Calijah Kancey Pressures Second-Half Of Season
July 7th, 2025
Collapsing the pocket.
Regular readers of Joe know Joe isn’t much of a fan — hell, no fan at all — of quarterback pressures.
All pressures mean is a guy got close to a quarterback. That’s horseshoes and hand grenades stuff. Close doesn’t cut it. Good quarterbacks are not fazed by pressure.
Having typed that, Joe can understand how pressures from a defensive tackle actually do mean something. It’s not the be-all, end-all to getting after the quarterback. But it helps.
If a defensive tackle isn’t on a stunt that takes him outside, getting pressure on the quarterback up the middle means he’s collapsing the pocket, at least a little.
Quarterbacks hate that, specifically immobile quarterbacks. It eliminates the possibility of stepping up in the pocket and delivering. Pressure from a defensive tackle up the middle eliminates an escape route (if you have anything at all coming from the edge).
A quick example was when Vita Vea came off the disabled list to play against the Packers in the 2020 NFC title game.
Vea collapsed the pocket and as a result, Bucs sacks king Shaq Barrett went bananas that day and the Bucs advanced to the Super Bowl.
So the following is both encouraging and frustrating.
It seems Kancey, per NextGen Stats, had the fourth-most pressures in the second half of the season. Obviously, since Kancey is a tackle, that means he was often coming from up the gut.
But this also underscores how godawful the Bucs’ edge rush was. With Kancey getting so many pressures, you’d think Vea would be in the mix, too. Per Pro-Football-Reference.com, Vea had but 14 pressures in the same games, Weeks 9-18.
Still, with Kancey collapsing the pocket so often, where the hell was the edge rush?
Back in pass coverage, probably.
July 7th, 2025 at 7:21 am
Pressures often lead to interceptions and more often to broken plays.
July 7th, 2025 at 8:57 am
Praying for nice, healthy calf muscles this year.
July 7th, 2025 at 9:13 am
I watched JTS get pushed way outside the QB more times than I care to remember last year, saw him flash to the backfield only to get Ole”d to behind the QB.SMH
July 7th, 2025 at 9:15 am
“ Still, with Kancey collapsing the pocket so often, where the hell was the edge rush?
Back in pass coverage, probably.”
YES JOE YES!
Hopefully Todd’s big epiphany on how to fix his defense includes rushing the passer with pass rushers and defending the pass with pass defenders instead of making everyone into a Swiss cheese army knife.
Crazy thoughts, I know.
July 7th, 2025 at 9:50 am
Yaya Diaby had 65 pressures
July 7th, 2025 at 10:28 am
“Yaya Diaby had 65 pressures”
The knock before the tactical team kicks the door in
July 7th, 2025 at 11:47 am
“It eliminates the possibility of stepping up in the pocket and delivering.”
Indeed pressure right up the gut does that. In addition that fact means the timing of the pass game gets destroyed and WR’s and QB’s are then forced to free lance and use their legs and wiley recievers like ME13 and CG14 who don’t quit on broken plays and get open.
Just an opinion…but I love QB pressures. Sacks are obviously better just as it’s obviously better to KO a guy instead of going to a decision. But I’ll take beating the pulp out of guys as a strong second best outcome. There’s more than a QB’s courage or nerves and pain tolerance involved. Smaller RB’s can get worn down as well trying to chip and help with guys like Vea or Kancey. And really who wants to step in front of a 350lb freight train.
July 7th, 2025 at 11:47 am
I was going to write that pressures occasionally lead to interceptions or other positive things from a defensive perspective. But @SB beat me to it. 😉
July 7th, 2025 at 11:57 am
Could you imagine a guy like Leonard Williams instead of Logan Hall?
Could you imagine Leonard Williams as our starting DE?
Damn.
We need a great backup NT for Vea.
And an upgrade to Hall.
If we really want an elite defense.
July 7th, 2025 at 12:41 pm
“hell, no fan at all — of quarterback pressures.”
As opposed to no pressure at all? Of course sacks are better, but no QB really wants pressure.
July 7th, 2025 at 4:05 pm
I don’t understand all the pub about Kancey. He’s not reliable, consistent nor does he make game changing plays. He’s good but not someone who can take over a game like Sapp, Rice or Selmon. Those guys were great as soon as they put on a Bucs uniform.
July 7th, 2025 at 5:22 pm
a sack affects one play pressures affect multiple plays and drives.