Can Calijah Kancey Save The Defense?
January 3rd, 2026
Returns today.
Joe has a bad vibe about this.
Please don’t be confused. Joe thinks the world of Bucs defensive tackle Calijah Kancey. Had he not gotten hurt, Joe thought he was going to have a breakout season.
But he did get hurt. And he wasn’t scaring many quarterbacks before he got hurt.
So it appears Kancey will play today when the Bucs face the Stinking Panthers in a do-or-die, win-and-wait game. The Bucs, even if they win, will have to bank on a slimy Saints victory over Atlanta on Sunday to back door into the playoffs.
But back to Kancey. Joe has a hunch Kancey showing up leading the cavalry is like the cavalry showing up to save a central Texas town the day after the Comanches raided the place. Kancey ripped a pectoral muscle in September, avoided surgery and recently returned to practice where the Bucs have not been in full pads hammering each other.
Joe is not blaming Kancey, but the damage to the Bucs is already done. Joe doesn’t think the defense is suddenly going to snap to life and play shutdown football and put the quarterback on his backside (NO!) just because Kancey steps on the field in the final game of the regular season.
Would be nice. Joe would hope so. But Joe has a strong vibe it’s too late.
Stay healthy, Calijah!
January 3rd, 2026 at 12:18 am
Article is spot on. I know we all want the best for/from CK, but let’s pump the brakes here. Really all he has shown to this point is potential. It’s not like Sapp coming back, or Vea in the playoffs (or, LOL, Aaron Donald who we were promised he was the second coming of). He has never popped like any of those guys. So far he’s a nice player (in the 50% of games he plays in), just like Yaya is a borderline nice player. But these guys aren’t stars, they’re not game wreckers. Don’t let your Bucs fandom blind you to the truth about these dudes.
January 3rd, 2026 at 12:20 am
There is no reason to win this game truly. It isn’t going to matter. Saints aren’t beating Atlanta. Atlanta wants nothing more than to win this and end Tampa! Sad times for Tampa. I want Rams OC for our next head coach sadly Bowles isn’t going anywhere. Why in the world would they extend him and not let his final year play out. This organization makes no sense. I mean look at Zyon and his extension as another example among many others. Just very sad times. We all fear the dark days are back.
January 3rd, 2026 at 12:29 am
How many times will Bowles have Kancey dropping into coverage?
January 3rd, 2026 at 12:30 am
I think he has flashed. He might not be a star at this point, but he’s made a few dominant plays, that made me say wow.
January 3rd, 2026 at 12:35 am
Wow, if one player turns this defense into a top 10 defense, sign him for 10 years, $500 million.
January 3rd, 2026 at 12:40 am
It’s way too late! This team has already checked out on their head coach. I know they say they haven’t, but their actions are louder than words.
January 3rd, 2026 at 12:58 am
@Bucsfan951
Yep that’s what I’ve been saying for weeks. I think they’ve given up on him already.
January 3rd, 2026 at 12:59 am
They should really consider moving Kancey to DE to see how he’ll do there.
January 3rd, 2026 at 1:01 am
Not only did we elevate JPP WE NOW ELEVATED SIMEON RICE!
January 3rd, 2026 at 1:05 am
This reminds me of the Bucs bringing back Ryan Jensen for one last game vs the Cowboys in TB12’s last season in an attempt to to help out the OL in that home playoff game where the Bucs got boat raced. Jensen was still hurt and played like a shell of himself. The difference is that Ryan Jensen was a great player before Logan Hall destroyed his knee. Kancey has shown very short glimpses of being an impact player but for the most part he has been injured and overall is a disappointment considering he was supposed to be the next Aaron Donald, plus he is probably playing hurt. As someone above said, too little, too late. I hope the kid gets a couple of sacks and a fumble recovery off of Bryce Young but Bowles will probably have him trying to defend passes…… Fire Bowles, fire him immediately after this final game!
January 3rd, 2026 at 1:24 am
Dude cant stay healthy, so heck no…he’s probably a bust, i never pushed for him.
January 3rd, 2026 at 1:58 am
The old Tampa Tribune used to have an illustrator draw comic cartoons in game day decades ago. Anybody remember “Der Buc Bomber?”. It was a cartoon of an old WW1 biplane. I think that one was before we screwed Doug Williams, but I digress. Later, when we had Steve Young, the late great Tom McEwan wrote a little poem about the BUCS on a game day morning before an important game. I don’t remember any of that poem except the last line. “And send in Young with a gun”. Can Kancey shoot? If not he won’t be much help.
January 3rd, 2026 at 2:16 am
Look, I was all but ready to tune this game out. No Dean, No ZM, 2 rookie CBs with Vildor?!?!? So, perhaps with nothing to lose, CK coming back can “spark” a team? I took the under, hopefully that causes the NFL/Refs and football juju to have a scoring frenzy by the home team AND Cousins (doesn’t) like that and returns to the pumpkin status.
IF this team doesn’t come out fighting on Sat, then I just might hang up my jersey’s all offseason. I could blame by wife (a Bearcubs fan) for buying me a wooden flag mount w/ Bucs logo as a bad token, but that’s a reach.
PS, I didn’t hang it up yet. 🤷🏾♂️
January 3rd, 2026 at 2:17 am
I remember the Buc Bomber Fred. I have memories of seeing it all over the parking lot of the Sombrero on game day, people read it at tailgates and it also ended up litter all over the ground and in those FL maple and sweet gum trees which used to be between the parking and the stadium itself. McEwan always had great columns back in the day, I always read the “Hey Tom” column and he was pretty honest about the state of affairs with the Bucs while still being a fan of the team. I miss the old Trib and the afternoon Tampa Times (as well as Hubie Mizell from the other Times). I am sure McEwan would have some interesting thoughts about this season if he was still around and would be able to call things as they are and not be an apologist for either the team itself or any of its members, particularly the head coach…..
January 3rd, 2026 at 2:24 am
Try as I might I don’t remember that game, except for we lost. Well, I’m pretty sure Lenient Leeman Bennet was the coach at that time so we hardly bear anybody. I swear to God he was the worst coach we ever had. When Screwy Huey Culverhouse fired Bennet he then hired the most egotistical coach of all time: Sir Ray Perkins Sir. He introduced the three a day practices. Wow! He was an arrogant buffoon, but he won 2 or three more games than Bennet. I knew the paper truck driver that delivered paper products there. He always said Perkins demanded everybody call him Sir Perkins Sir. That a tangermaroon. Anyway that imbecile decided to trade Steve Young to SF for a second round pick. I think we took Winston Moss with that pick, but I’d rather have kept Young. But of course, with that megalomaniac in charge Young’s career would have been much shorter.
January 3rd, 2026 at 2:29 am
@ fort myers Dave, remember the Monday morning breakfasts he would write about? After particularly bad games he would talk about runny eggs and burnt toast and end it with “a suck of a lemon”.
January 3rd, 2026 at 2:33 am
Hey, Joe, maybe one day our kids, or grandkids, will remember you(s) the same way.
January 3rd, 2026 at 3:10 am
Landon Robinson ‘26!!!
Gettin Kancey back isn’t enough, we’ve got to up the level of talent on this team in the interior D-Line
January 3rd, 2026 at 3:14 am
Perhaps he can play corner. Absurd as it sounds Bowles will have him trying to cover wideouts 30 yards downfield
January 3rd, 2026 at 3:28 am
^yup Itzok….cant have pass rushers trying to pass rush
January 3rd, 2026 at 3:30 am
WTH are we doing Jason and Glazers???? You guys have seriously dropped the ball on this BS… WTF dudes?
January 3rd, 2026 at 3:41 am
I enjoy Fred’s & Fort conversation.
especially the part about telling it like is. Bravo men👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
January 3rd, 2026 at 4:14 am
@MadMax
This is all out of desperation now because they probably realize they screwed up by not doing anything in FA or at the trade deadline like usual. The Glazers don’t wanna spend any of their $$$$ because it would be too much & this is all out of desperation now trying to help the D as much as they can now with whatever they can think of because they probably realize they screwed up & that the fans actually DO know some things about their needs. But I’m sure all of them could care less about what the fans think.
January 3rd, 2026 at 4:41 am
I’m worried he’s coming back too soon and will re-injure himself. Just because Bowles is desperate. And it might not matter anyway.
I do think Kancey is a game-wrecker, so I get why they do it. Kancey at 80% is better than any of our other DT’s not named Vita Vea.
January 3rd, 2026 at 5:14 am
I just want the embarrassment to end, and the sooner, the better. We are a bad team under this HC/DC. If he doesn’t retire, fire him. At least give fans some hope of improvement in 2026.
January 3rd, 2026 at 5:43 am
You are right on, Joe. One guy coming back isn’t going to do it. Plus, he could have a re-injury. Save him for a playoff if we get lucky.
FortMyersDave – Completely right about Ryan Jensen’s return. Has the same mood.
January 3rd, 2026 at 5:47 am
This season began like the movie title THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY and more than likely the end will be UGLY! Will those responsible for the collapse of a team that appeared to be in total control of its own fate take ownership of their creation? No, throwing others under the bus seems to be the flavor of the day! When/if the ownership of the Bucs decides to make changes for improvement in 2026, I hope they don’t throw out wheat with the chaff.
January 3rd, 2026 at 5:49 am
This is how my Bucs game day will go. I’m so excited. Breakfast with some family, nice little celebration, some golf. Super pumped it’s been awhile. And then hockey, I’ll be damned if I let this team drain the joy out of another weekend for me. At this point I don’t care burn it to the ground and start over. Not saying I won’t take a quick peek at intermissions but I’m devoting more of my time to myself and my fandom to the lightning as long as this team is playing like this. For those curious puck drop is at 4
January 3rd, 2026 at 5:59 am
Glad he’ll be there for Todd’s last game. I’m not as high on him as most, just hasn’t demonstrated he’s an NFL D tackle with his constant injuries.
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:19 am
Probably will get hurt again
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:20 am
He’ll play one series, and then He will be hurt, just like baker and dean, SOFT A$$ team!!!
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:23 am
The best ability is availability. And so far in his career, he’s been pretty much unavailable.
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:25 am
No.
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:27 am
Adding an unremarkable lineman who will probably get hurt again in the 1st quarter won’t make the secondary suddenly stop watching receivers run by them as they play their weak zones.
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:28 am
Promoting Griz to OC is all the evidence you need that the FO lacks critical thinking skills necessary to compete in the NFL. A lot of this mess is on Licht. Prove me wrong.
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:28 am
Winning NFC South is like winning the $1.98 Beauty Show.
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:33 am
Is it 7:45pm yet, so that this $hit can be done and over with????
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:35 am
Tribune was a great paper. SP Times….naaahhh, worthless.
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:51 am
Take the L get a high enough draft pick to finally get a good pass rusher and finally build the roster with high draft picks with the rest of the nfc south.
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:51 am
He’s nothing more than another Licht bust.
January 3rd, 2026 at 6:58 am
7-10 is coming.
Season ticket holders will be refunded tonight as the exit The Licht House.
The joke is over tonight
January 3rd, 2026 at 7:11 am
Good analogy
That and he is extremely rusty when it comes to real NFL game speed
We’ll know soon enough
January 3rd, 2026 at 7:24 am
Relying on other division foes to lose won’t work for Todd this year! The football gods will not help him this time. He is the luckiest Bucs coach in history. Dirk kotter and Schiano could’ve won the division for years in our sorry division of the last few years. At least in the lost decade, they had the excuse of having Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, and Cam in his prime to contend with.This division had been awful since 2021.
January 3rd, 2026 at 7:41 am
Kancey making an impact in today’s game is as likely as US forces abducting Maduro. . .
January 3rd, 2026 at 7:49 am
Bucs get destroyed today…team has quit and can’t wait to end this year.. very weird season after a interesting start..whatever went wrong after the bye hopefully ends with Bowles and staff being let go and if any players were involved with this inexcusable display of effort should also be sent out the door.. I’d rather root for a crap team that shows effort than a mediocre team going through the motions
January 3rd, 2026 at 7:58 am
Licht’s draft record on the defensive side of the ball is a D minus at best. If “Never Ring of Honor Licht” is retained as GM (I have a feeling he will totally throw Bowles under the bus to save his own job) he needs to be paired up with a defensive specialist who has veto authority over him.
January 3rd, 2026 at 8:01 am
Same vibe, Joe. Also, the optics will be horrendous if for whatever reason they bring him back today and he re-injures himself