Quantifying A Vita Vea Difference; Vea Named NFL Network Top-100 Player
July 16th, 2025
Vita Vea was named to the NFL Network Top-100 Players of 2025 list today at No. 76 (video below). Yay, another list!
However, Joe is more interested in Vea data posted on NFL.com.
Per the official NFL NextGen stats, “the Buccaneers defense was more effective against inside runs with Vea on the field this season, allowing only 3.7 yards per carry, compared to 4.7 yards per carry when he was off the field. Vea also generated 47 pressures, the seventh-most among defensive tackles and his most in a single season in his career.”
That’s a huge difference with Vea on the field.
And this is why it’s critical for the Bucs to keep Vea motivated in his diet and training regimen. He reported more fit to camp last season and Joe has heard the Vea body is expected back next week, after Vea added weight during the 2024 regular season.
Today marks Vea’s first time honored on the NFL Network Top-100, a list compiled by the votes of 700 or so players, per the NFL.
NFL Top 100 Players of 2025:@Buccaneers DL Vita Vea is ranked No. 76! @NFLFilms pic.twitter.com/zjHnkhPrye
— NFL (@NFL) July 16, 2025
July 16th, 2025 at 11:11 am
Great point about sticking to the diet. He was definitely as round as he ever was by the end of the season.
July 16th, 2025 at 11:42 am
D.R. has been pounding the drum for a long time now about how critical Vita is to the Bucs D.
I just hope he’s still as hungry as last year! Both physically and mentally. Skip a few extra calories and play healthy.
Vea has additional motivation to keep his body at minimum where it was last year.
His HEALTH! Ali Marpet, Brad Culpepper are just two of the guys who realized the weight required to play line in the NFL is as dangerous as the concussion and knee shots in the long run.
July 16th, 2025 at 11:44 am
Joe … ‘Per the official NFL NextGen stats, “the Buccaneers defense was more effective against inside runs with Vea on the field this season, allowing only 3.7 yards per carry, compared to 4.7 yards per carry when he was off the field.’
That’s a monstrous difference Joe. Vea is CRITICAL to this defense, more critical IMO than any other defensive player. Last season was pretty close to his ideal season: only the 2nd time he’s exceeded 700 def snaps (67% availability) and it showed in his performance (7 sacks, 13 QB Hits, 10 TFLs).
There’s obviously a significant dropoff in ‘DLine performance’ when Vea isn’t on the field. I suspect that when he is on the field his presence lifts the performance of Kancey, Hall, the OLBs & others. Would surely love to see us get another ‘big body’ like him (or Suh) to work that remaining 33% def snaps when he’s on the bench.
July 16th, 2025 at 11:49 am
I know Defense Rules badly wanted us to draft us another Vita this year. Problem with that is they only made one of him. And as DR has broken down for us, we are a much different team when he’s not on the field. Man, he’s fun to watch! This team better be playing their butts off for guys like Vea, and LaVonte and Mike. Who knows how much longer we’ll have these guys.
July 16th, 2025 at 12:24 pm
The first 30 seconds of this being a highlight of Vita in coverage is hilarious, because it’s used to mock the HC amongst Bucs fan but there’s someone outside of this fandom that’ll see that and say “no way” out of amazement. Yes, yes way.
July 16th, 2025 at 12:30 pm
Well deserved! 700 players voting says so much.
Agree about Vita keeping up with his diet and regimen. I bet being on the top NFL Network 100 player list keeps him motivated.
July 16th, 2025 at 12:42 pm
One way to reduce his snap count AND keep him on the field for a higher percentage of those defensive snaps would be for the defense to force more three and outs.
The bend don’t break defense is wearing out our defensive stars.
If we can get off the field more quickly, and reduce the number of defensive snaps by say, 25% to 30%, Vea will be on the field almost 100% of the time.
July 16th, 2025 at 12:56 pm
Just one extra 3 and out forced per game represents roughly 100-150 fewer defensive snaps on the season. Do it twice per game and we’re pushing 300 fewer snaps on the season and brings Vea closer to 100% availability.
DR
Please feel free to check my numbers and correct me where I’m wrong.
July 16th, 2025 at 12:58 pm
BTW
The lower snap count will affect the availability of the entire defensive unit, not just Vea.
July 16th, 2025 at 1:15 pm
Fun video!
July 16th, 2025 at 1:19 pm
Pressures are meaningless. They amount to zero. They are put out there by the press to try to conjure up excitement!!
July 16th, 2025 at 1:47 pm
gp … LMAO. Your numbers work. Unfortunately, historically it looks like they’re not attainable. IOW, it sets the bar too high.
If you look back at the number of offensive plays that our opponents ran on the season, it ends up being fairly consistent over many years. Bucs’ defensive snaps each year would be a tad higher because they’d include some plays that were run but didn’t count (ie, when a penalty is accepted for instance). Here’s what Pro-Football-Reference shows for opponents’ plays run each season, and also the rate at which our opponents converted 3rd downs:
o 2024: 1065 plays … 3rd down conversion rate: 38.1%
o 2023: 1081 plays … 3rd down conversion rate: 40.9%
o 2022: 1073 plays … 3rd down conversion rate: 36.9%
o 2021: 1093 plays … 3rd down conversion rate: 38.5%
o 2020: 1023 plays … 3rd down conversion rate: 40.0%
o 2019: 1073 plays … 3rd down conversion rate: 34.4%
We only had 16-game regular seasons in 2019 & 2020, so those numbers are a tad low (if they’d played 1 extra game). But what it shows is that in the year that our defense did the BEST in terms of 3rd down conversion rate (we only allowed opponents to convert 34.4% of their 3rd down opportunities), that was also our defense’s WORST year (#29 ranking) AND the year that we allowed our opponents the MOST plays per game (67.1 plays/game by opponents). Had they played 17 games that season, opponents would’ve racked up a massive 1040 offensive plays that season.
Gut feel as to reasons why? Opponents probably had a field day on 1st & 2nd downs that year. We did very well on stopping them on 3rd downs (34.4%) and even on 4th downs (48.1%), but they had to do well someplace else to score 41 TDs like they did. And what’s really strange is that our offense held the ball for 30:54 minutes that 2019 season, so our defense was only on the field for about 29 minutes each game.
July 16th, 2025 at 1:49 pm
gp … Oops typo. Make that ‘a massive 1140 offensive plays that season’.
July 16th, 2025 at 2:10 pm
DR has been banging this drum and this makes the point again – if Vita is out for any period of time, then we can’t stop the run or the pass. Middle beasting matters.
July 16th, 2025 at 3:24 pm
DR
I was trying to point out that a little more aggressiveness in the defensive playcalling could be what pushes us over the top.
You showed the years that Todd has coached our defense, and for the most part it has proven to be quite consistent.
Since 2019, our ‘bend don’t break’ defense has allowed an average of 370 points per season. ( low of 325, none under 300 one over 400)
For comparison, the time frame of Dungy/Gruden, we ran the ‘Tampa two” defense which was considerably more aggressive and averaged 274 points allowed per season. (low of 196 and only 3 over 300)
July 16th, 2025 at 4:09 pm
Vita looked probably the best he’s ever looked to start last year, but you could visually see him fattening up as the season went along and his production went down. Get the man some Ozempic – don’t give full doses, we don’t want him showing up at camp like fat Josh Freeman, who came to camp one year with a six-pack and his play went to hell, but maybe give Vita like half a dose, just enough to keep off that last 50lbs which really slows him down during the year.
July 16th, 2025 at 4:25 pm
My question is this. Can Desmond Watson slim down to say 375 pounds? If so is he athletic enough to spell Vita Vea right away?
July 16th, 2025 at 4:40 pm
gp … Very few truly appreciate how special the defense that Tony Dungy & Monte Kiffin created was. Our 2002 defense has been rated as one of the Top-5 defenses of all time.
But the game (rules?) has changed, and it’d be extremely difficult to get those same results today. Last year for instance the top NFL defense (Chargers) gave up 301 points (as good as that is, it’s a far cry from the 196 points our 2002 defense surrendered).
But look at the 2024 teams in terms of Points Allowed (in 10 point groupings):
o 300-310 points: 2 teams (Chargers & Eagles)
o 311-320 points: 1 team (Broncos)
o 321-330 points: 1 team (Chiefs)
o 331-340 points: 2 teams (Vikings & Packers)
o 341-350 points: 2 teams (Lions & Steelers)
o 351-360 points: 0 teams
o 361-370 points: 5 teams (Ravens, Dolphons, Bills, Seahawks & Bears)
o 371-380 points: 2 teams (Texans & Cardinals)
o 381-390 points: 2 teams (Bucs & Rams)
That takes us through the top half of the NFL. Bucs could easily move up into the Top-10 if we just get back to the average Points Allowed number that we’ve been surrendering starting with our Super Bowl year (about 355 points per year).
Interestingly, the Panthers are truly in a class by themselves; they surrendered 534 points last season. Wow, hard to believe they actually won 5 games giving up over 30 PPG. But for all those who bemoan our ‘putrid pass defense’, the Panthers pass defense ranked BETTER than ours at #23, surrendering ONLY 3820 yards (as opposed to our 4147 yards given up). Unfortunately for them it came at great expense: their Run Defense ranked #32 and gave up 3057 yards (as compared to our #4 ranking based on giving up 1663 rushing yards). Hmmm, maybe Todd Bowles knows what should take priority after all.
July 16th, 2025 at 7:01 pm
50 needs to play lighter this year
July 16th, 2025 at 8:17 pm
If the boss wants Vita lighter then the boss needs to hold him accountable, manage it closely, and provide the proper feedback if he starts chowing down too many pizzas a day (metaphorically).