“I Learned My Body”
February 14th, 2024
Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey.
Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht nailed the 2023 NFL Draft.
It wasn’t a haul for fantasy football lovers, but Licht’s first three picks, all trenches players, were critical and successful starters on a team that was a timeout, a Hail Mary and a two-point conversion from an overtime shot to get to the NFC Championship game.
The opening gem of the ’23 draft was defensive tackle Calijah Kancey selected at No. 19 overall. Yeah, he was undersized. Licht didn’t care. What he saw was a damn good football player who could overcome through speed, strength, smarts and a fierce work ethic.
Kancey got past a significant summer calf injury to finish with 4 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 12 QB hits in the regular season. And he was beastly in the playoffs.
Joe thinks the Bucs might need to hire someone to mop the drool off the floor at One Buc Palace when front office types think about what Kancey might do in 2024.
Speaking to WDAE radio last week, Kancey sounded like a guy ready to make the second-season leap common among great players.
He talked about how long the NFL season is compared to college, and how it represents double the work and twice the competition.
“I learned a lot. Most importantly, I learned my body,” Kancey said. “As being a professional football player in this league at the highest level, I just had to learn my body. I had to know my body just to be able to go out there and do what I do every week, week in and week out, because it’s definitely a long season.”
Kancey turns 23 in two weeks and it seems like, hopefully, he’ll be one of those second-year players in the mold of running back Rachaad White: totally committed to improving his durability and strength year-round.
February 14th, 2024 at 12:33 pm
Go Bucs
February 14th, 2024 at 12:42 pm
What a stud, with #94, #0 and #31 Bucs defensive future is bright and should be making highlight reels for BSPN for many years,
LFG!!!!!!!!
February 14th, 2024 at 12:45 pm
Holy cr@p Joe! Just for second when I saw that pic with the Falcons logo and Kancey…
Whew!
February 14th, 2024 at 12:47 pm
dude man is a BEAST. now focus on LB and getting a pass rush.
February 14th, 2024 at 1:04 pm
Yaya and Kancey will challenge each other.
February 14th, 2024 at 1:06 pm
Kancey was a steal at #19. He will become one of the very best players from this draft class.
How do you see a player that even resembles Aaron Donald – much less displays 85% of his attributes walking in the door and not pick him somewhere in the top 10?? (Referring to all the GMs with picks 6>18 last year)
February 14th, 2024 at 1:36 pm
Joe can you please email me and let me know what violations I have occurred from you erasing my comments every time, can you be a grownup and adult about this situation and explain why I am in the dog house with you? I don’t get it but would appreciate an explanation.
31ebs13@gmail.com
February 14th, 2024 at 1:48 pm
Kancey was a decent pick in-line with what one might expect for a 1st rounder.
February 14th, 2024 at 1:55 pm
“a team that was a timeout, a Hail Mary and a two-point conversion from an overtime shot to get to the NFC Championship game.
LMAO…well done dude. I salute you.
February 14th, 2024 at 2:13 pm
I’d hire Dwight Freeney to coach Kancey up to perfect the spin move then convert him to a DE. With his quickness n power I’m sure he can make a major impact at DE.
February 14th, 2024 at 2:16 pm
I like “the Bucs might need to hire someone to mop the drool off the floor at One Buc Palace “. Good one!
GO BUCS!
P.S. I ignore it when my comments are in moderation because I know it will come on later unless I used a forbidden word that I didn’t know was forbidden.
February 14th, 2024 at 2:29 pm
@dmartt
He is a DE. He is a 3 technique which in a 3-4 defense is a DE OLB-DE-NT-DE
February 14th, 2024 at 2:30 pm
Joe, saying we were only “a timeout, a hail Mary, a two point conversion from an overtime shot to get to the NFC Championship game.” is like saying I am only a winning lottery ticket away from being a multi millionaire.
February 14th, 2024 at 2:37 pm
Thank you Mr. Licht, for picking Kancey. Now please find an edge rusher!
February 14th, 2024 at 2:39 pm
Joe says:
on a team that was a timeout, a Hail Mary and a two-point conversion from an overtime shot to get to the NFC Championship game.
Glad to see the case for the Chance to win get a little more realistic than one timeout and one play that I see presented here. Considering that the drive would have probably started inside their own 10 with under 30 secs and no timeouts left would really show how unrealistic and for lack of a better word stupid for anyone to believe it was possible. When you factor the last pass thrown the possibility really goes down the crapper.
February 14th, 2024 at 2:40 pm
He should hit up Suh to get on his diet / nutrition regiment
February 14th, 2024 at 2:42 pm
Can’t wait to see what he does in the second season totally healthy.
February 14th, 2024 at 2:46 pm
He’s a freak. I was so disappointed when we drafted him because he was undersized, but I was impressed with this young man from day 1. He will prove to be the best lineman we have next year. One more edge rusher to compliment Yaya and we have ourselves a hell of a starting defensive line.
February 14th, 2024 at 3:07 pm
Joe … ‘a team that was a timeout, a Hail Mary and a two-point conversion from an overtime shot to get to the NFC Championship game.’
Wait a sec; it seems to be missing something …
‘a team that was an INSIDE-TWO-MINUTES-TO-GO INTERCEPTION, a timeout, a Hail Mary and a two-point conversion from an overtime shot to get to the NFC Championship game.’
There, I fixed it for ya, free of charge no less. You’ve got my permission to use the CORRECT VERSION from now on. Or even better, just stop with the fantasyland version altogether.
February 14th, 2024 at 3:19 pm
dmatt … ‘With his (Kancey’s) quickness n power I’m sure he can make a major impact at DE.’
When Bowles hired George Edwards last Spring to coach the OLBs, I had a feeling that we’d be seeing a lot more 4-man fronts (since Edwards primary background was in 4-3 defenses). Can’t say for certain because haven’t seen anything written on that, but it seemed like they did use more 4-man fronts last year (probably because we were lighter, and younger, across our DLine than we were when we had Suh, JPP & several others). Our run defense had fallen off in 2022 quite a bit over what we achieved in 2020 & 2021, and I think that’s how Bowles compensated in 2023 (our run defense that year was back up to a #5 ranking, whereas it’d fallen to #15 in 2022).
February 14th, 2024 at 3:23 pm
I hope SVD learns from his fellow Pitt alum, Kancey, and can develop in his second season. I really hope our future HOF dude, LVD, comes back for at least one more year. If we can’t develop SVD, then we need need ILB and edge draft picks.
February 14th, 2024 at 4:50 pm
I have been filtered for no reason for the past 8 years 😂
February 14th, 2024 at 5:11 pm
Joe you need to tighten your filter up they keep getting through!
February 14th, 2024 at 5:25 pm
HE HAS A SIGNATURE MOVE!!!!
Dudes take 5-6 years to perfect a move unique unto them. CK has already got his. Jump to the left and burst forward. It’s so fast that he’s a blur.
He’ll get stronger, quicker, and better. 12 sacks next season.
February 14th, 2024 at 5:26 pm
I’m going D & OL the first two rounds.
February 14th, 2024 at 6:14 pm
Sky’s the limit for Kancey. Looking forward to watching him disrupt opposing offenses all season. Hopefully Licht can nail this years draft as well and put us in a position to really contend for another championship.
February 14th, 2024 at 7:15 pm
What a steal, what a gem, what an exciting player!!!!
February 14th, 2024 at 11:52 pm
Love this guy. I think he is going to be a pro bowler within 2 years.
Love YAYA too!! Going to get 12+ sacks next year