“YaYa Looks Like An Action Figure”
November 14th, 2023
The Bucs have had some incredible physical specimens at the edge rusher position.
There was 2016 second-round pick Noah Spence, who looked carved out of stone. Jason Pierre-Paul was a renowned athletic freak before he got to Tampa, and who could forget Simeon Rice (2001-2006).
Now there’s there growing profile of rookie YaYa Diaby, Tampa Bay’s third-round pick. He measured 6-3, 263 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine with a 37-inch vertical leap and a 4.51 40 yard dash.
The moment Joe first stood next to Diaby, Joe had the same thought Tristan Wirfs shared yesterday on the Buccaneers Radio Network.
“Yaya looks like an action figure. It’s not fair,” Wirfs said.
Much was made of Diaby playing more against the Titans, but that was overblown. He’s played about the same amount all season. Entering last weekend, Diaby had averaged about 23 1/2 snaps per game. He got 27 on Sunday, with Todd Bowles citing Diaby being strong against the run and the Titans being a run-first team.
Regardless, with two sacks in his last three games, Diaby may be busting through his rookie learning curve and preparing to finish like a beast.
And he sure is a beast. Wirfs talked about how he realized that about Diaby in training camp.
A homegrown, exciting and rapidly developing rookie edge rusher is a rare thing in Bucs camp. Diaby could be that guy.
November 14th, 2023 at 2:39 pm
Coaching malpractice if they don’t get him on the field and move the weak JTS to spot duty. The Bucs need these tough physical players on the field. One of the reasons that defense looked good Sunday is because they were hitting people instead of standing around and waiting for someone else to make a play.
I hope they can give Brock Purdy the same welcome they gave Levis.
Only way the Bucs can beat the Niners is for the defense to stand up strong. I don’t expect the offense to do much, its just not good enough and the playcalling of wasting all of those 1st and 2nd downs with 2-2 1/2 yard carries continually puts them in 3rd and 6, 3rd and 7. Mayfield has a slow release and holds the ball so with a good pass rushing team like SF, you have to put in more 1st and 2nd down passes when they are in run defense.
November 14th, 2023 at 2:41 pm
That is such music to the ears Joe. IMO Bowles needs to sit JTS and start YaYa the kid has earned it. More sacks with more playing time. JTS doesn’t belong in the NFL.
November 14th, 2023 at 2:43 pm
Right on the money Ed 👍
November 14th, 2023 at 2:56 pm
Hey that’s not fair to JTS! He looks like an action figure too! Looks just like She-Ra
November 14th, 2023 at 2:58 pm
JTS needs to begin his Lawn Sevicr business career now.
November 14th, 2023 at 3:00 pm
Against the Texans, Shaq stripped Stroud. JTS was right there with the beat shot at recovery. Being the headless chicken that he is, he piled on top of Shaq and Stroud and let theTexans recover.
Bucs win if idiot JTS just had his eyes open.
November 14th, 2023 at 3:04 pm
JTS to light I see guys blocking him with 1 arm sad
November 14th, 2023 at 3:28 pm
Dave Pear,
Thank you for pointing that out about JTS. I thought I was the only one who saw that bonehead jump on top of the qb who clearly didn’t have the ball in his hand. I saw two other bonehead plays “involving” him in the same game against the Texans, just too embarrassing to share. Whose idea was it to draft JTS. He’s nothing remotely close to being an nfl player. If he was on Georgia’s current squad, Kirby would have him on the bench, no, he would springboard to the portal for a D-2 school.
November 14th, 2023 at 3:31 pm
JTS looks like Gumby with a fro.
November 14th, 2023 at 3:34 pm
i think he could become a great one lets hope!
his measurables are the same as Lee Roy Selmon’s i believe at 6’3 and 263.
November 14th, 2023 at 3:43 pm
JTS will continue to get large snaps-That is Jason Lichts’ guy.
November 14th, 2023 at 3:51 pm
Ya Ya and Kancey are looking like solid draft picks, I’m hoping to see more SirDenis if he can stay healthy.
November 14th, 2023 at 3:54 pm
Watts too
November 14th, 2023 at 4:01 pm
soon we can pick up a yaya action figure at the buccaneers stadium store ???
i hope so…
– what a name
– what a number
– what a guy
#BumpUpHisSnaps
🙂
November 14th, 2023 at 4:03 pm
JTS has no power in his game whatsoever. Everytime he tries to bull rush heget stopped in his tracks. Diaby on the other hand has demonstrated that he has power and he needs more playing time to gain experience and improve.
November 14th, 2023 at 4:12 pm
Just Too Soft has one solid move – lining up offsides.
November 14th, 2023 at 4:12 pm
Plan 9 is the bust I have always said he is,. Just a useless player. The Bucs would be a better team w/o Plan 9 from Outer Space.
November 14th, 2023 at 4:18 pm
Didn’t we literally hear over and over again about how JTS looked like a greek god when he took his shirt off – some nonsense like that?
Anywho, the most jacked player I’ve ever personally seen was Tyji Armstrong. I don’t know how he got around the testing, but during some pregame he was walking around the field with his shirt off and he looked like the most jacked professional wrestler you’ve ever seen. Not sure how he was getting around the testing rules, but no one else on the field, on either team, looked like him.
November 14th, 2023 at 4:30 pm
gotta let joe shmo sit more…
so he’s so hungry when he gets in there, that he’s fiending to get to the qb…
and if he finally gets to the qb, when he jogs off to the sidelines, bowles can dig in his pocket and give him a scooby snack because he acted like a dawg
November 14th, 2023 at 4:31 pm
Kancey and Yaya seem to the the real deals. Mauch should be solid next year. Need more line beef at C and LG.
November 14th, 2023 at 4:32 pm
big ya reminds me of one of those dudes who can lift up the end of a small car…
like he looks big and strong and all, but i think he’s even stronger than he looks…
#PowerhouseYaya
November 14th, 2023 at 4:36 pm
why not bring in a guy like simeon rice for a season as a bucs consultant…or a legendary DE who knows the game like the back of his hand…
to work with joe sho and get his game up to speed…show him all the moves, all the techniques, all the freakin’ marbles…
there’s gotta be a legend/master DE you can hire up to get this guy up to speed
November 14th, 2023 at 5:13 pm
Adam – I believe JTS went to a camp like that already.
November 14th, 2023 at 5:22 pm
Munch, I remember Armstrong and in his physique too. These days you’ve got Danielle Hunter, Myles Garrett, and Nick bosa taking up the slack.
November 14th, 2023 at 5:57 pm
I (embarrassingly) held out hope that JTS would come around this season. Man was that wrong… He has not improved one speck from his rookie year. No moves, no strength, no game smarts. He just throws himself at the blocker repeatedly until the whistle blows.
Diaby on the other hand is a beast. He’s got a relentless motor, he’s already NFL strong, and he can play both run and pass. Why he only has 213 snaps to JTS’s 367 is unbelievable. These are the things that get you fired, Bowles!
November 14th, 2023 at 5:59 pm
Yaya? Yeah-yeah! Yes-yes! Displace JTS. I am from up north but can Bucs fans at Ray-Jay make this a chant?
November 14th, 2023 at 6:06 pm
I dunno, the muscle hamster always looked chiseled t me. Even tho he was only 5-4.
November 14th, 2023 at 6:16 pm
Plan 9 is not even worthy of the practice squad.
November 14th, 2023 at 7:05 pm
Arrow pointing up!
November 14th, 2023 at 8:20 pm
YaYa is our only hope and its like ya ya
November 14th, 2023 at 10:52 pm
Tryon Sho-Stinka.
November 14th, 2023 at 11:40 pm
Steven007 – Yeah, you got a lot of guys these days that are built more like that, but at the time, he literally looked like a fully roided up 1980s professional wrestler – not saying he was doing that, he just looked the part.
Hey Joe, if you see this, you should ask Ira who the most jacked guy he’s ever seen who has played for the Bucs – see if Tyji even stands out to him at all.
November 14th, 2023 at 11:54 pm
Diaby has looked great so far this season. Now that draftmate Kancey is healthy this looks like a pair of aces.
November 15th, 2023 at 10:41 am
Unfortunately, with all of his speed, we’ve yet to see him use it to stress the edge and run the arc. He seems to be strictly a bull rusher at this point.
November 15th, 2023 at 12:59 pm
Tony S., why you do She-ra like that ?
November 15th, 2023 at 11:54 pm
Please sit JTS down.
I know he is a kid and trying, but it’s painfully obvious that YaYa and Watts are better.
I think they have seen spouts of good play in practice and they know once they relegate JTS to the bench it’s over. Let me save you the headache, ITS OVER.
Countless posters have mentioned this, but Bowles is NOT a good evaluator of talent. Or, his loyalists curve from BA runs too deep.
Either is really bad IMO.
He might be the only coach who still does it HIS WAY even after the NFL world has SEEN WITH THEIR OWN EYES, what YaYa and Watts can do.