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Calijah Kancey Gets a "DB's Perspective" in Coverage Drop | Brianna's Blitz 

Defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and Head Coach Todd Bowles break down No. 94’s effective coverage drop versus Ladd McConkey in Week 15 at Los Angeles

Kancey Bri's Blitz

Against the Chargers in Week 15 from fourth-and-six, Todd Bowles loaded the defensive front with eight players pre-snap to confuse quarterback Justin Herbert. Calijah Kancey dropped back post-snap then quickly changed direction once Ladd McConkey settled into the nearby zone. Kancey tracked the ball and knocked it loose as it arrived, forcing an incompletion and ensuing turnover on downs for Tampa Bay. There are not many three-techniques in the NFL that could make that athletic play and Kancey accomplished the feat seamlessly. Most of the time, if a defensive tackle is one-on-one with an NFL receiver, there is a blown assignment, and an error has occurred in communication. However, in this instance, Kancey had repetitively practiced the scenario.

"It is something that we have been repping in practice," stated Kancey. "As soon as the situation came, we knew what happened. I am kinda pissed at myself because that should have been an interception. I understand from the DB's perspective how hard it is to turn around and locate the ball and I had to find out myself."

Kancey is currently tied with Vita Vea for the team lead with 6.0 sacks. The Pitt product possesses rare first-step quickness and twitchy feet. He is a penetrating one-gapper with reactive athleticism and change-of-direction skills that paid dividends on the coverage play versus McConkey in the fourth quarter.

"He's so athletic that he drops as good if not better than some of our linebackers," said Todd Bowles with a smile. "Obviously, we don't want him to make a living off that. We want him to rush the passer, but in a few instances and circumstances when we know they're keying on him, that we can get him out of there and get somebody else free."

Bowles is known for his creative blitz packages and exotic pressures with various players firing off the line of scrimmage and others dropping to inflict chaos on the opposition and confuse the signal-caller. Kancey's closing burst and explosion opens up his playbook. Whether a fire zone or another complex specialty in the Bowles' bag of tricks, Kancey will be a focal point.

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