“Caution” On Vita Vea
April 29th, 2018
National word comes on Vita Vea
Over the years, Bucs officials have always seemed quick to chat with Peter King of Sports Illustrated fame, as are the power players of most NFL teams.
That’s King’s thing. He’s got the contacts.
So perhaps it’s worth nothing that in King’s one and only mock draft this year for TheMMQB.com, he waved a small red flag on new Bucs first-round pick Vita Vea, the manbeast defensive tackle taken No. 12 overall on Thursday.
King pegged Vea for the Dolphins with the No. 11 overall pick and wondered whether he could replace Ndamukong Suh. And then issued a weight warning.
“We’ll see. One word of caution with Vea: He’s got to manage his weight if he wants to be more than a two-down player,” King wrote.
It wasn’t the first time Joe has read of concern for Vea’s body fat. He measured 6-4, 347 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Joe is no strength and conditioning expert. But Joe does know that Vita is carrying plenty of extra weight — and he’s also a true freakish athlete with outer-worldly strength.
This is on the Bucs and Vea. It’ll be interesting to see if Tampa Bay decides they want to shed weight from Vea and pull him down to, say, a more fit 335 pounds. Joe is not concerned, as long as Vea doesn’t start pushing 360.
April 29th, 2018 at 11:17 am
The guys whole schtick is that at 347 he can play the normal rotation of downs. What king smoking?
April 29th, 2018 at 11:20 am
But if hes pushing 360 with 12% body fat and tearing things up, plowing through…….
April 29th, 2018 at 11:21 am
RE”VITA”LIZED LINE……
April 29th, 2018 at 11:21 am
Playing in this florida heat is not good for 350 lbs. He may want to lose a few pounds.
April 29th, 2018 at 11:24 am
How exactly is Vea gonna do in the 90+ degree heat and humidity that we have come July thru Nov? That guy is used to the soft weather of Washington State & Seattle. No way in hell he’s able to handle it here. He has a play a series in him. His body doesn’t exactly scream “in shape”. Garbage pick
April 29th, 2018 at 11:24 am
Vea seems like a professional. I think he’ll manage his weight well.
April 29th, 2018 at 11:25 am
I think the concern is he doesn’t blow up to 390 after an off season.
April 29th, 2018 at 11:25 am
Meh, thanks anyway Petah King for pointing out the obvious;
We’re only a multi billion dollar organization and we would have never thought to protect our asset and squeeze every last drop of talen out of him.
Though we may not have had a winning season in a while, we still make a profit.
April 29th, 2018 at 11:26 am
I was actually impressed at how fit Vea looked in regular clothes. He didn’t look “fat” at all to me. Vita seems to carry that 340whatever very well.
He ran a 5.1 – 40. That’s faster than Tom Brady – just a tick under Winston’s 40 time. Yet he outweighs both by well over 100 lbs.
Think about that for a second…
April 29th, 2018 at 11:27 am
Lol. King is truly only concerned about football on a shallow, surface level.
Vea made a tackle 40 yards down field in Punt coverage at 347. And ran the exact same 40 yard dash as Gerald McCoy who weighed 295 at the time. A full 52 pounds less.
As you say Joe, If we can keep Vea at around 330-335, look out because he could be more dominant than Suh or McCoy ever dreamed of being.
April 29th, 2018 at 11:28 am
He will sweat off 15 lbs after a practice or two in the Florida heat and humidity.
I think he should play around 330 to make him quicker and to not wear down as much.
April 29th, 2018 at 11:30 am
What Pickgrin said…running a 5.1 with that massive amount of weight is quite impressive..
April 29th, 2018 at 11:30 am
Peter King can go suck eggs. He’s always badmouthed Tampa Bay. He writes that baloney about our first round choice, and the truth will be the opposite. Good. What a yahoo!
April 29th, 2018 at 11:33 am
BUDDY,
Vea is a TONGAN! Have you ever been to Tonga? I have and it is HOT and HUMID and basically outside of a few bank buildings, there is NO AIR CONDITIONING in any of the buildings!
The King of Tonga was well over 500 pounds and was known as a rugby player and lived to be really old as well … Tongans are just massive and extremely athletic people
April 29th, 2018 at 11:40 am
Stop eating all the food in the house.
April 29th, 2018 at 11:48 am
I’m going to speculate PK should be more concerned about his weight, than VV’s.
April 29th, 2018 at 11:49 am
I think Vita is fine at 347 but agree that if he can shed 20 lbs it will only make him faster and better. Tampa heat makes it a challenge to keep weight on.
April 29th, 2018 at 11:53 am
Gotta think longevity as well.
There’s a fine line between being amazingly agile AND so heavy and being amazingly agile DESPITE being so heavy. Knees, hips, AND ankles can only take so much – even in the super human. My bet is when he gets involved with the elite strength and conditioning guys the NFL provides he drops 10 or so pounds but decreases his body fat and increases his muscle even more so.
LOVE this pick, though.
We got two new big guys to man both lines in a stellar offseason devoted to…
FIXING THE TRENCHES AND FIXING THE BUCS!!!
April 29th, 2018 at 11:59 am
Just a couple of comments, he did talk a lot about food in his initial presser, and if I recall there was talk earlier this year about daily practice in the heat as being a detriment for the Buc’s. Hence a Beautiful new practice facility that a lot of the big guys will benefit from.
PS I posted yesterday how much I appreciated the excellent and informative coverage the joe’s provided during the draft. Unfortunately for some reason it didn’t go through. Anyway “Great,” job guys.
April 29th, 2018 at 12:01 pm
If the bear was chasing Vita & King……I think we know who the bear would have for dinner…..
April 29th, 2018 at 12:02 pm
Look how fat Vince Wilfork was and how great he was
April 29th, 2018 at 12:06 pm
King = Captain Obvious
April 29th, 2018 at 12:06 pm
Pickgrin & NFLNut, great points. All the pundits always seemed to be concerned about Donald Penn’s weight too. In 12 seasons he’s missed TWO games TOTAL & played at a reasonably high level (as in he’s made the Pro Bowl several times). These guys are professionals whose future depends on performing at a very high level. Peter King needs to give Vea a bit more credit than he apparently does.
April 29th, 2018 at 12:16 pm
He is not a fat 340 pounds. The dude is built like a brick sh!t house. I saw Kings mock before the draft and read that and immediately knew that King had no business talking on the subject.
I guarantee nobody in One Buc is concerned about this in the least.
April 29th, 2018 at 12:16 pm
Nothing a personal chef and dietician can’t fix with that #12 draft pick salary.
April 29th, 2018 at 12:18 pm
@NFLNUT- uh no I have not been to Tonga. But I gave stood on the practice fields of the current One Buc & former One Buc for over 17+ years while employed by the organization. Oh and I’ve stood on sideline for 1pm games in Sept & Oct. Have you??? Thought not. Do I know exactly how much weight is lost during a practice and game day. As well as how much energy it takes out of the players. There is no air on the sidelines of Raymond Janes some days so we’ll see how long it takes for this guy to get into Tampa playing shape. Ever notice who’s most of the Bucs players don’t wear eye visors on their helmets and other teams players players do? Cause it lets less air into their face and helmets. So crawl back under your rock now idiot @NFLNUTjob
April 29th, 2018 at 12:22 pm
Well wave have 24 defensive tackles now
We should be able to figure out a rotation
April 29th, 2018 at 12:47 pm
I’d like to see us draw up a play for him on offense where he lead blocks for a goal line play
April 29th, 2018 at 12:54 pm
Oh please STFU Peter King nobody likes you anyway fake news fat boy, imagine you telling someone to watch their weight
April 29th, 2018 at 1:01 pm
So here’s the thing, this is the easy narrative play – right! It’s just too easy to focus on the Bucs getting bigger, tougher, and more athletic.
NEWSFLASH: Majority linemen have to manager their weight!
Media always pushes for content and clicks…
April 29th, 2018 at 1:10 pm
NFLNUT, Vita was born and raised in California. Hardly hot and humid in California. It’s gonna take time getting used to Florida summer weather for him. BTW, they use AC’s in CA.
April 29th, 2018 at 1:13 pm
While Vita’s family is Tongan, and I have been there too, the kid grew up in California and played ball in Washington State. Both temperate climates by Florida standards. He will have to learn how to endure the heat while still maxing out play after play. If you recall, even Godwin was run down at times during training camp. I was luck enough to play HS locally, then college in the mid-Atlantic. I remember there was a HUGE difference, positively, for me. The 80s were a breeze. The 40s and 30s, not so much. Bottom line, Vita is a big man who is going to be expected to be a 3 down contributor here- it’s up to him and the team to manage his weight and get him in Fla playing shape.
April 29th, 2018 at 1:21 pm
Vea can play at his present weight for a couple of years. But he’s gonna find in the NFl, there are players like 285 to 320 that are a lot quicker. I suspect his playing weight will be between 315 to 325ish..somewheres along in there. And he’s gonna want to get there after he sees how much quicker 25 pds lighter will make him in the Pro’s.
April 29th, 2018 at 1:29 pm
Buddy u really think that was a garbage pick SMDH. The man is a beast n if he needs to shed weight he will. Also do u know how many big men come from northern states n initially struggle with our heat n worked out just fine. That’s what training camp is for
April 29th, 2018 at 2:01 pm
love to see him be our running back at 1st and goal, all he needs is a running start, he would send multiple opponents to the operating room.
April 29th, 2018 at 2:20 pm
Someone wrote “We have 24 Defense Tackles. They forgot to add the Bucs have 0 Safeties, same junk.
April 29th, 2018 at 2:26 pm
I would like to know what his % of body fat actually is. He may be 350 but he seems to carry his weight well. He isn’t a flabby mess, he is just a big solid guy and I don’t think he will have an issue with it.
I think a playing weight around 335 lb would be ideal and would help him out a ton with Florida’s weather.
April 29th, 2018 at 2:28 pm
You can have average DBs if you have a great d line. We also have stud LBs and a solid CBs. We will be just fine with our safety play.
Our line will cause nightmares for offensive coordinators.
April 29th, 2018 at 2:43 pm
Kudos to Joe for somehow finding it within himself to not add that lead in paragraph of garbage before uttering Peter King’s name. That’s progress.
April 29th, 2018 at 3:15 pm
Firethecannons: that’s some funny $hit right thar!
April 29th, 2018 at 3:30 pm
Na, he’s young AND ALREADY STRONG, and still growing, keep feeding him! Fk a diet to slim down. We need power, power requires muscle, muscle requires protein and calories….
good thing he’s gonna get paid to eat like the beast he is! BIG V!! We got him!!!
April 29th, 2018 at 3:31 pm
@fire, yeah, id LOVE to see that as a surprise play…you know he’ll bust through lol
April 29th, 2018 at 3:38 pm
***************
BUDDY,
YES I have to Florida … who hasn’t been to Florida these days? I’ve also been throughout the Caribbean and Oceania and I can tell you that Tonga is HOT, HUMID and can be every bit as stifling as Tampa can be!
As for Viti being born in Cali and playing college ball in Washington … so what, he’s still Tongan and I imagine he’s spent a lot of time in Tonga in his off-seasons as Tongans love their homeland and the entire economy of Tonga is based on remittances from Tongans living overseas … and I don’t care if a Tonga moves to Alaska (and some have … seriously), they are still Tongan and built to handle INSANE HEAT and HUMIDITY … get a clue “Buddy”.
*************
April 29th, 2018 at 3:41 pm
Vita Vea was a running back, all through High School.
Hopefully, Koetter will use him on 3rd and goal situations.
Tonga is hot and humid, and parts of California are MUCH hotter than Tampa.
I lived in Sacramento, and in the summer it can get up to 110 degrees for weeks at a time, so please don’t think that Tampa has the “exclusive” on heat.
Just keep Vita Vea away from Brocato’s, and I think we will be fine
April 29th, 2018 at 3:50 pm
^ And yes “Buddy”, before you say I didn’t answer your question about standing on the sidelines … YES I have also done that many times, so perhaps next time, try not to talk so much smack when you have literally no clue what you’re talking about.
And try not to accuse someone who probably has an IQ 40-55 points higher than you of being an “idiot”.
April 29th, 2018 at 3:54 pm
*****************
CHRIS,
You’re 100% right … some people just like to talk smack for no reason and pretend they “know it all”.
As for using Vea on the goal-line … I’d love to see that. The Chiefs used Dontari Poe, the Bears used to use William Perry … and Vea is more athletic than both of those dudes.
You let Barber run behind Vea and a line of Smith/Marpet/Jensen/Sweezy/Dotson and we should be unstoppable on the goal-line.
Likewise … what team is going to be able to run on us on the goal-line if we have Gholston/GMC/Viti/Beau/Unrein holding it down?
*************
April 29th, 2018 at 3:56 pm
Peter King is garbage.
April 29th, 2018 at 4:17 pm
Hey Buddy the Buc’s janitor….
Really? Just really? You’re THAT guy?
I can’t even believe the idiocracy in your opinion about this. I hope you are just trolling. It takes a few weeks and you are used to the heat. My lord I feel dumber for reading your comment.
Vita was an excellent A pick. With the trade its an A++ pick. What’s next Ronald Jones was a bad pick because he can’t run on our type of grass. Shoot maybe you need less grass, or more.
April 29th, 2018 at 4:20 pm
Kalind Says
“The guys whole schtick is that at 347 he can play the normal rotation of downs. What king smoking?”
The problem is that he’ll slow down as he ages…just a couple years will slow him down. And it will happen a little more each year…especially with a lot of wear and tear on his knees.
Weight control is a valid concern, but that has been the case with all of the big guys who were greats. He’ll have to learn to manage it.
That’s the only red flag he had. And seeing him talk about eating through 60% of his press conference did not conjure high hopes on that front, lol.
April 29th, 2018 at 4:25 pm
Buddy Says:
How exactly is Vea gonna do in the 90+ degree heat and humidity that we have come July thru Nov? That guy is used to the soft weather of Washington State & Seattle. No way in hell he’s able to handle it here. He has a play a series in him.
He was born in Milpitas, CA. It hits 100+ 3 months per year there. Know your stuff, Buddy.
April 29th, 2018 at 4:26 pm
Heck, it gets up to 95 in April there, lol.
April 29th, 2018 at 4:30 pm
As to the indoor facility, I’m fine with them using it, but I think if they have a bad practice, they should not be allowed in there for a week. Same thing if they lose games.
Make them earn that AC.
April 29th, 2018 at 5:04 pm
If Vita is 330 he’s not all that special, the whole thing that makes him special is that he put up good numbers… for a 350lb guy.
April 29th, 2018 at 5:07 pm
Bonzai – The Bucs play only one home 1PM game, against the Eagles, until the end of October, so they might as well use that indoor facility as much as they can if it saves on wear and tear. It’s remarkable how little the Bucs home field advantage is ever used anymore, having 1PM games in September is what all that offseason conditioning is for, doing it in that insane heat and humidity, but if the NFL never actually gives the Bucs that home field advantage, or the Bucs are booking themselves for 4:15p games which are sure to get weather delayed, then why bother killing the guys in August?
April 29th, 2018 at 5:12 pm
Bonzai – One other thing… I’ve gone to Vegas a number of times, I generally go in July since it’s somewhat slow because it’s so “hot”… Anywho last time I was there it was 117 on the strip – and I’d take that in an instant over 92 in Tampa in July. That humidity deal is real. I came back from a show one night and it felt like an average evening in Tampa, except for the fact you didn’t feel soaked, but it was fairly comfortable if slightly warm. Anyways it was 99 degrees. 100 degrees in California is like 82 in Florida, sure things are hot to the touch, but it doesn’t sap your energy and make you feel like you’ve been standing over a boiling pot of water all day long. Vita will have a tough time with the heat and humidity, but that’s not unique to him, that’s for basically everyone that isn’t from the southeast.
April 29th, 2018 at 5:28 pm
@Rod Munch
What are you smoking? Vita at 330 still has more bulk than the average Dlineman and him shedding 17 pounds would have lead to his combine numbers being even more freakishly good.
Don’t believe me? Have someone time you running down the street wearing a 20 pound weight vest. Then have someone time you without the vest. It’s a really simple concept and a really don’t understand how you fail to grasp that.
Again, Vea ran the exact same 40 time as a 295 pound Gerald McCoy weighing 52 pounds heavier than #93.
April 29th, 2018 at 5:50 pm
@BuccaneerBonzai what’s the humidity of that 100degree Cali weather? Thought so, not even close to our humity here.
April 29th, 2018 at 6:30 pm
Blake_Bucsfan – McCoy ran a 5.0 40, so no, him and Vita didn’t run the exact same time. Vita was hurt at the combine and didn’t do anything else except benchpress, which historically means very little. His 40 yard shuttle time is hugely important and we don’t have that, nor do we have the 20 yard dash or vertical or broad jump, numbers that show his burst and quickness. To say he’s the same as McCoy is based on absolutely nothing.
April 29th, 2018 at 6:52 pm
Well if you wanna get technical. McCoy ran a 5.04. Ok so 52 pounds caused a .06 second difference. Still damn impressive.
Also didn’t say that Vea and McCoy were the same type of player. And based on his high school tape at Running Back, I’d say he would have crushed all of those drills as well.
He’s insanely athletic, and if he shed 17-20 pounds he would be an even better.
April 29th, 2018 at 7:08 pm
Hey Buddy,
While walking around oneBuc place, did you happen to notice a big new air conditioned building?
Its the Bucs indooor Practice facility!
Its going to allow the Bucs to practice longer, Harder- without suffering from chronic dehydration- a risk to anyone who works outside in the Florida heat.
Symptoms include constant exhaustion and muscle soreness.
Might explain the Bucs long history of losing. Training camp in this heat doest make men tough. It breaks them down and leaves them with worn out.
The new facility will help keep our “Bigs” fresh for game day.
Also, Darker skin pigment helps with heat. Vita will deal with heat better than most- due to his heat repelling Dark skin.
Worru more about our other,Fair skinned defensive. And our new center!
But the the indoor facility will help them, Also
Pretty sure that the Bucs took all of into consideration
April 29th, 2018 at 7:49 pm
The draft is like marriage. M
The smart ones love who they marry
The unfortunate ones marry someone, hoping to change them.
At 345#, Vita is monstrously strong, surprisingly nimble, and relentless.
Those are great traits for a DT.
The NFL will make him Stronger. Work on his endurance and cardio.
And rotate him frequently with also really big Beau Allen.
Two great Nose tackles, to stand staunchly beside the explosive Gerald McCoy.
Also have 2 very good DEs( Finally!!!!), to knockdown anything that tries to run around the corner!
Be happy with Vita the way he is. He is gonna stop runs up the middle.
And thats something we desperately need- for this team to start Winning!
Beau and Vita are both fantastic additions to this team
April 29th, 2018 at 10:24 pm
1’st and goal at the 1. Winston takes the snap, hands off to Vea, up the gut….
Touchdown Tampa Bay!!!
April 29th, 2018 at 10:47 pm
A fat bucket of lard over Derwin James
GTFOH
April 29th, 2018 at 11:23 pm
The only thing Dewin James ever did, that was special, was go to FSU.
Attending “DB university “ got him attention, that his play didnt deserve.
Not to mention that drafting a safety at 7 is a huge undervalue.
If you love James that much- Go buy a chargers jersey with” James” on the back. Then walk around- pointing at yer jersey, going “Yay, Number one”
Two years from now, everyone will ask- “ Who is James”
April 30th, 2018 at 12:47 am
Vea will play at 330 – 335, or he won’t play. Buckner will make sure of it
April 30th, 2018 at 7:10 am
If he can play two downs and teams can’t run against us I would be happy with that. We haven’t been able to stop the run or the pass so if now we can stop the run and teams have third & long and he has to come out that’s OK with me. But at the same time I sure would love to see Vea plow into Drew Brees and be sitting on top of him. Maybe we can get Drew out of the league early like game one.