NFL International Series Seahawks vs Buccaneers

Sunday, 13 November 2022

Munich, Germany

Allianz Arena

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Julio Jones

Postgame Press Conference


Buccaneers 21, Seahawks 16

Q. Second time in three weeks, how does that feel? Do you finally feel healthy again?

JULIO JONES: It felt great doing whatever I can do to basically help my team out, to get things going. My number was called early, tried to make a play, I was wide open, so I was just like, I've got to score, I've got to do something with it.

Q. You got the ball rolling.

JULIO JONES: Yeah, we did. I felt like we had a great team win today, all phases. We moved the ball around a lot. We ran the ball effectively. It was just a great team win today.

Q. What did you think of the crowd?

JULIO JONES: I loved it. I loved the energy here in Germany, the fans. They were amazing. Just the whole atmosphere. Like we really don't get the opportunity to play 80 something -- whatever it was, I can't remember, 69,811, right? That's a lot. But those type of crowds, it's amazing. It's people who just love the sport and just love -- the energy was really, really good. They kept us into the game. It wasn't a dull moment. I loved the way they chanted, they stayed together in unison.

Overall it was amazing.

Q. The first touchdown in Germany, what did it mean for you?

JULIO JONES: I haven't thought about it like that. I was just trying to help my team win the game, but I think it's amazing. I also feel like just the atmosphere out here, we can continue to keep coming out here and playing because like I said, I love the fans, I love the atmosphere. It's always good to play in front of an audience like that.

As players, as football players and things like that and as coaches, as well, just to be able to come out and play in front of -- like I said, the atmosphere is amazing.

Q. (On the condition of the grass).

JULIO JONES: No, I love it. I love it. I don't like turf. I love the grass. I had an injury from turf like the artificial stuff. But I love grass. They make plenty of cleats. We had seven studs and things like that from prevent us from slipping. We're great at our craft, so we've just got to get our chin over, especially as a receiver, get your chin over, things like that, so you don't slip.

Q. You guys finally got the run game going today. How much easier does that make your offense operate when they can be balanced like that?

JULIO JONES: I just feel like it contributed from every position. The offensive line did an amazing job for us today, moving the line of scrimmage. Rachaad, Lenny, Sneak, a lot of guys just got the ball, got opportunities in the run game, passing game. We were able to do way better moving the ball around, throwing, passing. As you could see today, it just felt effortless when we're out there together moving in unison.

Q. What does it say about Devin White, the fact his father passed away just a few days before you guys played out here, and Coach Bowles said for him to just get on a plane --

JULIO JONES: Yeah, that's an amazing testament to him. Prayers for him and his family. I don't know what he's going through. I can't really talk about how he is, what he's doing, but the brotherhood here is family here. We support him. We're glad he made the trip. He probably played for his pops and things like that, but that's not for me to discuss him. You can ask him when he gets up here.

Q. When was the last time that you were that wide open in a game, high school?

JULIO JONES: Not high school, probably pee-wee. Probably pee-wee. But like I said, it's amazing, man. Like I said, everybody is contributing. We're moving the ball around a lot, running the ball, throwing the ball to different receivers, tight ends, running backs, for me to be wide open like that, like I said, I had to score.

Q. Does this give you guys at least a jolt going into the bye week?

JULIO JONES: We're just going to celebrate this one and we're just going to go from there.

Q. Did you feel more in sync offensively?

JULIO JONES: It felt good. It felt really good. It's all about consistency, though. You don't put your head in the clouds. You've got to continue to keep working and getting better. Yeah, it's a great win for us, but we always have room for improvement and we've just got to continue. Once we watch film, we'll see what we need to improve in, but at the end of the day, we're going to enjoy this one.

Q. Can you put some words on the strength you guys showed in closing out the game in the fourth quarter?

JULIO JONES: Yes, like everybody, Chris made a heck of a catch coming down. Rachaad made a heck of a run. I had a catch, as well. But we just moved the ball. Sneak did a great job to really kind of get it going.

But like I said, it's just everybody just playing their part. Nobody is getting riled up or anything like that. When the play comes, we just make it.

Q. You were talking about playing on grass instead of turf. There's a social media discussion about playing on grass more. Would you agree with that and how would you manage it?

JULIO JONES: Absolutely. We just have to figure it out. We come together, our player reps, things like that. We've just got to come together and figure it out.

If you ask anybody, everybody prefers the grass pretty much over turf. It doesn't give. It's a hard surface, things like that, especially when you're jumping up, coming down, being explosive and stopping. Like I said, ACLs, MCLs go all the time with turf.

Q. Will you come back to Germany?

JULIO JONES: Absolutely. I loved it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
127103-2-1182 2022-11-13 18:50:00 GMT

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