“It’s A Good Thing That There Were No Surprises”
May 26th, 2018
Bucs GM talks about his first-round pick
Considering all the silly chatter about Vita Vea being the real-life Maui from Moana, Joe had to chuckle when Bucs general manager Jason Licht referred to some of his rookies as “fictional characters” recently.
It was a cool take by Licht, who explained that so much extensive film study and background work is put into the drafted rookies, including detailed written reports, that when they finally arrive in the flesh it’s like a surreal mix of fact and fantasy.
“It’s a really cool moment,” Licht said on WDAE-AM 620.
Licht said he was ecstatic to see in early practices at One Buc Palace that manbeast first-round pick Vita Vea (6-4, 350) was the real deal.
“With Vea, it’s a good thing that there were no surprises,” Licht said. “He’s a large man that moves very well for his size. And he is very dedicated to the game, and he wants to get better and he can take hard coaching, which I like. [Defensive line coach Brentson] Buckner is not afraid to let it go on these guys, and Vea responded very well.”
That should have Bucs fans breathing a sigh of relief.
Of course, it’s early. Vea just has to keep grinding, focusing and staying healthy. If he can do that, then Joe has no doubt Vea will bring a unique dimension to the Bucs defense.
May 26th, 2018 at 10:09 am
Joe- STOP!!! With the “America’s quarterback” nonsense. He’s NOT that. Don’t you get it!!! More than half of Tampa doesn’t even like him. So quit making yourself look ridiculous. You’re better than that.
May 26th, 2018 at 10:11 am
He is America’s QB stop hating on it. Fire the cannons!!!!
May 26th, 2018 at 10:40 am
Buddy, you are wasting your time.
May 26th, 2018 at 10:50 am
Hard to be America’s quarterback when your irrelevant as a player and franchise except when taking criticism. Literally all people know about him is turnovers fumbles and assusations. That’s the national media perspective and its annoying because there’s no logic in the hate
For not he’s not even Florida’s quarterback because he hadn’t been to the playoffs.
Its too early for the media which is why only fans care what they say but if your in the building you know what kind of players you’ve seen so far like. I’m high on America’s cornerback also
May 26th, 2018 at 10:51 am
Buddy he knows Mr.Touchy feels isnt America’s Quarteback. He does it to get under people’s skin. Outside of FSU fans most people hate Winston. It’s kinda like when Freddy Mitchell uses to call himself the people’s Champ when in reality he is more like the people’s chump!
Joe doesn’t do anything to get under readers’ skin. Please. Joe has been calling Jameis “America’s Quarterback” since before he was drafted. Joe likes it. Yes, Joe is a “flag waver” for Jameis, as the great Steve Duemig likes to say. That doesn’t mean Jameis is without flaws. Heck, the guy is only an average starter in the conference. Joe’s really not worried about upsetting anyone with a nickname or commentary.–Joe
May 26th, 2018 at 10:54 am
Buddy you’ll soon realize that this is Joe’s show. He owns the website and is responsible for its contents. Don’t let the little annoying things bother you. Joe has a lot of insight on the buc’s operation, not to mention with the players themselves. So enjoy the show and just let the small things roll off the shoulders.
May 26th, 2018 at 10:57 am
@ eric and buddy
No only butt hurt mariota lovers such as yourselves hate winston. That is all
May 26th, 2018 at 11:07 am
[OK, we got it. You pinned Vea to a cartoon character first. How many more comments do you have to type, 30? — Joe]
May 26th, 2018 at 11:07 am
Would be really nice to have a duo in the middle that can disrupt and dominate games for hopefully the next 3-4 years. Glad to see Gerald is taking him under his wing.
May 26th, 2018 at 11:08 am
I believe I was the first to connect Vita Vea to Maui from Moana. For those who don’t know the character….this should help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79DijItQXMM
May 26th, 2018 at 11:09 am
Joe what is going on with the site that we have to type in our usernames and Email for every comment.
I saw I am not the only one that this is happening to.
May 26th, 2018 at 11:11 am
I believe I was the first to connect Vita Vea to Maui from Moana. For those fans who don’t know the character….this should help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79DijItQXMM
May 26th, 2018 at 11:13 am
I believe I was the first to connect Vita Vea to Maui from Moana. For those JBF who don’t know the character….this should help.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79DijItQXMM
May 26th, 2018 at 11:14 am
Test
May 26th, 2018 at 11:15 am
SB…….Ditto
May 26th, 2018 at 11:18 am
“Joe what is going on with the site that we have to type in our usernames and Email for every comment.”
Not affecting me, user name & email still there from comment 2 plus weeks ago. Who the heck knows with the wide variation of devices used out there, now days. I’m just glad it’s not my job to keep up with it.
May 26th, 2018 at 11:21 am
LOL…and yet they disappeared after the previous post. So much for that. Perhaps if I posted more often than every 2 or 3 weeks,I’da been as upset as the rest of you.
May 26th, 2018 at 11:24 am
I’m on record as wanting Vea or Nelson as the Bucs #1. I did not think Nelson would be there, unlike the Smartest Draft Gurus, so I was ecstatic when the Bucs pulled the trigger on Vea.
During the Bucs Glory Days run, it was a stout DL that led the way. In recent years the DL has been soft as marshmallows.
May 26th, 2018 at 11:30 am
america’s team, america’s QB, america’s blog, america’s joe, go jameis, go bucs, go joe, and to all out there in this great state of flo-rida have a wonderful holiday and try to stay safe and dry, and remember your designated drivers.
May 26th, 2018 at 11:39 am
Can we all just realize Joe uses words like “America’s quarterback” and the other tired descriptions to simply eat up page space. Otherwise it’s just a copy and pasted quote from Bleacher Report or the like.
May 26th, 2018 at 11:45 am
I personally would not wager a bet in Vegas on this team as to how many games they will win and being datached, I can say without prejudice that this year’s version is really hard to predict due to the unkowns and variables. What I do know is that there is never any lack of drama and on that level, they are pretty entertaining. Good luck this season!!
May 26th, 2018 at 11:49 am
See – now that’s just the definition of hijacking a thread.
Buddy – thrilled to see he is “First” – spouts some irrelevant dislike rant about Joe’s nickname for the QB who wasn’t even mentioned in this piece – and then it takes 7 more comments before anyone even addresses the topic at hand because everyone is too busy beating down the troll…
On topic – all signs and comments regarding Vea from coaches so far has been thumbs up. You expect the #12 overall pick to come in and flash 5 star talent from day 1 – and the fact that Vea hasn’t disappointed or “surprised” anyone is exactly what we want to see and hear.
LARGE man – who moves really well – wants to learn all he can and takes tough coaching in stride. Check – check – check – check
Just keep your nose to the grind stone V.
May 26th, 2018 at 12:14 pm
I think Vita could work at Disney in the off season doing all the character breakfasts and dinners. Just like they said on NFLN Total Access, we’re going to have to see if he can sing “You’re Welcome.” Maybe the Vets should make him do it in training camp.
May 26th, 2018 at 12:23 pm
Yep, Vita Vea has to work hard and learn from DL Coach Bretson Buckner as well as Gerald McCoy and all the other experienced veterans around him. But, the Bucs also have to let Vea be Vea. Watching film of this mammoth DT he is special in the way he plays and the way he seems to enjoy the game. It’s a different take on the game than we usually see. Perhaps it’s his Polynesian culture shining through to play an American game or perhaps it’s just how he’s hard wire. Either way, the Bucs would do Vea and themselves a disservice if they pigeon hole him too much.
May 26th, 2018 at 12:55 pm
Joe- when & why exactly did you give Famous Jameis the “America’s Quarterback” nickname?? Please post the first original reference to it. Because I don’t believe this was exactly a Pro-Jameis website dating back to his FSU days. I’m waiting……
Joe began a daily “Jameis Watch” column in November of 2014, long before Jameis was drafted, and that always included a yearning to have him play here. The archives are all here for you. –Joe
May 26th, 2018 at 1:03 pm
Add Buddy to the list with Eric, ben and Anthem.
May 26th, 2018 at 1:20 pm
Really? Joe wasn’t aware he made money on word counts. This is news to Joe.
If this site was only “copy and paste” Joe would have been shut down years ago. Additionally, you’ll find more dozens and dozens of posts here every week that are original reporting.
Each post has opinion and commentary from Joe. No one is forcing anyone to read.
May 26th, 2018 at 1:23 pm
@SB and Fritz-
It started happening about 2 days ago (I’ve tried on multiple devices FYI).
Probably something to do with not using / storing cookies is my guess.
May 26th, 2018 at 1:49 pm
Tampabaybucfan Says:
May 26th, 2018 at 11:07 am
[OK, we got it. You pinned Vea to a cartoon character first. How many more comments do you have to type, 30? Joe
Joe, the reason I retyped them is because the originals didn’t post…..there is something not right with the system or something not right with mine…..there is a delay or something causing my posts not to show until later….lately, I have also had to put in my moniker & email address every time I post. I am not the only one that this is happening to.
I would apologize but I’m not sure one should be necessary under the circumstances.
May 26th, 2018 at 1:49 pm
Cool, a present-participle-serial thread. I’m going with a sports-psych expression. “He needs to keep yearning, striving and improving,” which just beat out the macho, alpha-male alliterative phrase: “He needs to start battling, bullying and beasting.”
May 26th, 2018 at 2:56 pm
Wow and we wonder why our society is so polarized!!!! How can anybody get so worked up because Joe wants to call Jameis “America’s QB”. You don’t have to agree or disagree but however you feel it’s NOT A BIG DEAL!
Some here simply do not possess enough nuance to have an intellectual discussion about “some” players and coaches.
So whenever I see a thread about Jameis or GMC or Smitty or Koetter I’m ready for the onslaught of moronic hyperbole from the trolls.
As for Vea…perhaps this is a form of positive racism and if it is I apologize to Vea and all Polynesians but it’s been my observation that the Polynesians tend to make awesome players and great teammates. They bring a serious and sometimes ferocious approach to the game. This is what excites me about Vea.
I think he’s simply the latest in a long line of great Polynesian players.
May 26th, 2018 at 3:00 pm
Buddy if Jameis didn’t enter the league with and STILL be supported by the worst defense in the league his numbers would be much more impressive. Any qb that knows every point he scores will be desparate to score on every possession. Give Jameis a 16th ranks into and he will look like a different player because he can let the game come to him rather than chasing it around like a dog trying to bite it’s tail off!!!
May 26th, 2018 at 3:04 pm
@SB, same here every comment. Site is slow compared to all others
May 26th, 2018 at 3:06 pm
Oh…Tampabaybucfan, I was clearly the first to make that comparison. You actually caught on later than most.
May 26th, 2018 at 3:50 pm
I didn’t realize this phone was so special, I just tap the empty name box once, then tap the first letter and another tap for the predictive name that comes up because I’ve used it before. The address the same three taps. 6 taps, wow that’s a heavy workload.
May 26th, 2018 at 4:20 pm
Buccfan37
Doesn’t work on my phone Iphone 6……and doesn’t work on my computer with
Firefox, AOL or IE……
It just started happening to me this week and I understand many other are having the same problem.
Also, like today sometimes my posts don’t show up for 20 or 30 minutes….and they aren’t being moderated……puzzling.
May 26th, 2018 at 4:38 pm
Yes UB it started three days ago. I know this because I basically post a comment at least once daily.
Not sure what is going on but I use Chrome so I only have to type one letter with the “auto fill” option. Still sux tho
May 26th, 2018 at 4:39 pm
Yeah UB it started happening three days ago I am pretty sure.
Sux but I am hoping it gets ironed out
May 26th, 2018 at 4:44 pm
Doing it both no my computer and phone. Pain in the @$$
May 26th, 2018 at 5:28 pm
Joe will probably say it is not his fault. Just like he defends his archaic filters and lack of a 5 minute “edit button” like most sites have. But hey, he gives us the freshest Bucs news!
May 26th, 2018 at 5:42 pm
Well, if you can write computer code and figure out this problem – which Joe’s IT guy can’t figure out after days of research and work and he charges by the hour — Joe will be happy to enlist your services.
In fact, so would WordPress whose software Joe uses.
You can make a killing man.
May 26th, 2018 at 6:16 pm
Joe- So during the “Jameis watch” you called him “America”s Quarterback”? Why so?
May 26th, 2018 at 6:51 pm
The good thing about Vita is he seems to have physical gifts that give him a nice floor.
The bad thing is that we really need an elite type player on defense. If its not gonna be Vita it looks like we maybe waiting another year
May 26th, 2018 at 10:01 pm
“Well, if you can write computer code and figure out this problem – which Joe’s IT guy can’t figure out after days of research and work and he charges by the hour — Joe will be happy to enlist your services.”
_______
C’mon man. That is the cost of doing business on the internet. Fix stuff and keep your posters happy. Don’t kvetch about the cost.
Akin to me complaining about having to rent expensive equipment I don’t own to get a job done. And I Always get the job done.
May 27th, 2018 at 12:06 pm
Watch out for Big V! He’s coming…..remember Haloti Ngata, also a Tongan, picked 12th in the first round.
May 27th, 2018 at 2:03 pm
America’s QB!!! Woooooo… I love him!