Two Bucs Coaches: Vita Vea Needed Until Week 3 To Get In Shape
September 30th, 2026
Vita Vea played a stellar game Sunday against the Vikings.
According to two Bucs coaches, conditioning was a big reason why, a reality that makes Joe want to throw a football helmet against a wall.
“[Vea] had a heck of a ball game. That’s the Vita we used to see,” Todd Bowles told the Buccaneers Radio Network. “And he got push in the pocket up the middle. He handled the run game very well. He tossed people around. He’s got his hands up, very heady, getting his hands up. That caused [A’Shawn Robinson’s] interception and he caused another [pass breakup] as well paying attention to the game plan because of [Kyler] Murray’s height and obviously it worked out for us. So he played very well.”
Asked if Vea needed to knock rust off after skipping a bunch of summer practices, Bowles agreed with the premise.
“Well, he was getting in shape, you know, the past couple weeks he was getting in shape from missing all the camp and now it seems like he’s settled in and he is doing a good job,” Bowles said of Vea.
Vea asked for a trade and refused to practice this summer without a new contract. However, he got his raise and contract extension 25 days prior to opening day. And he still wasn’t in shape for Weeks 1 and 2?
What exactly was Vea doing during those 25 days and earlier in training camp? Did Ndamukong Suh tell him to not look game-ready? And if he was so far behind schedule, why didn’t he play in the Bucs’ final preseason game?
Defensive line coach Marcus West also was on the Buccaneers Radio Network. He concurred that Vea’s lost time hurt his game.
“That’s my first time seeing that Vita,” West said of Vea’s play against the Vikings. “I didn’t see Vita, the preseason. Vita was, unfortunately in a situation, in a preseason or whatever, but I mean he missed training camp. He missed the summer and things, which is the business.
“… But he’s working himself back into what he was compensated to do. But that comes in, that comes in time, that comes in training. We just said train how you fight. You gotta train to fight.”
It’s ironic that Vea professed his great love of Todd Bowles and went out of his way at his new-contract news conference in August to say the Bucs’ 2025 struggles were on the players, not Bowles.
Well, he loved Bowles so much he wasn’t ready to be his best self for two weeks, two tight games that are weighing heavily on Bowles’ job security.
September 30th, 2026 at 11:43 am
Trade advertisement for Vea… Coaches… Talk him up?
September 30th, 2026 at 11:45 am
Vea could be good trade bait, he might get the new head coach and possibly Jason’s replacement another draft pick to start the rebuild with. Vea was invisible during the first 2 losses, he wanted a trade, give the big man what he wanted.
September 30th, 2026 at 11:49 am
This defense played ok against a Vikings team that has been struggling with Kyler Murray and no Justin Jefferson don’t get crazy here settle down.
September 30th, 2026 at 11:58 am
@Tucker
Agree 100% – Plus, when teams know your offense can’t handle their defense. They tend to call a safe vanilla game where punting is your friend. This also results in inflated rankings.
Go Bucs!!
September 30th, 2026 at 11:59 am
WTF did they think?!? BIG Guys did NOT need more time to get in Shape?!? Don’t you think should have NOT FAFO about his demands? Deadline should have been understood to include that knowledges that a Big Guy needs a few weeks to acclimate / get in shape and so his “sore back” could heal.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:02 pm
Self centered and selfish. That’s what these obscene contracts will do. Less about the team and more about how much can I get.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:03 pm
Pretty simple, players have become complacent under Bowles. More like friends than his head coach
September 30th, 2026 at 12:08 pm
He was fantastic on Sunday and I told a friend of mine the first two games were his training camp. Preseason games may be a waste, but practice matters and he wasn’t practicing.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:10 pm
undervalued disrespected
September 30th, 2026 at 12:11 pm
This team and front office has no vision.
If you were gonna pay Vita, why wait?
And paying Baker was one of the dumbest moves in franchise history. It’s up there with letting Coen walk out the door, drafting Bo when he told you he wouldn’t play for you, not cleaning house after last season…
This franchise needs new blood from top ok down.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:12 pm
Not surprising hanging with Suh! The biggest idiot ever in football!
September 30th, 2026 at 12:14 pm
No doubt! D-Rome,the defense is playing very well! Thats why i haven’t given up hope !!
September 30th, 2026 at 12:22 pm
one of the vikings tried to give vita a purple nurple in the trenches…after that he just lost it…he was immediately back in shape after that…and ready to put dudes thru brick walls…
the purple nurple was like a wake up call 🙂
September 30th, 2026 at 12:25 pm
Disgusting malingerer.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:28 pm
but on a serious note…
i thought the defense played pretty darn well…
and i’ll take that defensive effort every week…
they came to ball…
parrish had a pretty rough 1st half…
other than that, i think most of the unit did a good job…and they looked hungry out there…
a lot of rushing to the ball and gang tackling – like the bucs defenses of old
September 30th, 2026 at 12:35 pm
Steve V Says:
September 30th, 2026 at 12:12 pm
Not surprising hanging with Suh! The biggest idiot ever in football!
That moniker belongs to you. Still drinking the Bowles Koolaid.
We are laughing!!!!
September 30th, 2026 at 12:37 pm
Should traded his 1 trick pony self.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:40 pm
He’s Gerald McCoy 2.0
He’s also probably why the cafeteria at OBP has low ratings too.
September 30th, 2026 at 12:46 pm
Same as Mayfield whined about more money then got the money so why try that hard. Just take it easy get the season over and spend the money.
September 30th, 2026 at 1:00 pm
So if he needed until week 3 to actually play, then do we get our money back for weeks 1 and 2?
September 30th, 2026 at 1:05 pm
Disappointing. Now, go do what you are very highly paid to do from here on out. No excuses. Execute!
September 30th, 2026 at 1:13 pm
Round is a shape.
September 30th, 2026 at 2:14 pm
This the crap makes me lose interest in the NFL. Malingering Vita and his “back” sits out, and causes drama then gets resigned made a captain then not in shape. What a joke.
September 30th, 2026 at 2:30 pm
Steven gave Bowles his one Flash Poll vote for “ Very Confident.” It’s Vita’s fault for being a piss ant and sitting out pouting til he got paid.
September 30th, 2026 at 2:35 pm
Exhibit B as to the incompetency of this franchise. Exhibit A would be the massive contract given to Mayfield. SMH!!!
September 30th, 2026 at 3:20 pm
Now that he’s in shape maybe we can get a second for him.
September 30th, 2026 at 3:29 pm
Vita looks as bloated as his contract. Another bad signing never sign an older player who’s been dinged up to big money. It never works out.
September 30th, 2026 at 3:50 pm
Same here. It take me about 3 days to get going during the work week. I’m only effective on Thursday and half a day on Friday. I max out on the weekends and then have to start all over M-T. I get what VV is going through.
September 30th, 2026 at 5:00 pm
LOL, I think that’s called quiet quitting.
September 30th, 2026 at 5:01 pm
When the wheels come off we need to get what we can for Vita in a trade
September 30th, 2026 at 5:40 pm
Can someone shut Boweles up garbage in garbage out.