trying to coach it up. So yeah, it’s been great for us.”

(On the fullback position in the modern NFL)
“I think some teams are using a fullback. I think [James] Develin from the Patriots did a good job in the playoffs because people are using these smaller, faster linebackers. I think you might see a little bit of a resurgence, but if a guy is a tight end and can do that job, now they don’t know if it’s going to be an I-formation. If the fullback comes into the game, you’re going to get a certain defense every time.”

Bucs WR Justin Watson – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

(On what he was coaching WR Justin Watson about during practice)
“[Those were] the grimy catches he didn’t make yesterday, and that’s what we expect out of him. He is going to have to make grimy catches inside those numbers.”

(On the quarterback focusing on wide receivers and tight ends in the redzone period)
“Yeah, that’s pretty much where we’re at down here tight. We will split our backs out – we’ve made some good throws to our halfbacks, who can all catch. We’ll utilize everybody.”

(On CB Sean Murphy-Bunting running with the first team)
“Carlton [Davis III] pulled up – we will see what it is. He better not be pulled up long.”

(On if cutting players is the most difficult responsibility as a coach)
“Yeah because you cut the ones you love coaching – you know, the try-hard guys who do everything right and do it all with everything they’ve got but are just not good enough. Those are the ones that are really hard. The hardest is a veteran whose time has come to an end and you have to tell him, and he doesn’t believe it – that is hard.”

(On how DL Ndamukong Suh’s attitude)
“[I] couldn’t ask for any better.”

(On if the team held its first live-tackling session at practice today)
“Yeah, we did some tackling when there wasn’t supposed to be yesterday. We had to fire a couple of guys, but yeah, that was our first one. We will do it probably once next week and then get into the preseason games. We will have a little bit [of tackling] with the Dolphins (in joint practices) – some goal-line and short-yardage stuff.”

(On if he game plans for the Steelers or if he just focuses on his team in the first preseason game)
“No, we will just practice our stuff and just go up there and play base stuff.”