Vita Vea battles Arizona tackle Kelvin Beachum Sunday.

No, Joe doesn’t think Bucs coach Todd Bowles is hoping Vita Vea changes his deodorant.

In all but the win over the slimy Saints, Bucs Pro Bowl nose tackle Vita Vea’s snap count has largely in the 70 percent range of the Bucs’ total defensive snaps. That’s a bit higher than in some years past when Joe grumbled regularly about Vea’s lack of playing time.

Sunday, however, it was different. Vea had the fewest snaps of the season, 36. He had 37 snaps in New Orleans but Vea’s percentage of total defensive snaps in that New Orleans game was lower.

So why, in a close game with perhaps playoff hopes on the line (if the Bucs lose do they ever overcome Carolina to win the division?) did Bowles have Vea standing on the sidelines with him?

Was Vea hurt? Was he gassed? What was the deal?

Bowles is looking to the future. Speaking yesterday in his day-after presser, Bowles knows how important this stretch run is. Bowles said he wants to make sure Vea has gas in the tank for this stretch run to close out the regular season.

“It’s trying to keep him fresher,” Bowles said when he was asked what the deal with Vea is. “Trying to keep him fresher.

“Knowing [Arizona was] going to throw the ball a lot, we needed the bodies.”

Joe gets what Bowles was trying to do. Bowles must have been confident the Bucs were going to pull out that win.

On one hand Bowles said yesterday the Bucs missed too many opportunities to put Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett on the ground. Then, Bowles said they needed to rest Vea.

Can’t have both.

To be fair to Bowles, a few weeks ago Vea landed on the injury report with a bum back. For a big ol’ nose tackle like Vea, that could be troublesome.

Again, Joe gets what Bowles is doing here. But Joe doesn’t know how many games the Bucs can roll the dice on not having Vea on the field more in the second half.

The margin for error is thin.