“They Have To Account For All Of Us”
June 26th, 2026
Come get some, YaYa Diaby says.
Last month during underwear football practice, Bucs outside linebacker YaYa Diaby dared opposing offenses to try to shut down the Bucs’ retooled defensive front-seven.
“How can you block [Rueben] Bain, Vita [Vea], A’Shawn [Robinson], me and Calijah [Kancey]?” YaYa said. “You know, you can’t do it.”
YaYa brought that same message to a national television audience last night.
Appearing on “The Insiders” on NFL Network, seen weeknights, YaYa said offenses won’t take out everyone the Bucs line up on defense.
“Oh, shoot, they got to account for all of us,” YaYa said. “You got Ruben [Bain] on one side, [you] got the big Vita [Vea] in the middle, big Calijah [Kancey], big A’Shawn [Robinson] in the middle.
“So it’s going to be hard to be able to account for all of us.”
And YaYa said if/when he faces more single-blocking, it’s going to be bad news for quarterbacks.
“So it’s going to help me get there even quicker,” YaYa said. “Just knowing that we’re going to get a whole lot of one-on-one opportunities.”
Just based on math, YaYa is absolutely right. But we all know the man calling the Bucs defense isn’t all that fond of sacks from edge rushers. If they luck into one, great.
So that right there will be a drag right off the bat for the new look Bucs defense. And that’s a big reason why Joe isn’t sold yet that drafting Bain is the magic elixir this defense needs.
"They gotta account for all of us" 😤@Buccaneers LB @greatyaya4 on the team's new-look defensive front @PatrickClaybon | @judybattista | #WeAreTheKrewe pic.twitter.com/Gdj9ogWgYJ
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 25, 2026
June 26th, 2026 at 4:03 am
Dear YaYa … Bucs finished 8-9 last year, missed the playoffs, our defense ranked #20 & gave up over 25 PPG average. Talk is cheap, and daring opposing offenses to stop our retooled Front-7 is irresponsible. Bragging rights are won, so go win the Super Bowl THEN crow all you want.
June 26th, 2026 at 4:35 am
Joe … ‘Just based on the math, YaYa is absolutely right. But we all know the man calling the Bucs defense isn’t all that fond of sacks from edge rushers. If they luck into one, great.’
Watching last year’s games Joe, I never saw Todd Bowles make a single tackle. Never saw him break up a pass, get a sack or cause a fumble. Yes he calls all the plays, but players execute them, and apparently some (maybe many?) of last year’s players didn’t execute very well.
You & I both know that Bowles decided who we were gonna upgrade our defense with. It’s an interesting mix of veterans AND rookies, but it’s also totally unproven. Many of us have HOPE that it’ll gel quickly & the Bucs will have a good season. Todd Bowles will obviously play a huge part in that, one way or the other, but so will all the assistant coaches AND players.
Doesn’t matter IMO whether you like or dislike Bowles, statements like ‘not being fond of sacks from edge rushers’ aren’t really factual. All coaches love sacks, because they end the play, almost always with negative yardage. What is more factual is that after JPP left & Shaq got injured, our edge rusher TALENT has been marginal, and our DLine support of them hasn’t been overwhelmingly great either. Proof? Back in 2019 our OLBs got 34 sacks, but fell to only 18.5 in 2020, then improved to 23 sacks in 2021. Fell off again in 2022 to only getting 17 sacks, but increased to 22 sacks in 2023. Right on schedule fell way back in 2024 to only 12 sacks, before increasing a little in 2025 to 14 sacks. So in Bowles time as DC, the Bucs’ OLBs have gotten as many as 34 sacks in a season down to as few as 12 sacks in a season. Same DC; different players with much different TALENT levels.
June 26th, 2026 at 4:44 am
Now this is how I want to start my early Friday morning… talking Tampa Bay defense and what can, and very well may, be.
@Defense Rules
You’re conflating team record with defensive quality. An 8-9 record doesn’t automatically mean the defensive front wasn’t good. Team record reflects offense, defense, special teams, injuries, turnovers, coaching, and schedule not just one unit. That’s Football 101.
Now back to YaYa…
YaYa has a point. Look around the league. The best pass-rushing defenses don’t rely on one superstar, they overwhelm protection with multiple threats. That’s how the Eagles, 49ers, Ravens, and Broncos consistently generate pressure. You simply can’t double everyone.
The Buccaneers now roll out Mt. Vea, Kancey, YaYa, A’Shawn, and T-Rex Bain. That’s cinco legitimate problems for cinco offensive linemen. Keep a tight end or running back in to help, and you’ve already taken a receiver out of the route before the ball is even snapped. That’s 😈.
For all the trolls and naysayers, that’s not optimism—that’s Protection Schemes 101. The best defensive fronts don’t need everyone to win. They force offenses to decide who they’re willing to let beat them.
And we’re probably not done. A second wave of free agency is still coming, and the house that Licht built has both the cap flexibility and the track record to add another piece if the right opportunity presents itself.
Joe…
The only people pretending this won’t matter are the same ones who insisted Tampa’s defense couldn’t finish near the top against the run last year… then watched it finish 5th.
The math hasn’t changed. The names just got better.
Great read!
LFG!! 🏴☠️
Ring Me
June 26th, 2026 at 4:47 am
bro I am HYPE for this defensive front! we won’t need a secondary… tony kornheiser and michael wilbon could play corner for us and it won’t matter. QB’s better get ready to run like H3LL!
June 26th, 2026 at 4:50 am
@Defense Rules
You abandoned the “don’t talk until you win a Super Bowl” argument and switched to a discussion about talent. I’ll give you that, that is a better debate. I actually agree with more of your post than you may realize.
You just made my point.
You said Bowles is the same DC, that talent matters, and that the edge talent has been marginal since JPP and Shaq. Exactly. That’s why we are excited about the upgrades.
Nobody is claiming they’re already elite. We’re saying the personnel is better than it was a year ago. That’s how roster projection works. If talent drives production, and the Buccaneers added A’Shawn Robinson, T-Rex Bain, Anzalone, while getting another year from YaYa and Kancey, then it’s perfectly reasonable to expect improvement.
We’re not handing out Lombardis in June. We’re evaluating a roster that is objectively different than the one that finished last season.
That’s analysis, not crowing.
June 26th, 2026 at 4:51 am
@ sethery
Amen 🙏 brother.
June 26th, 2026 at 5:13 am
Can Ruben cover a wide receiver?Bowles wants to know.
June 26th, 2026 at 5:26 am
Comments are spot on. Show me what Bowles can do with a JPP and a Shaq. Oh snap, he already has and there’s a trophy somewhere lying around as proof. Todd didn’t get dumb, he lost players that could make plays. I’m betting the pash rush will be a huge improvement over what we’ve seen in the last few years.
June 26th, 2026 at 6:16 am
Diaby “The Bust”
Sure gets a lot of press for zero results on the field.
June 26th, 2026 at 6:16 am
Let’s call this new group “The Boarding Crew”. Grapple the other ship and go over into their backfield to create chaos, disruption and capture!
Side note: you could argue it should really be called “The Boarding Party” — and maybe that is just what it will be: sacks, TFLs, fumbles, ints and celebrations!
June 26th, 2026 at 7:07 am
Gaines and Reddick were so good last year nary a single team wants them, YaYa will be far more effective this year
June 26th, 2026 at 8:20 am
@Fishawkbuc how can a 3rd rounder be a bust? Lol diaby has been a good player not great but good player for this team. He’s essentially robin and hopefully bain is our batman. Geez some of you are idiots on this comments section lol my goodness
June 26th, 2026 at 8:44 am
BoriMex 813 … ‘The only people pretending this won’t matter are the same ones who insisted Tampa’s defense couldn’t finish near the top against the run last year… then watched it finish 5th. The math hasn’t changed. The names just got better.’
Not sure what your point is here, BUT … your analysis needs to go a lot further. Yes our defense did finish ranked #5 in Rushing Yards Allowed. HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean all that much IMO since (1) Bowles focuses on stopping the run (oftentimes to the detriment of stopping the pass); and (2) opponents found our Pass Defense to be so lackluster that they passed against us 568 times on the season (9th MOST in the NFL), and only ran against us 396 times (2nd LEAST in the NFL).
In reality we didn’t have a ‘near the top’ Run Defense, it was more middle-of-the-pack. We allowed 4.3 YPC last year (#14 ranking). We also allowed 16 TDs last year (#16 ranking). THOSE are much more significant IMO than how many rushing yards we allowed based on defending against the 2nd LEAST number of rushing attempts in the NFL. And BTW, that 14 rushing TDs Allowed was the MOST since Mike Smith’s defense gave up 19 Rushing TDs in 2018.
You might also look at how many explosive runs we gave up last year. Hint: we gave up SIX rushing TDs of over 10 yards each last season (those 6 rushing TDs over 10 yards each totalled out to 274 yards … averaging over 45 yards each). THAT is shameful, and unprecedented against Bucs’ defenses.
Nope, our 2025 defense was NOT a ‘near the top’ Run Defense. The defenders we brought in for our Front-7 will fix that.
June 26th, 2026 at 8:52 am
Next time he wants to yap and put up bulletin board material make sure he understands that Kancey has to be on the field for defenses to have to account for him.
Appreciate the passion.
June 26th, 2026 at 8:55 am
Can Kancey play a whole season? Will Vea play for his current contract? I believe we improved on defense this offseason. Still, there’s a lot of questions. Bucs need to prove on the field bottom line. Nothing we say matters, it’s up to the Buc players.
June 26th, 2026 at 9:53 am
“So it’s going to help me get there even quicker,” YaYa said. “Just knowing that we’re going to get a whole lot of one-on-one opportunities.”
How that helps our front in terms of rushing the passer is exactly how Yaya explains it. It’s less about Bain by himself “saving” the defense and more about our interior 2-3 guys being more consistent occupying/disrupting the interior OL which in turn isolates both tackles. More one on ones’ in those obvious pass scenarios whether it’s 2nd/3rd & mid to long, should make for more opportunities for our edge rushers(or blitzers) to get home.
“Just based on math, YaYa is absolutely right. But we all know the man calling the Bucs defense isn’t all that fond of sacks from edge rushers.”
Not true at all, it’s less about fondness and more about bring the pressure from 2nd & 3rd level defenders as well. Yaya might have a different assignment(like sealing the edge), when we’re sending our off-ball LBs or Jacob Parrish on a blitz. The desire to apply the pressure/get home is the same, it’s just coming from a different point on the field. That should pair well with our front being projected to be able to manipulate slide protection pre-snap which pair with a QB having to ID the free runner on overloaded pressures.
June 26th, 2026 at 9:58 am
I don’t think this is true. “But we all know the man calling the Bucs defense isn’t all that fond of sacks from edge rushers.” I think Todd knows the importance of pressuring & sacking the Qb and the his teams needs to do it by any means necessary. I believe he’s talked about the advantage of only needing to rush your front 4. If the front 4 aren’t getting the job done he’s gonna bring Mugged up ILB through the AGap and CBs or Safeties off the edge.
To me there nothing worse (see Mike Smith) than to watch a defensive that can’t get any pressure on the Qb and the DC just lets the other teams Qb pick the secondary apart with no pressure. Bowles would like nothing more than to get the vast majority of his sacks from his OLBs and IDL.
June 26th, 2026 at 10:27 am
Excellent comments by most. Taking the sentiment of comments since we’ve added new players, it seems most are more optimistic about our D this year, myself included.
But I notice hardly anybody is talking about K. Scott. The guy just LIKES to hit people and make splash plays, so with good health in mind, I’m optimistic Scott will be a big piece of our improvement this year.
Lots of hope here by me, but that’s all we have at this point.
Go Bucs ! ! !
June 26th, 2026 at 11:02 am
Opponents won’t have to block the entire front 7.
Bowles will have Bain back in coverage 30 yards downfield.
He will never give up on his lousy Swiss cheese scheme.
Captain obvious is going down with that ship.
Bucs fans feel like we’ve got scurvy watching his 32nd ranked red zone defense.
June 26th, 2026 at 11:31 am
You can count on one hand the number of times No-no was double teamed last year. Sorry kid, but until you can consistently beat the RT one on one you should probably stay quiet. Don’t even get me started about Buster Kancey. What’s the over-under on the number of games he plays this year? Six?
June 26th, 2026 at 11:54 am
Everything looks pretty good right now until the pads come on and injuries pile up. Can we hold some health for the whole season? I’d love to see it! If we do, there’s plenty of talent on this roster to go far.
On a positive note, our issues stopping the run stemmed from linebacker play and I think we have rectified those with our *starters*. Now, if our starters get hurt is when we run into trouble. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. Voss is not fast enough to play LB in today’s NFL. Let’s hope Trotter is. He looks very quick to me.
Finally, Bowles is just fine with his OLB’ers getting sacks. I don’t understand why Joe seems to forget Shaq Barrett was here for a while and he certainly didn’t hold Shaq back. He isn’t going to do that to Bain if he starts to produce. Or Yaya, for that matter if his sack numbers start to escalate (and I think they will).
June 26th, 2026 at 11:56 am
Would prefer to fly under the radar, keep the hype down, let upsets and wins do the talking. Hope the Bucs stay healthy,win some games, and go deep in the playoffs. But all this talk and hype in the offseason only leads to disappointment with this team. Tell me I am wrong?
June 26th, 2026 at 12:20 pm
@Jack Burton Mercer
Yaya faced double teams 35.2 % of his pass rush reps last year.
134 out of 380
Just sayin ✌🏼
June 26th, 2026 at 12:37 pm
Can Joe explain how Shaq Barrett led the NFL in sacks as an edge rusher given Bowles apparently doesn’t value sacks from that position?
June 26th, 2026 at 1:18 pm
I think YaYa. Is right if our Defense is allowed to go full bore and the D-ends & Edge guys are actually going into get after the QB & be a disruptive force. But we still have good ole Bowles making the final call, I fear that under the heat of game day he will wilt again back to what he’s comfortable with & that isn’t good , we say that before. I’m not concerned with the pass rushers dropping into coverage, most if not all teams do that. My concern is that being a HC & a DC at the same time isn’t easy , & I lost a lot of faith in our head guy last season,n. I really hope the Bucs ridded the TEAM of the dead wood &. quitters that were in wasted roster spots last season. . Hope the TEAM has strong enough leaders to overcome the possibilities of outr Kit-Kat HC/ DC to loose the faith of his TEAM. Let’s hope not GO BUCCANEERS!!!!!!
June 26th, 2026 at 1:31 pm
Who was the head coach that year?
June 26th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
Defense Rules… Thank you for demonstrating how looking at one stat can be deceiving!! Too often here and elsewhere a single stat is used to justify a perceived reality. I found your comments regarding rush stats refreshing!!!
June 26th, 2026 at 1:35 pm
@Defense Rules, fair point on the rushing yardage being helped by low attempts. I’ll give you that. But that actually strengthens my point, not weakens it. Tampa wasn’t perfect up front, yet still kept teams from consistently leaning on the run. The real issue was balance: the pass defense invited volume, which skewed the whole picture.
That’s why the front-seven additions matter. Better edge pressure, better linebacker range, and more bodies who can win one-on-one help both problems. It cleans up run fits and forces quarterbacks off schedule.
So yes, 4.2/4.3 YPC and 16 rushing TDs says there was work to do. But pretending the upgrades won’t move the needle is the part I’m pushing back on. The math is still simple: more legitimate threats up front means fewer places for offenses to hide.
The Bucs numbers check out: 396 rush attempts, 1,684 rushing yards, 4.2 YPC, 16 rushing TDs allowed, and 568 pass attempts allowed.
June 26th, 2026 at 1:43 pm
Shut up and get me double digit sacks and a double digit win season.
Then, and only then, you can whisper. Not talk, mind you… just whisper.
June 26th, 2026 at 1:51 pm
“Who was the head coach that year?”
The same guy who was adamant about Bowles getting another HC opportunity and then retired in order for Bowles to get that opportunity calling it a “succession” plan
June 26th, 2026 at 2:12 pm
Thank you, Joe. BA was the head coach when this team were winners.
Cause, effect.
June 26th, 2026 at 2:22 pm
Warren Brooks Lynch Says:
“Who was the head coach that year?”
The same guy who was adamant about Bowles getting another HC opportunity and then retired in order for Bowles to get that opportunity calling it a “succession” plan
@Warren Brooks Lynch
BA trapped the Glazers by waiting to retire until it was too late to get another HC. Then he was hired to be an advisor and was in Licht’s ear to retain Bowles a second time.
That’s the only reason he’s still here. Now Licht’s destiny is tied to Bowles.
A precarious position to be in, to say the least. Bowles is circling the drain.
June 26th, 2026 at 2:47 pm
Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Especially a stubborn old dog? Are we going to see more of the same as the last 2 years?
“Pass rushers” in coverage?
Trotter and/or Dennis trying to cover guys like Bijan?
Last but not least: DB’s playing WAY OFF the line of scrimmage, almost running a variation of a “prevent defense”?
The Bucs will not have a decent defense if Bowles keeps doing the S.O.S., different year.
June 26th, 2026 at 3:04 pm
“BA trapped the Glazers by waiting to retire until it was too late to get another HC. Then he was hired to be an advisor and was in Licht’s ear to retain Bowles a second time.
That’s the only reason he’s still here. Now Licht’s destiny is tied to Bowles.
A precarious position to be in, to say the least. Bowles is circling the drain.”
Drama, suspense, intrigue, & uncertainty. Cool story bro.