Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter spoke with the media following the opening day of training camp on Friday and answered a number of questions from reporters. Below are some of them including the one we found to be most interesting. PewterReport.com will have a Koetter Quote of the Day following each practice.

Thoughts on quarterback Jameis Winston coming into his third season?

“There has been a lot said and written about the third year thing. I’ve coached for a long time and there is not a lot of guys that you can say you have coached for three years. So, I don’t really know that. I just think the way Jameis works he is just going to get better and better. I go back to this all the time. Tom Brady-38, Drew Brees-37, Matt Ryan-32, Jameis Winston-23. Okay? He’s going to get better. I don’t know how much this year or how much next year, but he’s going to get better.”

(On first practice)
“Day one, about what you would expect. It looks like we’ve been off for six weeks. Everyone is a little rusty. Too many balls on the ground and too many guys on the ground, but both sides made plays, which is what you have to do right now. Sometimes the defense is going to make plays and sometimes the offense. It’s great to get out here and its great to have the fans out here and just get started. When you’re starting training camp you got 10,000 meetings and hoops you’ve got to jump through. It’s great to just get on the grass and get started. We’re a long ways away, but its good to be out.

(On what needs to be accomplished first days of camp)
“Well we don’t really look at it as three days and then pads. We’re installing and we’ve got a progression that the coaches go through. We’re just starting to build on it every day and trying to get better.”

(On the passing attack with addition of DeSean Jackson)
“You could see it today. DeSean made three or four plays where he ran a simple hook route. You can see DeSean flash. The guys a vet, he’s a playmaker  in this league. We’re just a long ways away. But, we brought him here to be a playmaker and you saw it today.”

(On Chris Godwin making plays the first day)
“He did it in OTAs as well. It’s the first day of camp. It doesn’t set our course for the whole season based on an hour and a half in shorts.”

(On praise of the defense leading into the season)
“Like I said, we’re in shorts so it’s hard for the defense to show up. Bobby (Robert McClain) made a nice play on the interception. We’re supposed to be staying away from the quarterback right now. We had that one snafu on that play. When we get going in pads the defense will get some one on one pass rush and some one on one blocking. That will all start to take shape.”

Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter – Photo by: Taylor Jenkins

(On Hard Knocks cameras following them around)
“Well, just look right here. There’s plenty of cameras here. That is every day. Even if Hard Knocks wasn’t here you guys would all still be here. These guys are used to having cameras around. It’s part of it.”

(On the playoff buzz surrounding the team)
“Well, we’re excited too. We’re excited. It’s way too early to be talking about the playoffs. It’s been 10 years and we’re aware of that, but right now it’s just getting better every day. Guys are on different levels and fighting for jobs. Some guys are trying to become starters and trying to get more playing time. It’s a process. Again, this is day one of a process.”

(On questions of injuries in the off season)
“Yeah, well, we’re real healthy. We’re fortunate to be in a good spot health wise. Except for Jacquies Smith. He had a little set back. He’ll have a little procedure done this afternoon on his knee and he’s gonna be out for a few weeks. We hope to get him back at some point.”

(On if there is a lack of respect for Gerald McCoy outside of the Bucs)
“No. Absolutely not, because the players vote on the Pro Bowl and he’s been voted in for 5 in a row. Gerald’s a heck of a football player. Sometimes he has the inevitable comparisons to Warren Sapp. That’s any player that is compared to someone else. They are not him. He is a different player and he’s a really good football player.”

(On what shape everyone came back in)
“It’s hard to say. I haven’t looked at the tape and I can’t watch everybody. One thing we do when we come to training camp compared to OTAs is we give the 1’s a few more reps and cut the 3’s back a little bit. There is a couple guys on the first group on both sides who were a little bit winded, but that’s to be expected.”

(On the quarterback center exchange)
“So far so good on that. We should be able to get that. It’s pro football hopefully we can get it.”

(On Winston improving decisions with the football)
“Yeah, that’s something that is high on our list.”

(On important battles going into camp)
“All these guys are competing for jobs, but the obvious ones are safety, because two of the guys weren’t here in the spring, kicker, the wide receiver depth, the back-up linebackers, how the tight ends sort out and how the defensive ends sort out.”

(On kicking battle if both kickers wind up with close to the same stats)
“We’ll worry about that down the road when we come to it. You guys are asking me questions on day one that there is no way to have an answer to it.”