Optimism.
It wasn’t all dismay and disbelief in the Bucs’ postgame locker room last night.
There was plenty of that, per interviews shared by WFLA-TV on its _Bucs Bonus_ show. But there also was cornerback Zyon McCollum saying Tampa Bay is galvanizing for a stretch run.
> “Our bond is strengthening, our competiveness is strengthening, our ability to fight through adversity is strengthening,” McCollum said at his locker. “So, we just have to keep staying focused on the details and keep going.”
What was the message in the locker room after a gut-punch loss to the Bears.
> “We’re right there,” McCollum said. “I mean, the Bears, they have a fantastic football team. And us coming down to the end with them, you know, what does that make us?
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> “So, take some time off \[during the bye\] and get away from the game. Get your bodies right. But really get your mind ready for this run we’re going to have to go on, because it’s going to take everybody. And it doesn’t matter if you’re a rookie or if you’re a tenth-year guy.”
Center Graham Barton said the bye week has arrived at a good time — a time for each player to take stock of himself and return strong to close out the division. Barton noted how no team in the NFC South (including the 3-6 Bucs) has more than three wins.