“I Am Ready To Run With Them”
June 9th, 2026
Buying into the new passion.
Even though we are in the midst of underwear football season, Joe thinks YaYa Diaby is the (very) early leader for quote of the year.
Joe loved when Diaby was asked last week about what free agents A’Shawn Robinson and “Nacho” (Rakeem Nuñez-Roches) bring to the roster.
“Juice and guts,” YaYa said.
What a quote! So last week YaYa was asked to elaborate on that. It seems Robinson brings the guts and Nacho brings the juice.
“I like them guys, man, they’re ready to run through a wall and I’m ready to run with them through that wall,” YaYa said. “So I love what A’Shawn brings. He’s like a veteran guy and he’s more of a [brute]. Like he gets after it.
“‘Nacho,’ he’s just loud. He’s got a lot of juice for how many years he’d been in league. So it’s fun having those guys.”
YaYa is a guy often wearing a smile. And he was last week. But he confessed that the energy and the vibe Robinson, Nacho and even Rueben Bain bring to the defensive front, it is spreading to the rest of the defense.
That’s one reason, Diaby said, why the defense is displaying so much energy and passion in underwear football this spring.
Look, Joe loves to hear this. But Joe really wants to see how juice in June brings victories in September.
It’s all fun in shorts and T-shirts in the days after Memorial Day Weekend. Will that same energy produce results after Labor Day Weekend?
June 9th, 2026 at 12:29 am
This is a very cynical take on the situation. You’re right, it’s June. But surely good vibes are way better to have than bad vibes. That alone is the only possible thing the team can actually achieve at this juncture in the calendar.
June 9th, 2026 at 2:09 am
That’s a positive thing for a defense full of quitters last year.
June 9th, 2026 at 5:20 am
Bowles will find a way to screw things up like always . His in game decisions are pathetic and mid season slumps are season killers . He was gifted the job and we have paid the price with mediocre ball !
June 9th, 2026 at 5:35 am
ATLBuc … ‘That’s a positive thing for a defense full of quitters last year.’
I’ve heard that (‘defense full of QUITTERS’) quite a bit, and yet I think it very much overstates what was going on. Bucs had 3 games right after the BYE (Patriots, Bills, Rams) that ripped them a new ahole. They gave up a TOTAL of 106 points in those 3 games (over 35 PPG average), and lost all 3.
BUT … those 3 teams finished 14-3, 12-5 & 12-5 … 38-13 on the season, for a reason. They all had solid defenses, but more importantly, they all had great offenses (Pats #2, Bills #4, Rams #1). THAT’s what our average defense was contending with. And to make it worse, the Bucs’ offense played without Evans & Godwin (he was back for the Rams game, but only 36% of the snaps). And oh ya, we played 2 out of 3 of those games away.
Those 3 losses IMO broke our back. Prior to those 3 games, the Bucs’ offense was averaging 24.6 PPG, and our defense was allowing 22.3 PPG, And oh ya, we were 6-2. After those 3 games, the Bucs’ offense averaged 20.2 PPG in our last 6 games, and our defense allowed 21.2 PPG average. And oh ya, we went 2-4 in those last 6 games.
But our defense actually IMPROVED a little in those last 6 games, while our offense slipped some at the same time. The 2 games we won in that 6 game stretch (Cardinals & Panthers) we won 20-17 then 16-14. I’d say we won both of those because of defense holding our opponents BELOW our average. So no ATLBuc, I don’t buy that we had a defense ‘full of quitters’.
June 9th, 2026 at 6:49 am
It’s in the pudding.
June 9th, 2026 at 7:16 am
Yaya looks jacked this year in some posts I have seen.
Nothin short of 12 sacks I think.
June 9th, 2026 at 7:28 am
Mindset, mindset, mindset.
“I’d say we won both of those because of defense holding our opponents BELOW our average. So no ATLBuc, I don’t buy that we had a defense ‘full of quitters’.”
Our last 3 wins of the season had our defenses fingerprints all over them.
New Orleans, Arizona, & Carolina.
Our offense generated 16 points in New Orleans as they don’t get credit for Nellys’ TD. 20 points against Arizona and 16 points against Carolina. So our last 3 wins we scored 52 points on offense which shakes out to 17 ppg.
That’s why I don’t talk like the season changed AFTER the bye week for the offense, that data literally points at the moment Evans going down in Detroit correlating with our offense falling off a cliff.
Those last 2 games before the bye, offense got the ball on a combined 23 possessions for a total of 127 plays run and generated 25 total points. That is trash
June 9th, 2026 at 7:32 am
Hey DR, the sad thing in those 3 loses is that 2 were more than winnable, the Rams blew them out from the first series. Even sadder was that Allen beat them single handedly with almost zero supporting cast like an old wishbone QB and the rookie cooked the D on long scoring plays. I believe if anything the Bucs should have throttled both of those teams, they certainly scored enough point to do that.
June 9th, 2026 at 9:02 am
Speaking foe Pablo
“Pablo has been low profile worried about ICE but Pablo has to applaud Bucs signing of his hombre, Nacho….Pablo loves him sum’ Nacho!!!”
June 9th, 2026 at 10:25 am
How much more fun is it to work in your profession or play on a team or coach a kids squad with those that are passionate, love what they do and feed off of each other raising the level of the collective group? It’s powerful.
June 9th, 2026 at 10:42 am
Bowles is the perfect vinegar for that juice. And if by some chance there are a few wins early, not to worry. The 2026 Bowles swoon will make 2025’s 2-7 look like good football.
June 9th, 2026 at 10:57 am
I definitely see the defense improving. I hope its a lot. Go Bucs.
June 9th, 2026 at 11:27 am
everyone team has “juice” in the offseason…
lets see where the juice is week 9
GO BUCS!!!!
June 9th, 2026 at 12:35 pm
If YaYa makes half of the miss tackles on sacks last year, he will have 15 this year. That guy should be renamed “Almost”, cause he was almost there several times.
June 9th, 2026 at 1:38 pm
“Almost”!
June 9th, 2026 at 11:00 pm
Defense Rules said – “But our defense actually IMPROVED a little in those last 6 games, while our offense slipped some at the same time.”
I’ll say it for the third time … Check the stats of the teams the Bucs played those final six games. They were some of the worst offenses in the entire NFL and all had better than middle of the pack defenses.
You can make numbers say whatever you want if you leave part of the equation out.
In other words, no, the defense DID NOT improve down the stretch. The offense may have slipped or they may have just finally played better defenses.
Either way, who cares at this point? Last year was last year. The Bucs have a team that will likely have 30% new players as will most teams. New season, new hopes, new challenges. NOBODY has a clue what is really going to happen because nobody knows what the injuries will be for any team. Injuries [or lack thereof] are nearly 100% of the reason why some teams go on a run at the end of the season and playoffs and why others fade.
June 9th, 2026 at 11:43 pm
There’s nothing quite like puking your guts up before the start of the game on opening day. Something just feels different about this team right now. It’s like the complacency is gone and everyone is playing for their jobs. They will not miss Evans or Bird legs and all this Baker contract talk is garbage. Making mountains out of mole hills. Licht pays those that earn it. I think Baker is going to get $60mm for 5 years and stays in Tampa. If he’s 100% ready to go he will get paid.