Excerpts from Thursday afternoon's conference calls with Carolina Panthers media.
Bucs DT Gerald McCoy
RE: What the defense has to do better this time against the Panthers
"We have to definitely take the ball away better and we have to get after Cam (Newton). In my opinion, he is the MVP in the league, so he’s not going to make it easy on us, so we’ve got to get after him."
RE: Why he thinks Newton is the MVP
"Because of what he’s done with who he has. I mean, besides Ted Ginn, I mean of course Greg Olsen is a very good talent, but when Kelvin Benjamin went down, everybody was in a panic. Like what are they going to do now? Well, the things he has been able to do, I think he has three different games with five touchdowns. That’s incredible to do in one season and what he has been able to do finishing games. Carolina has had their backs against the wall at the end of the game with the ball in his hands and he’s taken them down the field to win the game numerous times this year. So, I think he’s doing everything necessary to be the MVP."
RE: Kawann Short's success
"I’m proud of him and I’m happy for him and just pray it continues and that he has continued success ... For him to be the size he is, he can move. He definitely has some wiggle to him and he can get off the ball to be his size."
RE: If he is going to take it a little easier on Newton now that he's a father
"No, I’m going to congratulate him and then tell him I’ve been dealing with this for years, so get used to it. I have four kids, so nobody takes it easy on me [laughs]."
Bucs Head Coach Lovie Smith
RE: If he thinks Cam Newton is the MVP of the league
"He’s been one of the best players in the league for a long time and the Panthers have the best record in football right now. Why wouldn’t he be the great player on that? No one has played better than him. I’ve gotten a close up look at him. It would not be a surprise if he is the MVP of the league, yes."
RE: Jameis Winston’s development over the course of the season
"Everything you are looking for in a great quarterback, I think he has. Great leader off the field, most people don’t see that. On the field, he can make all of the throws, he is smart, he’s been a better runner, more mobile in the pocket than maybe I saw from his college video coming out. Again, everything you are looking for in a franchise quarterback, I think he has."
RE: Motivation after being eliminated from the playoffs
"We’re not going to the playoffs, but this is our three-time division champ, one of the best teams in the league and if we go forward like we feel like we can, we want people to see what we’ll be in the future. But the best way to do that is to play well in the present. So division opponent ... we have as we see it, as much to play for in this game as they do."
RE: The similarities in how the Panthers built themselves into a winner and how the Bucs are building
"I think when you start building there are some key positions that you have to take care of. Of course, quarterback is one of them. You have to have some lean years to draft a quarterback as high as both of us were able to. That’s a good thing now but when it happened, of course, it’s saying your program was down a little bit. We’ve been down. We have a lot of foundational pieces in place, yes and we’re a young football team and we’re definitely trending the right way. The Panthers did do that so there has been a blueprint in our division on how it can be done."