Procrastination.

Late-night snacking.

Not getting enough sleep.

These are all common bad habits.

Bucs defensive tackle Calijah Kancey has a bad habit too, one that keeps him pretty occupied throughout the day. Although most bad habits do not lead to production, Kancey is looking to use his to get his sack numbers up and develop into the kind of dominant player the team has visions of him being in his second season.

What Is Bucs DT Calijah Kancey’s “Bad Habit?”

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey and Lions QB Jared Goff – Photo by: USA Today

Calijah Kancey has spent the offseason looking to get better and build off a rookie season in which he recorded 26 total tackles, 12 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for loss, and four sacks. Quality numbers for a rookie defensive tackle, especially in the span of just 14 games.

How has he been preparing for this season? Well, Kancey admitted that his bad habit is watching sack reels of prominent NFL defensive linemen.

“Honestly, I have a bad habit of just watching sack reels all day,” Kancey said on Tuesday. “I just like to watch sacks. Now I’m starting to tap into different defensive linemen in the league around my body type that play like me or who I play like.”

He then went on to name some of the guys that he enjoys watching the most.

“The guy from the Ravens, 92 [Justin Madubuike], Quinnen Williams, Grady Jarrett, of course Aaron Donald, a lot of guys,” Kancey added. “Ed Oliver. I watch a lot of guys.”

Calijah Kancey Is Looking At Correcting His Mistakes

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

While one can chalk up Calijah Kancey having a successful rookie season, he is not satisfied with where he is. Now that Kancey has a season under his feet, he also has been busy watching his own film this offseason when he isn’t turning another sack reel on.

“It’s definitely going to prepare me for a great season,” Kancey said of the work he’s put in this offseason. “Being able to have something to feed off of. Last year coming in I didn’t have any film playing in the NFL. Now, I have film playing in the NFL. I’ve seen the mistakes I’ve made and now I can actually go and make those corrections.”

The difference between bringing down the quarterback and missing opportunities to make a play often stems from the little things. Kancey detailed some aspects of his game that he has been refining in the hopes of being more consistent.

“Whether it’s hand placement where I could have used my hands, let my hands die, if I stopped my feet, or anything like that,” Kancey said of the mistakes he’s looking to correct. “Whether I wasn’t precise on a move, just little things like that. I think the little things add up to the big things which is the sacks, which is what we all want.”

Calijah Kancey Has Some Lofty Goals In 2024

So, heading into this season, what are some of Calijah Kancey’s goals?

Bucs DT Calijah Kancey – Photo By: Cliff Welch/PR

Well, let’s just say he has some lofty ones for himself, the defense, and this Bucs team.

“I definitely want to win a Super Bowl,” Kancey said. “I definitely want to get double-digit sacks. I want us to be the number one defense, and I just want to continue to wreak havoc.”

Kancey is looking forward to building off his rookie year and it is clear that he, like many other Bucs players on the roster, is hungry to get after it next season and embracing the underdog mentality.

“Just being an underdog and people not knowing what we can go out there and do. Now, from us doing what we did last year and them giving us a little bit of respect, I think we want to continue to be the underdog. We want guys to continue to think, ‘Oh, the Bucs is just the Bucs.’ We’re going to go out there and play football and show you.”