Bucs linebacker Yaya Diaby looks to improve in second season

TAMPA - After a year in the NFL, Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Yaya Diaby is still pinching himself daily.

"Every day I wake up and just thank God that I'm here and thank God that I'm able to do what I love," Diaby said.

But what Diaby loves is something opposing offenses usually hate.

"That body type and that prototype, you don't see it or find it often," said running back Rachaad White, describing his teammate.

Leading the team with 7.5 sacks last season, Diaby also ranked second on the defense in tackles for loss in just his rookie campaign, leading White to question Diaby's true origins.

"He's just long and big! Yaya looks like he was built in a lab," White joked.

The second-year linebacker out of Louisville, however, is quick to explain that his skills are far more science than fiction.

"No, I wasn't built in a lab," Yaya clarified. "I just work hard to get these guns. That's all it is."

Over the offseason, Diaby found himself in the gym constantly trying to gain muscle and lose fat.

"I'm here every day, but they lock the weight room on Sunday so that (stinks)," Diaby joked.

While the Bucs literally have to keep their second-year edge rusher out of the gym on Sundays, Diaby is still focusing on improving for his second season with the hope of taking the next steps in his career.

"Going into year two I feel good," Diaby said. "When I hear plays I'm not (thinking) how I was last year, asking 'What am I doing?'"

These steps taken forward for Diaby can be seen on the field, as well as off it.

"I look for his game to grow mentally and getting a better grasp of the system, to understand where his help is and understand what they are trying to do to him to take advantage of that," said head coach Todd Bowles.

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But you can rest assured that Diaby is taking full advantage of his time in the NFL.

"I've been in the system for a little bit, so now I'm just out there having fun."

And "fun" for Yaya Diaby spells trouble for the opposition.

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