Zyon McCollum - Secondary Player, buccaneers Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-14 | Full transcript (primary source).
Zyon McCollum addressed the media during a press conference on September 14, 2026, following the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season opener. The discussion focused on the team's performance, particularly in relation to their defensive strategies and challenges faced during the game.
Transcript
Unknown: Zion, if I had told you that there are two big receivers who are going to combine for maybe four catches and very few plays, probably would have felt you won that game. So, one, how well were you able to shut those guys down? And then the second part of that is just how did it get away? Obviously, the turnovers put you in bad positions.
McCollum: Yeah, I mean, it was good, you know, coming together. It was something that we've been harping on all summer and something. Me and Jacob and BMO knew coming in. We knew it was coming week one, so we've been harping on it and been trying to be sharp in our coverage and everything. Sex did not come out on the winning end of that, but it's week one. You know, the game's counting out, but it's still a long season. And we'll clean up some of these details.
Unknown: Yesterday, we were like, for Morrison to come in, you know, he hasn't had a lot of reps trying to get healthy first and foremost. But when you watch him, what he's able to do, he showed just the promise that why he was drafted in the second round again.
McCollum: 100%, I mean, we've all known that he's a player, and I think it's kind of just been in-house, us seeing how good he can be and what he's been shown just because he has missed a lot of time. But it was really just him getting back into shape. You know, he's always been able to play football, but him getting his body right, getting his mind right, and then getting into playing shape went out there and did amazing. I mean, he got kind of thrown into the fire, and he handled it like a pro, and that's what we expect from him. And that's what he expects from himself. He knows that he's a top corner in this league, and that's his mindset and what he wants to grow into.
Unknown: What was it to see Trotter have the big debut, you know, get the touchdown? You guys have said great things about him throughout training camp. For him to have a big debut, how exciting was that?
McCollum: It was amazing. I mean, he handles himself so well, and you could tell he's a rookie in terms of how much, I guess, childlike nature he has, you know, like a giddiness about him. Like, he's definitely joyful when he's out there on the field, and he's a thinker. He's really, really smart, and it's his background, too. It's the way that he approaches it, and he also wants to compete with his brother a little bit. So, him making plays, I mean, it's only the beginning for him.
Unknown: What'd you see on that play of him reading that, you know, he read it the whole way?
McCollum: Exactly. He read it perfect. I mean, we all kind of covered down, and it was a play that he had gotten in practice, and he was a little bit late on it, and he told me afterwards that he was late on it in practice. He was going to make sure that he was never late on it in the game, and he wasn't, so.
Unknown: You were building a lot of plays in that game right from the beginning, too, and you talked in the offseason about how one thing you were trying to do was work on staying focused and dialed in every snap, snap to snap. Do you think that you've made progress in regarding that show?
McCollum: 100%, I mean, I was getting on myself throughout the game, like, just focus, focus one play at a time. Every play is a new play, and Bowles was hard on me throughout the offseason about not getting bored and about finding ways to get involved, even when balls aren't getting thrown your way all the time. Whether it's communication or whether it's trying to be a leader, you know, just being locked in in each and every play, and I feel like we're definitely taking steps forward in that.
Unknown: What have you all said as, like, a team after the game, you know, hey, like, what was the conversation like there between you guys? Maybe it's just, like, defense.
McCollum: It was kind of, at first, just, you know, catching our breath a little bit and kind of digressing everything. It's very chaotic, and week one, of course, everything's flying around. But for the most part, it was just realizing that these are small details that we're missing. You know, it's kind of tough in certain situations, but, you know, to our standard, we want to make sure that we're harping. I mean, you could put the ball at the 10-yard line in every single drive, and our mindset has to be, and our standard has to be that we're going to get off the field and force them to three. And so it's just small details that we need to clean up, and I have no doubt in my mind that we'll get those things cleaned up, and we have the leadership in place to do that.
Unknown: Are you guys excited, you know, home opener, get to play at Ray J?
McCollum: Exactly, definitely excited to get back in front of the home crowd, and to hear everybody. It's always fun being home, and we want to give our fans, you know, something to cheer about. And, you know, we're looking to bounce back, you know. We've been winning in week one every year since I've been here, and, you know, it hasn't ended in the Super Bowl, and so to come out not on the winning end in week one, we're not going to panic at all, and maybe this is the punch in the mouth that we need.
Unknown: Didn't go the way you wanted it to, but what did you learn about this version of your defense? There's a lot of new players playing for the first time with you guys, you know, in this game. What did you learn?
McCollum: Yeah, I definitely learned just how we communicate, you know, and how things get going, you know, in an environment where it's loud, and, you know, a play call, the play calls are coming in, and you're communicating, you're kind of seeing everything, and hand signals, you know, you practice it throughout the summer, and then you practice it throughout camp, and then you get out there in week one, and everything's just happening a little bit faster. And so it's just coming together. You know, I thought we came together well, and we started sharpening things up in the second half, but it's just something that I think after watching the tape and seeing everything slowed down in that perspective, that it's something that each position group is going to get better at.
Unknown: It's no excuse, and every team has to deal with it, but you guys don't play in the preseason that much, right? There's very few reps. I mean, you can do the joint workouts and things like that, but it's just, you know, lack of reps until you get in the real thing, right?
McCollum: Yeah, I mean, there's definitely lack of reps in the preseason, and it's trying to get to week one healthy, and, you know, I feel like, you know, we're the best team, you know, when we're healthy and when we're on point. And so that's the main thing, and so if you want to get to week one healthy, you might not get a little... You're probably going to get a little bit less reps throughout the preseason, and, you know, that's football. I don't think there's a formula in place that is 100%. Yeah, so...
Unknown: All right. Thank you.
Unknown: Thanks, son.
Unknown: No problem. Thank you.
