Another Part-Time Day For Vita Vea
December 9th, 2019
There’s a divide at JoeBucsFan.com world headquarters.
One Joe thinks Vita Vea is playing Pro Bowl caliber ball. The other Joe thinks Vea is a nice player but wonders about his paltry production and part-time status.
That’s right, part-time.
Vea played 62 percent of the defensive snaps yesterday, per Pro Football Reference. Two Sundays ago he was at 57 percent against Jacksonville. Before that it was 49 percent against Atlanta and 69 percent versus New Orleans. Overall, Vea has played about 62 percent of defensive snaps this season.
When Gerald McCoy was healthy in a Bucs uniform, he routinely played about 85 percent of defensive snaps.
Vea’s 62 percent load this season matches what stud defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins had for the Saints last season when he racked up 8 sacks, 26 solo tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 15 quarterback hits. So it’s not odd to be in a rotation. But Vea’s production through 13 games (1.5 sacks, 15 solo tackles, 2 tackles for loss and 9 quarterback hits) is nothing special at all for his position.
(Joe chose the Rankins example because both guys are the same age and both were No. 12 overall picks — Rankins in 2016 and Vea in 2018).
In fact, Vea’s numbers overall are a shade below what he delivered in his 13-game rookie season last year.
Joe’s not concerned about Vea, but something is a bit off when a first-round pick’s production doesn’t reflect his incredibly fresh, athletic legs and impressive raw strength. And Vea’s got strong players around him.
Standards are set very high for early first-round draft picks and Joe wants to see Vea have a commanding finish to this season.
December 9th, 2019 at 10:25 am
just like so many mediocre buc players over the years vea’s popularity overshadows his lack of production and injury history.
December 9th, 2019 at 10:28 am
speaking of part timers are the apathetic, incompetent part time owners pissed off the bucs might break the basement title streak this year…. they have tried so hard over the last decade to maintain buccaneers cove….
December 9th, 2019 at 10:28 am
He’s eating up 2 blockers and still getting penetration.
Hardly always the case. Many people would say the same thing about Suh. And we all know they’re not eating up 4 dedicated blockers.–Joe
December 9th, 2019 at 10:30 am
AwShbucs Says:
December 9th, 2019 at 10:28 am
He’s eating up 2 blockers and still getting penetration.
part time you are correct…. who’s doing it the other half of the game or when he is nursing an injury. nice player. nothing special certainly not a star or a dependable stud.
December 9th, 2019 at 10:30 am
derwin james is full time same as darius guice and laremy tunsil; basically its time to get rid of licht and build a winning football team with acompetent front office
December 9th, 2019 at 10:32 am
Who is running up the middle vs Suh, Vea and White?
December 9th, 2019 at 10:33 am
He’s a 340 pound DL that plays in Tampa. Why is there people mad we have a rotation on the defensive line? And it would be one thing if Nacho and Beau Allen we’re playing bad but they are playing well.
December 9th, 2019 at 10:34 am
he’s a stone wall in the middle of the dline. There’s a reason shaq barrett is leading the nfl in sacks.
December 9th, 2019 at 10:35 am
*points at tmaxcon, and laughs hysterically.
December 9th, 2019 at 10:44 am
The Colts were held to 66 yards rushing…..the great Marlon Mack held to 38 yards on 18 carries…..what’s the problem here?
Our defense continues to be outstanding against the run….in part because we employ a rotation that keeps our interior line fresh…..no reason to be concerned here.
December 9th, 2019 at 10:47 am
Everybody has a job to do on the Defensive line. Some sacrifice for the others. If you get extra stats in the process so be it. But the main objective is for everyone on the line to get a sack plays would be over run, they would lose containment among other things. Unless BA or Bowles complains I think him and Suh are doing what they are asked to do. Push the pocket and shut down the inside runs.
December 9th, 2019 at 10:52 am
FYI…..that was Mack’s lowest rushing total in a game this year. It may be a career low also.
December 9th, 2019 at 10:52 am
Doesn’t bother me at all Beau Allen & Nunez-Roches are playing well and the defense has greatly improved over the last 3-4 games.
Not only that it’s 3 WINS IN A ROW!!!!!
So keep doing what’s working, keep the D-Line fresh with the rotation for the 4th quarter. It’s not all about stats on paper, it’s about wins & losses and I for one see 3 WINS IN A ROW and when was the last time we could say that!
December 9th, 2019 at 10:53 am
It’d be interesting to see the detailed stats, but I wonder if teams are just acknowledging his talent and running the ball away from him now. Colts seemed to run at Barrett a lot to temper his pass rush.
At the end of the day though, I think the real value in Vea is his rush defense. Suh plays a part too, but teams are scared to run up the middle against us. Idk how big a part Suh plays in it, but running up the middle is generally futile against us. If Vea is the reason teams have to eliminate middle runs against us, then he’s providing great value by reducing enemies’ playbooks. It also shows up a lot in short yardage situations, where I would think we are doing better than league average (I don’t have the numbers to confirm).
I am not sure he will ever be much of a stat stuffer which will reduce his chances at pro bowls, but my hunch tells me he is impacting the games at a borderline pro bowl level. Which is what we care about at the end of the day, winning!
December 9th, 2019 at 10:54 am
All players are different. Vea has been disruptive on ever down of football played. you guys are acting like this is mccoy getting stuffed most downs. he is eating up multiple blockers creating pressures and hurrys as well as not letting anyone run on him. there is a reason pierre paul and shaq are doing as well as they are.
December 9th, 2019 at 10:57 am
Paltry production is a stretch.
A “part-time” plater this year had 40 QB pressures going into yesterday’s game, from the Nose Tackle position. Yes, 40 QB pressures in 12 games (not including yesterday’s game) from a freakin’ NOSE TACKLE!
I could go on, but I’ll just leave that there.
Again, 40 QB pressures from a damn Nose Tackle, who plays in a hybrid 3-4 base defense. That’s pretty remarkable if you ask me.
Paltry production?! For a NT on the the best run-stuffing defense in the NFL, w/ the league’s leading sack getter (you don’t think that big guy plays a part in all that?). What a silly comment. That must’ve been Lee I would assume.
At least one Joe has it right. The other looks pretty asinine here.
“Paltry production” for a 347 pound NOSE TACKLE…GTFOH 🙂
December 9th, 2019 at 11:00 am
D Line men don’t always affect the pocket
December 9th, 2019 at 11:08 am
One of you guys is way too close minded for the NFL TODAY!
paltry production. lol
December 9th, 2019 at 11:09 am
Having defensive players with a lot of tackles in a game is a sign your defense can’t get off the field. In a perfectly played defensive game there should be minimal defensive stats. Assuming your offense is controlling the ball and possession time. I disagree with joe#2
December 9th, 2019 at 11:10 am
I think he’s doing fine. Don’t want him to get hurt playing offense.
December 9th, 2019 at 11:16 am
So now QB pressures are a thing? One of those wonderful make believe stats that says you got close. The Bucs are very average when it comes to rushing the passer. Anyone watching knows that, but carry on.
December 9th, 2019 at 11:18 am
Vita Vea = Haloti Ngata
Ngata wasn’t a big stat machine but was one of the best DL on the field when he played.
I can’t remember the last time we had both a top run defense AND a very effective front 4 pass rush. That’s the Vita Vea stats I care about.
December 9th, 2019 at 11:19 am
Barrett, JPP, and Nassib are effective, not to mention LB’s thanks to Vea and Suh. I don’t think Vea or Suh were expected to big time Sack artist.
December 9th, 2019 at 11:21 am
Were #1 against the run.. I think his job is being done very well
December 9th, 2019 at 11:23 am
So let me make sure I understand the logic here Joe. Because Vea ONLY gets on the field 62% of the time (it’s actually 64% but who’s quibbling), he’s not earning his keep? And since most QBs seem to have figured out the Bucs’ early weaknesses (aka, the Secondary) & countered with a variety of quick passes (many if not most from the shotgun position), then Vea (and Suh & Allen & Nunez-Roches & Gholston) must be slacking off because our DTs only have FIVE SACKS among the 5 of them. And it certainly couldn’t have anything to do with how Todd Bowles expects them to play the DT position (and defend the run as a priority?)
Does bring up an interesting point though. Vea is under contract for 2020, as is Gholston. The other THREE (Suh, Allen & Nunez-Roches) are all UFAs. Allen has 167 defensive snaps in 13 games (averaging a whopping 19.7% of our snaps). Nunez Roches has 231 defensive snaps (27.2%). Gholston now has 364 defensive snaps (42.9%). Vea has 545 defensive snaps (64.2%) and Suh has 651 defensive snaps (76.8%).
For those advocating letting Ndamukong Suh walk after this season, just think, you’re saying bye-bye to a 1st round beast who’s anchored our DLine on over three-quarters of our defensive snaps. Leaving us with DT Vea (64%) and DT/DE Gholston (43%). Are y’all SURE that’s the smartest thing to do? Personally I think it’s dumber than dirt. Suh has earned his paycheck more than anyone on that DLine IMO. Unless the Bucs intend to use our 1st Round pick on a DT, I’d highly recommend that we re-sign both Suh AND Nunez-Roches.
December 9th, 2019 at 11:30 am
Haven’t checked personally, but they said he had 40 QB pressures before yesterday. That is very productive. Collapsing the interior allows Barrett to lead the NFL in sacks.
When GMC was here he played in 82% of the game and always made highlight plays that never happened in crunch time…. Then there is JPP who was casper yesterday until the final defensive play of the game.
December 9th, 2019 at 11:33 am
Defense… I hope Suh likes Bowles as much as I believe. I guess Suh could be had with a pretty team friendly contract.
Keeping the interior of the D Line fresh in Tampa is something that the Bucs never did… until this season. Mainly because GMC had to be on the field.
I remember Sapp pulling himself a bunch in the third and early fourth Quarters, so he could be fresh at the end.
December 9th, 2019 at 11:37 am
We need to somehow keep Suh, JPP, and Shaq. We can afford it but do we pull the trigger?
December 9th, 2019 at 11:41 am
OK….so we keep Suh, Nassib, Shaq, JPP give Winston a big contract and give Godwin a huge increase…..yep.
December 9th, 2019 at 11:46 am
TBBF It can be done. We have 90 mil right now. We can create an additional 10 by cutting gholston or whoever. So let’s say 100
25-jameis
8-suh
10-jpp
14-shaq
12-godwin
That’s roughly 70 million leaving roughly 30…..yep
December 9th, 2019 at 11:47 am
Others might not see or agree, but I think Will Gholston has been having a great year in the run stopping game. Far from pro bowl numbers, just what I’ve been seeing week in and week out. Of course, never a bad thing to have too many good players at a position.
December 9th, 2019 at 12:08 pm
Im surprised Vea does not have more tackles. He is easy to notice on the field because he does a great job of pushing the pocket.
I think Shaq is a great player but he is getting a lot of assistance in all those sacks from Vea and Suh not allowings QB’s to step up into the pocket very often.
December 9th, 2019 at 12:14 pm
JGHotti86, thx for mentioning the QB pressures that was brought up by announcers yesterday. I’m shocked Joe missed this or didn’t include it. It’s huge and has lead to QB mistakes. Every single play that Vita rushes he pushes his defender back several yards and often into the QB. Vea is a mountain of a man and bull strong. He does a great job in goal line offense as well. This team has it’s problems but Vita Vea isn’t one of them. He is one of Licht’s better choices and he will only get better when he develops moves to get around defenders instead of just mowing them over 😂
December 9th, 2019 at 12:17 pm
The Bucs have won 3 in a row when I said they wouldn’t win another game. I was wrong and funny how things have improved since Bad Attitude Hargreaves has left the building. Credit to BA. Keep it going guys!
December 9th, 2019 at 12:30 pm
“Vita Vea = Danny Shelton
Same School, Same Size, Same position, Same nationality, Same skillset
Haloti Ngata wannabes
JAFG
Just A Fat Guy”
Kobe Faker
December 9th, 2019 at 12:37 pm
Comparing a 350 pound NT that is asked to hold the point of attack to a 300 pound DT that is asked to penetrate the gap is absolutely ridiculous. Joe..please have football people edit your crap before posting.
December 9th, 2019 at 12:41 pm
What was the temp yesterday? Oh 80 degrees well there you have it. The kid is a monster at 50 degrees or below
December 9th, 2019 at 1:07 pm
Vea is never going to be a pass rush force. He is a bull rusher and his strength and strong hands translate to good run defense. He is going to be a solid player, but not an impact player and something that defenses have to prepare for imo. And that is okay for me.
December 9th, 2019 at 1:08 pm
I watch Vea on almost every snap he plays. Its just fun to watch him blow lineman backwards.
December 9th, 2019 at 1:12 pm
A better comparison for Vea is Dontari Poe. He was an asset to the chiefs at the salary he was making as a high draft pick. But not one they decided to bring back for a hefty salary. Barring injury, Vea is not and will not be a bust. And that is a positive we have to accept with a 1st round pick. I would be far more angry if we got him with a top 5 pick where impact players are picked. Mark Barron was a horrible draft pick.
December 9th, 2019 at 3:25 pm
the coaches really emphasis a rotation and with nassib back, wouldnt we expect snaps counts to go down?
not worried about this at all. BA knows how many snaps he wants his guys to have per game.
December 9th, 2019 at 3:30 pm
The coaches have been emphasizing a heavy Dline rotation… why is anyone concerned? BA has a snap count in his head for each of the players. Not worried about Vita’s snap count.
and dont compare vita to mccoy… completely different players in a different scheme. not comparable. Plus!, Dline depth when mccoy was around wasnt deep at all. he played out of necessity.
December 9th, 2019 at 3:31 pm
The coaches have been emphasizing a heavy Dline rotation… why is anyone concerned? BA has a snap count in his head for each of the players. Not worried about Vita’s snap count.
and dont compare vita to mccoy… completely different players in a different scheme. not comparable. Plus!, Dline depth when mccoy was around wasnt deep at all. he played out of necessity.
December 9th, 2019 at 3:50 pm
Aren’t we still like number 2 in run defense? Vea is a part of that and 3-4 defensive tackles very rarely rack up sacks like the one’s in a 4-3 unless they are named Aaron Donald. Vea is fine, no Sapp obviously, but maybe a better version of Tony Siragusa. 😜
December 9th, 2019 at 3:57 pm
buczilla
we’re #1 again!
December 9th, 2019 at 4:05 pm
@Buccernutter
Awesome! Thnx for the info dude.
December 9th, 2019 at 4:07 pm
Absolutely! Go Bucs!
December 9th, 2019 at 4:45 pm
Seeing his stats and seeing him play are two different stories.How many qb hits or rushes does he have.How well does he clog the run games. I’ll tell you this the lack.of.hilding calls.against him are outrageous because its veen pretty obvious every series since the Seattle game.The guy is dominant.
December 9th, 2019 at 4:53 pm
When you watch suh and vita vea rush the passer they look like they are told to create a steady pressure up the middle with out allowing a hole for the qb to escape the pocket up the middle. They look like they have a very controlled pass rush and allow for the pressure to come from the outside. Also suh and vita vea in the middle is amazing against the run
December 9th, 2019 at 5:17 pm
BigMacAttack,
Exactly! Well said.
What kind of stats and “production “ are you looking for in a 347 pound NT?!
He’s the anchor of the defense. He’s the heart of a DL that has paved the way to being the best run-stuffing DLine and defense in the league. Also plays a part in “Sack” Barrett leading the league in sacks. The DLine and LB’s have not been the problem this year.
That alone warrants his value. And if you have watched him play, he’s been not only productive (for a NT) and super fun to watch. He’s dominant at times, he’s a mismatch and does things few can do in this league.
Then you add in the 40 QB pressures stat in 12 games from a NT (who’s main job is not rushing the passer or getting high sack numbers) and it’s quite impressive.
Seems like the Bucco4eva guy is expecting 10-plus sacks from the guy and the NT position and doesn’t see the reality or the facts. It’s subjective and different for every position, scheme, style, etc.
Those are the kind of guys who compare WR stats to that of a fullbacks, or something onsurd and nonsensical like that. Those are the kind of uniformed (and even unintelligent enough) people that would say something along the lines of, “Vita Vea is not productive because he doesn’t have that many INT’s”. That’s an exaggerated example and comparison, but you get the point. Same people who compare Derwin James’ stats to that of Vea’s stats, for productivity and comparison.
December 9th, 2019 at 6:24 pm
Vea has played well in my opinion. There’s more ways to affect a game then by sacking the QB. He’s definitely putting pressure on QB’s… plus Suh and Vea have allowed JPP and Shaq to get there 1 on 1 match ups… which they’ve been winning.
December 10th, 2019 at 6:59 am
Sheldon Rankins plays a lot of 3 technique and has even been used at DE.They are different players with different skillsets. Rankins is more like the GMC or Sapp
in position and technique. So this comparison is invalid, IMO.
December 10th, 2019 at 7:26 am
Just curious, do these snap counts include offensive snaps ? Since Rankins only has 7 solo tackles this year and 2 sacks and no pass defenses. Vea compares very favorably to Rankins with 15 solo tackles 3 pass defensed and 1.5 sacks .
December 10th, 2019 at 11:42 pm
A run stuffing 3-4 NT is what Vita is – any pass rush production is a bonus. The question always was, do you spend a mid-1st rounder on that, in particular when you play a 4-3. I think Vita is doing well for whats asked of him, but man, an all-pro safety would be a lot more helpful right now.