No Vita Vea; No Surprise
July 10th, 2023
Vita Vea
Many Bucs fans like to romanticize the greatness of manbeast defensive tackle Vita Vea. Others see a guy who is very good and uniquely talented, but not among the elite players in the game at his position.
There’s even a small divide on how valuable Vea really is inside the ketchup-stained walls of JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters. One Joe sees a second-tier tackle whose snaps are limited compared to many of his peers ; the other Joe sees Vea as likely the greatest nose tackle in the game.
ESPN NFL senior writer Jeremy Fowler is in the process of releasing his annual study of the best 10 players at each position. Results are formulated after anonymous rankings submitted by about 80 league executives, coaches, scouts and players.
Vea did not make the top 10 at defensive tackle, but was the second honorable mention.
Vea had 31 tackles and 6.5 sacks. “He’s a great player, but he’s a nose [tackle] so he can disappear a bit,” an NFC executive said. “It’s hard to affect the run and the pass every down, which makes him hard to put above some of these others. But he’s a great disruptor.”
The great news is Vea was the highest-ranked NFC South defensive tackle. The Panthers’ Derrick Brown was the only other division DT in the honorable mention category. Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett was listed as receiving votes.
It’s a big year for 28-year-old Vea. He should be in the prime of his prime in his sixth season.
The Bucs will need him to stay healthy all season (for a change) and to be at the top of his game. The option of capable Rakeem Nuñez-Roches behind him no longer exists.
July 10th, 2023 at 4:03 pm
When the Bucs get to the trade deadline and are selling off players I hope they get rid of Vea and not Mike Evans or Lavonte David.
July 10th, 2023 at 4:04 pm
Good to very good but not great.
He needs to play more.
July 10th, 2023 at 4:09 pm
they say shaq is all motor. he needs to lend VV some juice!
July 10th, 2023 at 4:22 pm
Good to very good at times but not great.
Needs to be on the field more.
July 10th, 2023 at 4:23 pm
“But he’s a great disruptor.”
Sometimes, yes. But not necessarily when you want/need disruption. I like Vea but I truly believe he needs to step his game up and be more of a force. As I have seen him, maybe 1 of 20 plays he is disruptive. If there’s some stats to state otherwise, I’m all ears. Just stating the eye test. He could be SO much better game in and game out.
July 10th, 2023 at 4:40 pm
Nothing makes Buc fans happy. I’m glad he’s on our side, that’s for sure.
July 10th, 2023 at 4:41 pm
If he only had moxie.
July 10th, 2023 at 4:53 pm
IS EVERYONE ON HERE IS DRUNK TODAY?
Vea from the NT, getting doubled nearly every play, had more sacks than …
DL: Hall, Gholston, Nelson
OLB: JTS, Shaq, Nassib
LB: White, LVD
… and everyone else on the team.
Watch a game and you’ll also see Vea wipe out 2-3 OL so another player can make a play.
You guys want to disrespect the best player on the DL? The DL who had more sacks than every other DL added together?
Please, tell me more.
July 10th, 2023 at 4:55 pm
Vita Vea has been a huge difference maker. Him and Suh were largely responsible for the Bucs having a historic run defense in 2019-2021. 3 straight years of dominance. Then in 2022 he leads the team in sacks while playing significantly less and taking on double teams more than anyone on the team. He makes everyone around him better. I’d love for him to play more too but that comes with the price of the position’s physical demands and VV’s build.
July 10th, 2023 at 4:59 pm
Someone need to shellac this article to Vita’s Locker and bedroom wall.
July 10th, 2023 at 5:06 pm
That does his job LD and DW get tackles
July 10th, 2023 at 5:07 pm
VITA
July 10th, 2023 at 5:20 pm
Not elite?
WTF?
So he plays a little over half a game. He’s a monster when in there.
Many get more snaps and STILL are less effective.
Dude is like 300bazillion pounds, Few guys that massive can play more and equal his effectiveness.
Fingers crossed some other DT’s step up to be as solid as Vea is.
July 10th, 2023 at 5:40 pm
Dom … ‘Vita Vea has been a huge difference maker. Him and Suh were largely responsible for the Bucs having a historic run defense in 2019-2021. 3 straight years of dominance.’
Nailed it Dom; how soon some forget. Our defense was not only ranked 1, 1 & 3 against the run in those 3 years, but we also ranked #5 in each of those years in takeaways. Interior line anchored by Vea & Suh was a huge part of the reason why.
And like you said, we’d all love for him to be on the field much more, but that doesn’t seem highly likely. I’m hoping that Gaines fills the role that Suh filled in creating that run defense dominance with Vea that we lacked last season without Suh.
July 10th, 2023 at 5:46 pm
3-technique is expected to pressure QBs, nose tackles not so much. Yet Vea led the team in sacks anyway, and gets called average by his own fans. SMH
July 10th, 2023 at 5:48 pm
Vea had a career high 6.5 sacks and a FF in 14 GP without Shaq. Hicks was on and off and only played 11 games. Bucs 15 run defense. Had he been on this list before? Him and Kancey gonna tear it up inside.
July 10th, 2023 at 6:51 pm
Vea is borderline elite.
I am not sure what some people are smoking lately. If Vea was playing next to Ngata or Wilfork people would call Vea elite.
Vea last year had to play with a lot of ordinary DL because Hicks was injured and Hall was a rookie swimming in his head out there.
July 10th, 2023 at 6:59 pm
Played overweight last year
Let’s hope he comes in ready this year
July 10th, 2023 at 7:19 pm
I WOULD like to see what he could absent 20 pounds or so
July 10th, 2023 at 7:36 pm
SOE,
Kancey could be the secret sauce VV needs.
July 10th, 2023 at 7:47 pm
Hope everyone remember Bucs traded with Buffalo. Bucs got Vea, Bills got QB Allen.
July 10th, 2023 at 8:25 pm
He’s too fat to play more than 50% of the snaps.
Who’s the Bucs strength and conditioning coach? Vita Vea, Fatboy Fournette (aka Pancake Lenny), Akeem (Hot tub) Hicks, Donnie (the Human turnstile Smith) Russell (Hurt again) Gage and others show we need a coach who can get these players in shape
July 10th, 2023 at 9:09 pm
Vita is super talented and freakishly athletic for a guy his size. But he is lacking in one ability. An ability that Tony Dungy used to talk about AVAILability.
When he plays he’s great but nobody can be great from the bench. IMHO I still think he’s worth the $$$ if the Bucs use him wisely.
July 11th, 2023 at 1:31 am
I just rewatched some of the Huskies 2016 playoff run when Vita and Greg Gaines played side by side. They were dominant and had real chemistry. I can’t wait to see those guys play together again.
July 11th, 2023 at 3:40 am
The top 10:ranking i saw had him listed at 10. And didn’t he get 8 sacks? I’m pretty sure he did to lead the Bucs this year. Vea is definitely elite
July 11th, 2023 at 4:20 am
And how have we done with him out of the lineup?
Come on man!
Fowler has joined the dark side and has put the BS in BSPN.
Go Bucs!
July 11th, 2023 at 6:43 am
“IS EVERYONE ON HERE IS DRUNK TODAY?”
Apparently so. Because if you don’t see Vita’s value, your eyes are blurry from to many beers. If so called ‘FANS’ on this page want to hate on a Bucs player, you should probably pick another one than Vita. Like say Joe Tryon-Shoyinka.
Un f’n believable.
July 11th, 2023 at 9:47 am
We’re paying him too much money to be a part-time player. He was off the field on the last play of the Rams playoff game!
July 11th, 2023 at 10:00 am
would love to see him get up to 75% of the snaps. He needs to be out there more
July 11th, 2023 at 12:39 pm
He’s be elite if he could play more than 40% of snaps
July 11th, 2023 at 1:52 pm
Veta is a must needed piece in my opinion he disrupts plays even when he is not the tackler
July 11th, 2023 at 2:12 pm
I’m on the fence with Vita. I mean I understand he takes a lot of double teams and would be gassed a lot. But, it’s hard to swallow when he was drafted that high. If Devin White wasn’t a douche and actually made plays, you would see Vita’s value a bit more.
Is Vita as good or better than the Goose was? I think so. Tony Siragusa is who I would compare Vita to, not Sapp. But, Siragusa wasn’t drafted #5 overall, Goose wasn’t drafted at all. And that hurts.
July 11th, 2023 at 10:13 pm
lambchop Says:
“Tony Siragusa is who I would compare Vita to, not Sapp.”
.
.
Totally agree. Same guy I’ve thought of.
July 12th, 2023 at 7:48 am
Cheap shot for sure. Vea is a very good nose tackle. Is he perfect? No, but how many NFL players are?