Todd Bowles: More Vita Vea Coming

May 28th, 2020

Ndamukong Suh played 125 more snaps than Vita Vea last year.

That’s eight more snaps per game.

The balance between the veteran and the 2018 first-round pick perplexed Joe throughout the season in which both players were healthy. In all, Vea played 66 percent of the defensive plays.

Today, Joe asked defensive coordinator about Vea’s workload during a Zoom chat, specifically whether playing two-thirds of the snaps is the target for the Bucs’ 2018 first-round draft pick.

“Vita, depending on the game plan, he’ll play a lot more this year,” Bowles said. “Obviously, he played a lot last year. Sometimes drive linger on and you want to give guys a break. But we don’t have that play count right this early.”

Well, hopefully the Bucs have fewer drives that “linger on” this season.

Vea and Suh combined for five sacks last season, and Joe suspects the Bowles’ goal is for them to have at least eight.

Joe would like to see more of Vea this year, and to see him emerge as more of a threat on passing downs. Obviously, he’s a stud run stuffer, but the Bucs didn’t draft him that early to be rather one dimensional on defense.

16 Responses to “Todd Bowles: More Vita Vea Coming”

  1. D-Rome Says:

    Vea is one of my favorite players on the team and I firmly believe he’s going to be great for years to come. He’ll be the best NT in football before his rookie contract expires.

  2. doctor_berto Says:

    Ngata started turning it on year 3 so hopefully Vea can as well

  3. SC Bucs Fan Says:

    When his contract expires we won’t be able to afford him. Use him while we can.

  4. Allbuccedup Says:

    He only played 66% of the time who’s going to play he other 34%. We don’t have a backup nose tackle we lost him in free agency.

  5. Dewey Selmon Says:

    The defense won’t be going back onto the field as much when their QB throws an interception.

  6. AwshBucs Says:

    Said it on the night we drafting him. Kid is Haloti Ngata 2.0 and it was clear as day that he was virtually bust proof because he was every bit as good as Ngata was coming out of college on tape only a far better athlete and a better pass rusher.

    Humans that large should flat out not be able to move like he does, and that’s why he’ll be an unstoppable force up the middle when he reaches his physical, mental and technically primes. Which very well may begin this season.

    Go Bucs! Also never forget that Kobe Faker thought he would be another Danny Shelton.

  7. El Buco Realisto Says:

    @AwshBucs

    Glad you were able to grasp the truth!!!!!!!!!! But the truth was spoken months before!!!!!!!!!! Once again The Buc Realist told the truth, that took the sheep years to figure out!!!!!!!!! It time for another much requested “Realist Repost”!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    The Buc Realist Says:
    January 20th, 2018 at 12:42 pm

    Please free up the LB’s by selecting Mount Vea!!!!!!! trade down and/or pick up a “Man among boys” Vita Vea!!!!!!!! switch to a 3-4 for a point of difference in the division!!!!!!!!!

    GO Bucs!!!!!!!!!!!!

  8. ATrain Says:

    The Man

    What a DT should Be

    Unlike the other guy

  9. D-Rome Says:

    When his contract expires we won’t be able to afford him. Use him while we can.

    That can’t happen as far as I’m concerned. Brady, Gronk, David, and a few other higher priced players will likely not be here when that decision must be made. The salary cap could also look different by then. I hope the Bucs have a long term plan in place to make sure he is signed.

  10. AwshBucs Says:

    Yeah but you continue to discredit and make a fool of yourself with the way you still swing from Ol Smitty’s nuts Realist.

  11. BucEmUp Says:

    Vea is unblockable.most of the time and gets held like crazy. Dude is a freak and they need to take the training wheels off this season

  12. BucEmUp Says:

    Bucs D will be top 5 this season

  13. geno711 Says:

    Underrated players are Suh and JPP.
    They both are typically near the top in the league in number of snaps at their position year in and year out. So much value to that ability to stay on the field for most plays.

    Snap counts NFL Defensive line:

    2019 Suh 2nd, JPP f’d up his neck.
    2018 JPP 4th, Suh 8th
    2017 JPP 1st, Suh 13th
    2016 Suh 5th, JPP 25th
    2015 Suh 4th, JPP blew off his fingers
    2014 JPP 5th, Suh 14th

  14. Big Tim 76 bucs Says:

    The Bucs are going to play in our own stadium. RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM BABY!!!!@@@@@

  15. Jason Says:

    JPP is the key. He does the one thing that separates the legendary players from the great players. He makes everyone around him better.

  16. Buczilla Says:

    Vea is fine and this isn’t the old Tampa 2 where Sapp was expected to get 10 sacks a year. Vea and Suh make it so that others can get most of the sacks. If he gets five or more sacks, then it’s just icing on the cake.