Advertisement

What they're saying about Bucs-Panthers

 
Published Dec. 15, 2014

Bucs CB Alterraun Verner, on a missed interception in the fourth quarter:

"That was huge, and that is why I'm here. I am supposed to make those plays, so I take full responsibility for that. There is no excuse."

Bucs CB Johnthan Banks, on losing another close game:

"It's super-old. I'm tired of it. We should all be tired of it. We go out and work so hard to just let ourselves down. Hats off to these other teams that are beating us, but most of the time, it's just us."

Bucs QB Josh McCown on his two sack-fumbles:

"I have to find a way to hold onto the ball better. … I probably should have just ate it, I guess. That's the risk you run when you try to throw the ball away. It was unfortunate. It hurt us. It hurt us bad."

Bucs RB Doug Martin:

"We've had many games where we just come up short. It's frustrating, but at the same time, we're taking steps forward and we have a bright future ahead of us."

Bucs coach Lovie Smith:

"Early on, time of possession, they had about 15 more minutes than us. When another team has the ball about a quarter more than you do, it's pretty hard to kind of overcome that."

Panthers QB Derek Anderson:

"Obviously the defense getting the turnover in the red zone for us was huge. We just kept fighting and making plays when they gave them to us. It wasn't perfect by any means."

Panthers TE Greg Olsen:

"To have a so-called backup who is like a starter-caliber quarterback is something a lot of teams don't have the luxury of having. … He did a tremendous job. We made that a lot harder than it needed to be."