Todd Bowles Addresses Vita Vea Route Running
January 17th, 2025
Not good enough.
Yeah, Vita Vea went out for touchdown pass Sunday night and appeared to be the first option on the play based on watching Baker Mayfield’s head — and the words from Todd Bowles’ mouth.
The head coach addressed the third-quarter red zone play on the Buccaneers Radio Network.
“The route running leaves a little bit to be desired,” Bowles said of Vea. “He has outstanding hands. I think he’s going to have to get down to about 245 to be a very good route runner. …
It was something we tried that we saw on film. It just didn’t work out for us.”
Mayfield ate a sack on the first-down play, but thankfully the Bucs scored on a TD pass to Bucky Irving on the next snap, putting them up 17-13.
Joe likes when Vea enters the game on offense, but Joe would rather see him blocking or taking a handoff. Regardless, it was a fun play. If Vea had caught a touchdown, The Licht House would have erupted and been buzzing at an incredible level.
Vita Vea is BUILT to be a receiver 💪😂
📺: #WASvsTB on NBC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus + Peacock pic.twitter.com/sJEQNacTAm— NFL (@NFL) January 13, 2025
January 17th, 2025 at 9:33 am
they shouldve ran it with vita
January 17th, 2025 at 9:59 am
Insulting to the defense
Stupid play
Wasted play
January 17th, 2025 at 10:39 am
Would have loved Vea making a TD. He could be the next Refrigerator Perry!
January 17th, 2025 at 10:39 am
The biggest problem I have with Vea being in there on offense is he can’t stay on the field for the D. He gets winded after several snaps, but you’re going to put him in to block? Playing both Offense and Defense are for 21 year old freak athletes. Definitely not for D lineman who only play 60% of the snaps as it is. Throw Kline out there as tackle eligible.
January 17th, 2025 at 10:54 am
The strategy there seems to be that Vita would be seen as a blocker with a free release into a route
January 17th, 2025 at 10:55 am
They must have saw how good his hands were when he drops back in pass coverage and covers the other teams best receiver. I don’t see why they line him up as NT anymore. For how good he is playing CB and receiver they should move him back to punt and kick returns as well. Just wasting his talent away at NT
January 17th, 2025 at 11:54 am
it was too obvious when he reported as
an eligible receiver what the play was going to be
January 17th, 2025 at 12:07 pm
I’m ok with Vita running the route – hell, he was a running back in high school. What I do have a problem with is Vita dropping into coverage.
January 17th, 2025 at 12:31 pm
When you have no earthly idea what you’re doing as a head coach this is the type of mindless nonsense you will get.
They’re reduced to gimmicks and trick plays to misdirect the fans from the gutter to which we have fallen.
28-27
How’d we ever win 28?
January 17th, 2025 at 12:39 pm
I think every time you are 1st & goal from inside the 3 you should run, 4 straight times. Bring in VEA for a fullback and man up. Run it again and again and again.
January 17th, 2025 at 12:45 pm
Getting on Bowles for dropping OLB all the time and praising using Vea on offense is contradictory. They’re both stupid ideas.
January 17th, 2025 at 1:42 pm
He ran that route right in front of me in the stands. I remember saying you need to stick your foot in the ground and make the cut, but if Vea does that, it might cause a fissure in the Earth’s crust.
January 17th, 2025 at 2:44 pm
Vita Vea was a STAR RB in high school. Go to youtube and simply type Vita Vea high school running back to see his athleticism! He’s obviously bulked up for his position since then but he’s still agile, and as Todd points out has good hands.
Bowles experiments with VV and gets credit for creativity…oh wait maybe not her!!!
“Insulting to the defense
Stupid play
Wasted play”
“Getting on Bowles for dropping OLB all the time and praising using Vea on offense is contradictory. They’re both stupid ideas.”
The Bucs are hardly the only team to drop OLB’s into coverage and sometimes they even drop interior lineman like Vea. Can you say Baltimore Ravens?
“At the end of the Ravens’ 35-10 AFC North-clinching win over the Browns, Baltimore’s 355-pound nose tackle dropped into coverage, jumped a route, and snatched the first interception of his eight-year career.”
Bowles explained this for the slow learners. IF you have two competent NFL CB’s along with an All Pro Safety and another Whitehead alongside of Winfield,
You can play more of Munchman’s favorite D man to man.
IF OTOH you have practice squad level talent barely able to cover a Division II
WR you have to get creative!!! That’s called ZONE defense.
As the man once said it’s as simple as that!
January 17th, 2025 at 4:28 pm
He IS a 3rd and short weapon though! Double teams have a hard time handling him out of a 3 point stance. Can you imagine him taking on a lb with a full head of steam? I’ve gotta believe he can pick up a yard ot two! Maybe even bust one. He did it regularly in HS. Like the old Mickey commercial said- Try it. You’ll like it. Let’s try it. LOL
January 17th, 2025 at 4:52 pm
I’d love to see him run it from the 2 yard line. Defenders would see him and say nahhhhhh