YaYa Diaby In Elite Company
January 9th, 2025
Is a Bucs edge rusher finally born?
So yesterday, Bucs outside linebacker/edge rush YaYa Diaby was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He’s been on a hot streak the past three weeks.
YaYa has 2.5 sacks and six quarterback hits in his last three games. He’s turning it up at the right time as the Bucs head to the playoffs.
YaYa yesterday sounded like a home run hitter who said the secret to his success was not trying to swing for the fence all the time.
“I just stopped focusing on the sacks,” YaYa said about his uptick in sacks. He finished the season with 4.5.
“For me, I was always, ‘I’ve got to get a sack. I’ve got to get a sack,’ and these last couple weeks, I’ve just been playing free. I’m really just being myself.
“All the negative outsiders saying what I can do and what I can’t do, I honestly don’t care about that [any] more. I’m just playing my game in the way I need to play to help this team win.”
YaYa joined impressive company with the numbers he has put up in his first 34 games of NFL football. Since 2017, YaYa is the sixth player to record 12 sacks, 25 quarterback hits and 25 tackles for loss across his first 34 career games played.
Wait until you get a load of the other five: Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, Maxx Crosby, Bradley Chubb and Myles Garrett.
Hopefully — hopefully! — YaYa is finally the guy the Bucs have needed since Father Time clotheslined Jason Pierre-Paul and Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett blew out his Achilles.
The Bucs desperately need a consistent, top-shelf edge rusher.
Joe catches hell from every corner of One Buc Palace for non-stop griping about the lack of an edge rush. The reason Joe does this is because an edge rush is so vital for a defense to be stout and a team to win.
Joe doesn’t have a lick of power to correct this. But folks at One Buc Palace do.
The three times in Bucs franchise history the Bucs had a ferocious edge rush, the worst the team did was make it to the NFC Championship game.
Coincidence? Oh, no. Joe doesn’t believe in coincidences in football.
January 9th, 2025 at 12:10 am
YaYa!
January 9th, 2025 at 12:30 am
We don’t need sacks this week. We need rushers to stay in their lanes and close him in in the pocket.
January 9th, 2025 at 12:55 am
Who dat hitn da QB in my Krew??????? Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya!! Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya Ya!!
Congratulations Sir Keep Grinding 🚩🏴☠️🚩🏈💨💨‼️
January 9th, 2025 at 1:01 am
Don’t do that… Don’t give me hope 🤣🤣
January 9th, 2025 at 1:02 am
“Joe catches hell from every corner of One Buc Palace for non-stop griping about the lack of an edge rush.”
That’s ridiculous that you catch hell for reporting. What, you’re only welcome if you write nice things? And you are not wrong.
BTW, even bad publicity is better than none. The One Buc gripers should be grateful you are out there promoting the team.
YaYa is not in the same category as Parsons or Crosby or Bosa. If he doesn’t want criticism for lack of production, then all he has to do is produce.
January 9th, 2025 at 1:30 am
Maybe if edge rushers rushed the passer from the edge in training camp and preseason, they’d be better at it to start the season. Maybe if they actually were called on to rush the passer in real games instead of dropping to cover Cee Dee Lamb, they might be able to get a sack.
Let’s get us a real defensive coordinator for 2025.
January 9th, 2025 at 1:43 am
Honestly I will cry on joy if he becomes a great player. I have been whining about edge rushers since Shaq fell off.
January 9th, 2025 at 2:29 am
Wow! That IS some impressive company Joe!
I think if you consider all of the factors of playing OLB for this team he has done way more than most of us realize. There is more to playing his spot than just sacks for one thing. Our back end forces teams to do the old dink and dunk thing that drives us all nuts. We have faced a great deal of the new “Dual Threat” QBs this year as well, so our guys have had to adjust in order to try to keep them in the pocket.
Not sure if there is a legit stat for the time QBs have taken till release against a defense but I would bet they are getting the ball out faster against us than most.
I also wonder if we are leading the league in third and short. Meaning we don’t seem to be getting as many third and long situations as we have in years past. That will lead to less sack totals for sure me thinks.
I know this sounds like a lot of excuses but as I said, these are things to consider.
Go Bucs!
January 9th, 2025 at 5:29 am
Ya Ya isn’t our problem since he is two way OLB who plays the run and pass well. In two years he has 64 solo tackles, 25 TFL’s, and 12 sacks.
Compare that to JTS 4 year totals of 87 solo tackles,21 TFL’s, and 15 sacks.
Could this be one reason for the soft zone that many have taken issue with or
quite possible that Dean has also regressed in pass coverage.
January 9th, 2025 at 5:35 am
I totally love YaYa’s mentality on this.
Not worrying about the outsiders and simply playing his best game.
This reminds me of a video clip of Bucco Bruce Arians talking to a rookie during mini-camp a couple of years ago. (Forget who the rookie was, but he didn’t make the final 53)
The rookie was saying he was concerned because other rookies were clearly better at some aspects of the position than he was.
Arians looked at him and said, “You do you. That’s what got you here”.
Sounds like YaYa is going full-tilt-boogie on that idea.
Joe:
Keep griping.
You’re catching all heck because they know you’re right and they won’t do anything about it.
Stand your ground.
January 9th, 2025 at 6:06 am
I know it sounds pessimistic to talk about next season when we are still in the playoffs, but this off-season needs to be the one where we spend the money on a pass rusher.
It’s funny that the ones I wanted ( Reddick and Judon) ended up being busts and would have been bad moves, so I’m not sure I am in a position to complain until the 2025 season actually starts. I just know YaYa needs a friend he can rely on.
January 9th, 2025 at 6:25 am
Go ya ya!! Congrats my man!! One of my favs on this team. After reading an article about his upbringing and the challenges he faced getting to the NFL on the Bucs app I have gained a lot of admiration and respect for him. Cool story! Keep grinding Mr diaby!!!
January 9th, 2025 at 7:54 am
Yay for Ya Ya! He is in great company!
January 9th, 2025 at 8:06 am
Jason Licht clotheslined JPP and Suh too.
Not Father time.
Both of them could and should have played 1-3 more years with us. 💯
These are 2 of Licht’s worst mistakes as a GM.
Releasing Shaq when he was a year removed from an Achilles tear was also a terrble decision.
At least we tried to rectify the Shaq loss
January 9th, 2025 at 8:07 am
It’s the coaching from Shaq that’s the difference. Bowles needs to dump his OLB coach and a few others. Bowles needs to get tough and fire coaches that aren’t delivering.
January 9th, 2025 at 8:09 am
And if Todd had any one of: Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa, Maxx Crosby, Bradley Chubb and Myles Garrett… he would drop them into coverage, like he does Vita Vea. SMDH
Maybe that is why we have not had good luck drafting EDGE players. When Todd is doing his scouting, he is looking for coverage skills?!
I recently hear a retired QB (Brady Quinn?) talking about DC’s dropping a player like Myles Garrett into coverage. The QB laughed and said “Thank you Coach!”
January 9th, 2025 at 8:48 am
What ever happened to Chris Braswell? I thought he was going to be as good at YaYa. So far, he has only played in a handful of game and produced maybe a sack or two.
January 9th, 2025 at 9:33 am
Love the Content Joe. Long long time reader, first time poster. What doesn’t get discussed enough is how a Tackle for loss is basically the same as a sack. You’re just tackling a non QB in the backfield. Granted, it’s typically of the 1-5 yard variety, but a negative play nonetheless. Those should be appreciated more.
January 9th, 2025 at 9:59 am
Hopefully YaYa stays healthy. With this walking wounded Defense, that would be a big plus.
January 9th, 2025 at 10:00 am
WestPhilly:
Don’t be a stranger man, thank you.
January 9th, 2025 at 10:10 am
He is just so surprisingly strong and fast that it feels like he should be winning more often. I think he will as he gets more and more comfortable and learning the game.
January 9th, 2025 at 12:09 pm
1000% agree with WestPhillyBucsFan on that one. A fantastic observation.
January 9th, 2025 at 1:06 pm
Our linebackers can’t stop the interior plays. That’s why Bowles has his edges drop back occasionally in coverage. Since the bye, it’s been pretty effective. 6-1 not bad. Good coaches squeeze the most out if what they have, not what we wish they have…
January 9th, 2025 at 1:35 pm
Same here Joe bin beating this drum so dam hard for so dam long. It’s like saying you don’t need a franchise QB.