ESPN: YaYa Diaby Will Have A Big Game Against New England
November 8th, 2025
Prediction.
Joe isn’t a huge stat guy but there are a couple of numberscrunchers whose insight Joe respects and values.
One of these men is Aaron Schatz, the former chieftain of Football Outsiders (RIP) and the creator of DVOA.
Why does Joe respect Schatz so much? Even though he’s a stats guy, he is not a slave to stats. And he’s not pushing some dumbarse grades as the end-all, be-all to football analysis.
Joe has heard/read Schatz refer to a stat and then add something along the lines of, Well, this doesn’t make sense. Open-minded Schatz always relies on a his eyes in the final analysis.
So whenever Schatz types something, Joe pays attention.
In an ESPN preview of tomorrow’s Patriots-Bucs game, Schatz doesn’t like the way New England rookie left tackle Will Campbell is blocking. Combined with Patriots quarterback Drake Maye’s habit of giving up sacks and YaYa Diaby heating up in the past two games, Schatz predicts a big day for YaYa tomorrow.
Bold prediction: Bucs linebacker Yaya Diaby will have multiple sacks. Patriots left tackle Will Campbell is currently 56th among qualifying tackles with a pass block win rate of 83.8%, while taking sacks is Maye’s biggest weakness (34 in 2025). Only the Titans’ Cam Ward (38) has more.
In the past three games, YaYa has three sacks.
If YaYa gets a sack or two early, Joe is confident the Patriots will adjust to get Campbell help, and that ought to loosen things up for other Bucs to get after Maye.
November 8th, 2025 at 10:02 am
I Will believe it when I see it. He gets a lot of pressure ,just can’t finish.
November 8th, 2025 at 10:03 am
Ms Coot and I will be at the game tomorrow, Club 212, we will be closing monitoring the situation, we are not expecting a victory, Pats 34 Bucs 2
November 8th, 2025 at 10:11 am
The Cooters haven’t been around during the Bucs win streak. Can’t say they have been missed.
November 8th, 2025 at 10:13 am
Cooter, it is going to be in the 30s Monday night so you might get cold in your grandma’s basement. Space heaters are on sale at Lowe’s.
November 8th, 2025 at 10:33 am
There is a video of Yaya working with Simeon Rice. It is fantastic, and it seems like he is learning a lot. Look it up if you haven’t seen it.
November 8th, 2025 at 10:37 am
bspn
November 8th, 2025 at 10:40 am
Yaya has had a presence all year. He looks 10 fold better than last year. Faster and deliberate. Hope when he starts breaking out, it allows Braswell (if he gets snaps) to get less attention on the other side and breakthrough.
His sacks are coming!
Go Bucs, make a statement this next month.
November 8th, 2025 at 10:40 am
No basements in Florida.
November 8th, 2025 at 10:46 am
Nationally Televised game!! I get to actually watch from my comfy living room here in Denver! Of course we gotta win or I catch a lot of flack from my office buddies.
November 8th, 2025 at 10:50 am
Joe, obviously you are correct about the lack of basements in Florida homes. Perhaps I should have said grandma’s gardening shed.
November 8th, 2025 at 10:51 am
Hey I am in section 212 club!. Hopefully Ya Ya has a big day!!. The defense needs to have a big day to win. The offense is lacking so many weapons!!. If we get Godeke and Haggard back, hopefully the O line plays well gonna need to keep Baker upright!! Joe is right no basements in FL unless you are in a submarine
November 8th, 2025 at 11:26 am
No basements in Florida? 1. Google is your friend. 2. I live in Florida 33 miles West of Tallahassee. I have one.
November 8th, 2025 at 11:55 am
Basements are rare in FL but there are a few, mostly up in the panhandle like DBS says or in places far inland and in the sandhills along the Lake Wales ridge. Google “Mount Dora Catacombs” and you will read a crazy story about 25 rich families in that town who built the largest private nuclear shelter in the US back in the early ’60s after reading “Alas Babylon”. It is essentially the biggest basement in FL. Also, Tampa Theater downtown on Franklin Street has a basement, some claim it is haunted and I have heard stories of tunnels running under some of the old buildings in Ybor, probably for hiding things in prohibition or so that wise-guys could make a quick escape from the coppers which implies that some of those old building could have basements too.
November 8th, 2025 at 11:57 am
The Woodshed