“Vita’s Definitely Going To Come Around”
November 24th, 2018
Dirk Koetter gives a New Orleans comparison
The lack of productivity from Vita Vea has been stunning, not what you’d expect from a No. 12 overall pick.
But Dirk Koetter says that for a measure of hope on Vea, look at the Saints.
Speaking last night on the Buccaneers Radio Network, the embattled Buccaneers head coach pointed at New Orleans defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins, the No. 12 overall pick in 2016.
Rankins is having his best year as a third-year player, Koetter said.
Koetter said he believes Vea is just getting adjusted to bigger faster NFL linemen.
“Vita’s definitely going to come around,” Koetter said. “He’s just not having the production right now. But Vita’s going to be fine in the long run. You know, a great example of that is watching that New Orleans game [Thanksgiving night], Sheldon Rankins, first-round pick out of Louisville. He’s having his best year and I think this is Year 3 for him. And he was a first-round pick a defensive tackle that we looked at a lot [in the draft.] It takes, everybody’s different.
Joe appreciates Koetter’s optimism. But Rankins isn’t the best comparison to Vea.
Rankins, who has seven sacks this season, was a monster in his first training camp and then broke his leg. Rankins had surgery and battled back to a four-sack rookie season with 15 combined tackles in nine games. Vea has three combined tackles (including a sack) through seven games.
Koetter making the Rankins comparison might be a painful one for fans of the draft. He was taken one pick after Vernon Hargreaves.
If the Bucs drafted Rankins, for example, they very likely don’t sign Chris “Swaggy” Baker in free agency or draft Vea this year.
November 24th, 2018 at 11:19 am
The difference is the Saints coached him up.
We can’t.
November 24th, 2018 at 11:23 am
There has been so many blunders in the draft. We STILL need 2 CB’s, a safety, RG, RB, not to mention we need to plan on life without some of the older players i.e. Dotcson, McCoy, LVD, ect.
The next GM is going to be furious at the atrocious drafting that has taken place. We can’t even address future holes because we need to plug current holes that have been on the roster for years.
November 24th, 2018 at 11:25 am
This was the pick vs VHIII, but comparing to Vea… just don’t see it. Yeh so RAnkins was out early in his rookie season. Let’s stop there. Quicker twitch guy, above average get off with a couple of moves to get rid of the blocker. Vea can be successful but it will take much more time
November 24th, 2018 at 11:26 am
Once again, why the great love for Jason Licht?
November 24th, 2018 at 11:29 am
Payne from Alabama who the redskins took after us has 5 sacks
So in year 3 vea gets longer arms and becomes faster ?
November 24th, 2018 at 11:41 am
How many weeks did Vita miss? Of course he’s underperforming, he didn’t get any work over the summer.
November 24th, 2018 at 11:44 am
Another Licht “I’m smarter than everyone else” draft pick. Yet another failure. The fans are not waiting three more years…. both Licht and Koetter are idiots and the fans are not listening to any more excuses and B.S. from these guys.
Stop all the talk and let the house cleaning begin.
November 24th, 2018 at 11:53 am
Vea needs to drop down in weight for starters. He’s like 340! Plus I went back and looked at his college take and he just relied on pure strength to beat those guys. No real assortment of moves to get past guys. While on YouTube, I found a video of Aaron Donald teaching a young man all his moves to get past guys, AD has an arsenal of moves. Vita has a LONG way to go.
November 24th, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Some good coaching and a lot of these players will shine
November 24th, 2018 at 12:17 pm
This must also mean Jones will be like Kamara next year? Come on now…
November 24th, 2018 at 12:17 pm
If the “want to” is there – Vea will be a good NFL player in time. His natural athletic abilities (that are about as rare as a hen’s tooth for a man that size) will be a major advantage for him once he figures out how to play and be effective in the big leagues.
Hargreaves was showing well this year in TC and pre-season and the one real game he played in before getting injured. VH3 may just be able to earn himself a decent 2nd contract with the Bucs if he can put it all together and stay healthy in 2019.
With some additional experience, better coaching and better designed use of their talents there are a LOT of talented yet still young players on this team that could have big years in 2019.
Especially on Defense – Hargreaves, Davis, Stewart, J. Evans, Whitehead, Beckwith, Kwon, Vea, Nassib, maybe even Spence…
Offense – Mike Evans of course but he’s already consistently great –
Winston, OJ Howard, Godwin, Marpet, Humphries, Watson, Rojo, Barber – D. Smith if he re-signs
ALL 25 years old or younger!
Jensen and Brate are 27…
ALL of these young players are talented and NONE have yet reached their full NFL potential under this coaching staff. Maybe Evans – but I think even he has another level he can get to with better play all around him and a more balanced offense…
Sure a couple will drop off for one reason or another – but I don’t care what our record the last 2 years says – this team has talent. Young Talent. Lots of it.
We’re stuck in Sucsville for yet another year – which is pretty hard for all Bucs fans to tolerate after the last 10+ years now of cellar dwelling.
Yet I am still optimistic about this team’s chances moving forward because of the amount of young talent Jason Licht has brought in.
The right HC and a good supporting coaching staff can turn what we currently have + a few good off season moves into an instant contender. I’m convinced of it!
November 24th, 2018 at 12:57 pm
Kid will be fine with a new coaching staff, as will the rest of this team.
November 24th, 2018 at 1:11 pm
I was yelling for Rankins, but hey, we got a slow, short CB instead.
November 24th, 2018 at 2:27 pm
Not worried about Vea yet, but definitely wanted Rankins > VH3 back in 2016. Oh well.
November 24th, 2018 at 2:28 pm
Like I believe any of Dork’s insights…especially about a defensive player
November 24th, 2018 at 2:45 pm
Development. Development. Development.
Tampa fans just do not get it.
November 24th, 2018 at 3:10 pm
We already drafted Akeem Spence. Yes, Tampa fans are clueless. Haha. The decade long rebuilds are normal. There are a few around here that spew the worst propaganda and they all seem to attack the fans.
November 24th, 2018 at 4:13 pm
He’s a rookie who missed all of training camp, the preseason, and a good portion of the regular season. He’ll continue to develop with each snap he takes. Just look at the leap that O.J. Howard took from year one to year two. Vita was getting called a bust before he even took his first snap in the NFL. Be patient, and let him develop.
November 24th, 2018 at 4:28 pm
Sheldon Rankins had 4 sacks in 9 games as a rookie
He missed the first 7 games because of a broken fibula
Vita Vea is not in the same league as Sheldon Rankins
It’s a disgrace for him to be mention in the same sentence as Rankins
November 24th, 2018 at 4:45 pm
Bonzai, unfortunately the it’s the players who haven’t been receiving any development.
Because the coaches, not all but most, aren’t doing their jobs.
November 24th, 2018 at 4:54 pm
In know way do I think VV is some kind of bust or under achiever. Rookie that came in with a bad injury being coached by the worst defensive coaching squad in the league. He’s gonna have chance to show what he’s got before his rookie contract is up, and unless he turned out to be a TOTAL bust, which he doesn’t look like, he would be resigned for a smaller back up contract.
November 24th, 2018 at 6:00 pm
Joe,
I swear it feels like you are reaching and borderline trolling when you post crap like this………
How in the world can you compare a DT that had 4 sacks in only 9 games before injury to a guy like Vita Velcro who can’t even get off blocks and when he does……..it takes him an eternity to get to the QB or ball carrier???????
This is incomparable……
As of right now……….Vita Velcro and Rojo OhNo are busts………..they aren’t even producing or affecting any games.
Like said in other posts before this one………the 2018 draft maybe one of the worst drafts in Bucs history
November 25th, 2018 at 12:29 am
Worst draft in history
November 25th, 2018 at 1:20 am
One is a 3-tech, the other is an out of position UT. Go get a nick bosa or Ed Oliver and keep building the trenches.
November 25th, 2018 at 3:46 am
Same thing I said about him before the Idiot drafted him–slow off the ball and lacks instincts. He’s worth a 3rd-4th round pick as a gamble purely on measurables and that was about it. If even I’ve been doing better at the draft than the Bucs, then you KNOW you are dealing with some rank amateurs (except their getting paid millions)
November 25th, 2018 at 4:18 am
Anyone remember Warren Sapp having a bad rookie year? I do. But really, it isn’t fair of me to even compare Vea to Sapp. Different types of players, and Vea will probably end up playing the other DT position.
So we should consider the best players we’ve had at that spot. Booger, for example.
Even so, we also have to remember Vita Vea is getting very limited playing time at his position right now. Beau Allen is getting most of it. So we see Vea getting only a few plays per game and wonder why he’s not acclimating fast enough?
It’s not anyone’s fault. Allen was signed before Vea was drafted, and he was signed to start. That’s just the way things played out this year. But when Vea is thrown to the wolves like the other rookies, he’ll learn more and process more. Then he’ll have an off season to figure some things out and improve his weaknesses.
That’s why I’m not concerned over Vea at this point. He’s got time to prove himself. Same with all of this year’s rookies…and it is too early to write any of them off as busts. Heck, for all we know, each of them could have breakout years next year, including Rojo.