The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gotten off to a slow 0-3 start to their season. One of the key culprits in the start has been star defensive lineman Vita Vea. Vea performed better in Week 3 than he did prior to that, but it is fair to say that he started the season rusty.
While the Bucs coaches did not want to specifically blame the hold-in that he had this summer over his new contract as the reason for the slow start, they did not deny it had to do with it.
Bowles noted that he saw a much improved version of Vea when the team played the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3. He told the Buccaneers Radio Network that missing time in the summer might have had to do with it.
“Well, he was getting in shape,” admitted Bowles. “The past couple of weeks he was getting in shape from missing all the camp, and now it seems like he’s settled in and he is doing a good job.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coaches Admit Vita Vea Was Rusty
Bucs defensive line coach Marcus West made the same admission. He noted that Vea looked different in Week 3, and might have been rusty the first two weeks.
“That’s my first time seeing that Vita,” West said saying that it was a different version. “I didn’t see Vita in the preseason. Vita was, unfortunately, in a situation in the preseason, but I mean he missed training camp. He missed the summer and things, which is the business. But he’s working himself back into what he was compensated to do. But that comes in, that comes in time, that comes in training. We just said train how you fight. You gotta train to fight.”
On the one hand, it is good to hear that Vea is going to look like the old player he once was soon enough. On the other hand, it is unfortunate to think that he could have shaken off the rust in the preseason if they had gotten a deal done with him sooner.
Buccaneers Need More From Vea
Vea signed a one-year, $30M contract extension this offseason. Before that, things got contentious. He held out with an apparent back injury and did not play in the preseason or training camp. Vea also requested a trade.
The Bucs do not like to do deals until later in training camp, and it led to Vea sitting out longer than needed. Vea has a 60.5 PFF grade through the first three weeks. While PFF grades are not everything, his lowest grade before this season was 65.6.
Still, his grade was 59.8 in Week 1 and 49 in Week 2. It shot up to 68.6 in Week 3, which aligns with the coach’s assessment of his play. Vea might not have been the difference in those first two games, but it is frustrating that the team and Vea let it get to a point where he was not ready for regular-season games.
Buccaneers Coaches Admit Star Defender Was Rusty to Start Year