YaYa Diaby Is Your Bucs Sacks Leader
December 24th, 2023
Step aside.
It took five starts, just five starts. And the Bucs have a new sacks leader.
No, it’s not Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett. It’s not rookie tackle Calijah Kancey. It’s not Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. It’s not even Pro Bowl tackle Vita Vea.
It’s YaYa Diaby with 6 1/2 sacks!
Diaby, the rookie from Louisville, had another solid game today. It wasn’t just sacks; he had 1.5. No, Diaby had a well-rounded game. He also had two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, and a quarterback hit.
It’s been a while since the Bucs had that kind of production from an edge rusher. Maybe the Super Bowl win over the Chiefs?
Joe found it refreshing when Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who the Bucs made look like Mike Glennon, admitted how the Bucs’ pass rush screwed up both the Jags offense and gameplan.
“They brought a lot of pressure,” Lawrence said of the Bucs pass rush. “We let their pressure and their pass rush and all those things get going.”
Lawrence added the Jags set up the Bucs to come at him. Because Jacksonville was down so much, they had no choice but to pass and he added the pass rush turned into hungry, angry dogs.
The Bucs put Lawrence on the ground four times, hit him five times and Joe knows Lawrence somehow got away from Devin White for a sack.
And a big reason for that is Diaby’s play.
“He’s settling in, he’s settling in,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said of Diaby. “He’s feeling comfortable. We kind of let him go a little bit.
“He’s adding to the tools he had in college and he’s making it his own.”
Just think folks, Diaby is still a green-as-grass rookie. With only five starts under his belt, imagine what he might be like next year after he’s had a full offseason in the Bucs’ weight room.
December 24th, 2023 at 9:40 pm
YA YA AKA THE BEAST!!! way to go rookie
December 24th, 2023 at 9:44 pm
I LOVE IT!!!! Keep growing Mr Yaya
December 24th, 2023 at 9:46 pm
What a freaking find in the draft
December 24th, 2023 at 9:46 pm
Impressive. I am not buying as some have tried to float that Licht is a bad GM
December 24th, 2023 at 9:55 pm
Ya Ya is going to be all pro in a few years. He was all over the place today.
December 24th, 2023 at 10:09 pm
Great work by JL finding some juice on that DL in the draft. Add another pass rusher at pick 24 or whatever to join that young front, take a C/G in round 2 and the Bucs could be cooking with gas in the trenches.
December 24th, 2023 at 10:18 pm
Beast…
Merry Christmas my brothers!0
December 24th, 2023 at 10:30 pm
This kid completely reminds me of JPP everything about him, he is even bigger though maybe he needs to get a little psycho though
December 24th, 2023 at 10:35 pm
Diaby and Kancey will be great pair.
Yaya only can has 5 starts?
Kancey can has missed the early part of the season.
Yet they are playing at a very high level.
December 24th, 2023 at 10:35 pm
This kid is a beast.
He will be a great building block, for rebuilding this defense.
December 24th, 2023 at 10:38 pm
Ya Ya is going to be a major problem for opposing teams for years to come.
December 24th, 2023 at 10:39 pm
Looks like a younger Jason Pierre Paul
December 24th, 2023 at 10:39 pm
Have you seen this kid?–he is already so beefed up–he is huge–he has giant long arms, he does not need the weight room–he brings it already. Maybe some leg work. He needs some specialty training and more time starting. He is turning out to be a really nice pick!
December 24th, 2023 at 10:40 pm
Typically D-lineman take a year or two to hit their stride, Diaby is way ahead of schedule.
December 24th, 2023 at 10:48 pm
In with new n out with the old. Ya Ya balls out n even at the end of the game when Bowles tried to give JTS an opportunity to prove himself, as usual he disappointed as he went one on one with a tackle n seemed to be running in place. JDean need to go, he’s pure garbage. Second time this year he leaves a man wide open alone for a td. Folks, please listen to Trey Palmer, when a person tells u who they are believe them. He plays n run scared. He can’t wear Rams 5th round rookie Puka Nacua’s jock straps. Trey is another Scotty Miller, all speed no heart. Bowles played aggressive today, the only way to the promise land. Baker played well today n last week but he need to be careful n not try to do too much on every play. Go Bucs!
December 24th, 2023 at 10:52 pm
Be careful what you ask for in getting rid of corners. Dean is here for a reason. You have to have one to drop one.
December 24th, 2023 at 11:10 pm
I like to think bowles is a good evaluator of defensive talent in draft also
December 24th, 2023 at 11:17 pm
I love it merry Christmas Tampa Bay
December 24th, 2023 at 11:21 pm
“Be careful what you ask for in getting rid of corners. Dean is here for a reason. You have to have one to drop one.”
Dean and CD3 get hurt every other game or limp off the field every game. This has been happening since 2019. I have never been a Dean fan, he gets torched or lost quite a bit. He relied on speed to recover on his mistakes. CD3 is a technician but he has been bad and age will make him even slower. I haven’t like Zyon either he has played better, but they must draft a corner in either rounds 1-3
December 24th, 2023 at 11:29 pm
He is leading all rookie edge rushers in sacks.
December 24th, 2023 at 11:42 pm
Just think about this: Kancey and Diaby are rookies. Baker is in his 1st year here. Canales is in his first as OC. Rookie at G. Bad C that will be replaced. Bad CBs and overpaid who will be replaced.
Yeah. Take it to the limits this year. But this funkhouse is just getting started. The steady improvement over the last month — the decrease in penalties, the overcoming of mistakes and drops and missed tackles — suggests the team is going to elevate.
This is why I’m not a GM. Patience is a virtue.
December 25th, 2023 at 2:17 am
This was one of the reasons why I called for Bowles to be fired. Fortunately for everyone, Diaby became a starter in time…
December 25th, 2023 at 2:28 am
Can i get the PA announcer to say” sacked by ya ya” (pause for the crowd) – DEEEEEEEEEEEE – yaby”
December 25th, 2023 at 3:46 am
YaYa “Diablo” Diaby
December 25th, 2023 at 3:52 am
This is what they hoped JTS would be. Great to have a long term edge rusher come out of the draft for the Bucs. Last time was….have we ever drafted a stud edge before? (Selmon was not andge rusher, he was a 3-4 DE)
December 25th, 2023 at 7:01 am
JTS did some good things on the field yesterday too. So did Hall. We seem to be jelling on both sides of the ball. Merry Xmas.
December 25th, 2023 at 7:25 am
Hope they get him some help in the off-season on the other side. Another DE and starting safety is what this defense needs.
December 25th, 2023 at 7:55 am
Agreed Joe!
Sapp was not this good as a rookie!
Go Bucs!
December 25th, 2023 at 8:06 am
You know, I just realized there is one thing that Bowles did this year that is brilliant, perhaps genius-level:
Bringing Diaby along slowly, letting him get confidence, and avoid the rookie wall (so far).
A trademark of a quality and competitive playoff team is good edge play. If Diaby continues to build momentum throughout the playoffs (can’t believe I’m typing this – only 4 weeks ago I’d have scoffed at the Bucs and playoff chatter, LOL) then maybe the Bucs might have a chance.
But first, get that Division title, Bucs!
December 25th, 2023 at 8:26 am
on the sack fumble recovery by yaya, he simply ran over lawrence…
it was pretty wicked on the replay…
it was definitely an old school style qb hit that got lost in the referees eyes due to extreme pocket congestion…
yaya’s like a rock, that was a pretty rough hit on one jacksonville qb
December 25th, 2023 at 9:05 am
Kudos to Diaby, Bowles, and Licht for drafting him. Can we can the toilet Bowl(es) snark for a bit? Patience? You can’t be a long time GENUINE Bucs fan without it. Bowles is retooling the D. That’s his love and specialty. That’s why Canales is here, you bunch of no brains!
December 25th, 2023 at 12:29 pm
Jason nailed this pick
Credit where credit Is due
December 25th, 2023 at 1:26 pm
This draft class and UFA additions this year might actually be Licht’s strongest draft “overall”. With So Many highly effective rooks filling “starter level” positions with stunningly clear results. Especially “in a pinch” or simply So Strong that they Take it away from another because they are better at it and deserve the honored spot, speaks to how well Jason Licht is drafting.
It’s no longer one or maybe two, it’s now multiple contributors, Every Season, Season after Season! I’d like to see our GM retire Many, Many Years from now as a Buc “EXCLUSIVELY”!
99 problems but a GM ain’t one of them…..
GO BUCS!
December 25th, 2023 at 1:40 pm
Jason Licht “could” set a record here with the most HOF drafted in a GM’s career. I don’t know what that would take but THIS GM could do it! He’s definitely got one in the bag and Multiple others in line. Two jump right out at you and a couple of others have High potential.
If he sticks around I DO BELIEVE he is building an Honest to God “DYNASTY”!
If we can keep him around HE WILL build us a DYNASTY…… If we lose him, many of us might not live long enough to see that otherwise.
Jason Licht is forming a juggernaut. I support him 100% and he’s worth Every penny it cost to have this man as our guru leading us Year after Year, Title after Title, SUPER BOWL after SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!
December 25th, 2023 at 1:46 pm
Licht has a ways to go before he overtakes Dan Rooney or Bill Walsh or Jack Vainisi. Rooney had, what, four Hall of Famers in just one draft?
December 25th, 2023 at 1:48 pm
Diaby has all the traits to be a very good pass rusher, once he starts to learn some pass rush moves he’ll be special.
December 26th, 2023 at 10:42 am
Quite a few people on here scoffed at Jason’s Licht and acted like they could do better. JTS is a bust I’ll give you that but Kancey and Yaya are quality picks on the defensive line. Having a great front 4 opens up so much. Then you get linebackers and the secondary involved and you really start scaring quarterbacks. That jaguars win was primarily a defensive display. That is what wins championships. Go BUCS!!!!