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In Week 12, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't have to do much to secure a win over the New York Giants.
Putting the game out of reach by the second quarter, scoring 30 straight before the Giants finally put points on the board a few minutes into the fourth, no one would have blamed the Bucs for taking their foot off of the gas in the second half, or for pulling Baker Mayfield for Kyle Trask after he suffered a stinger.
And yet, instead, Todd Bowles, Liam Coen, and company had other ideas, digging deep into their bag of tricks to have some fun on the offensive side of the ball, with Vita Vea logging two snaps at fullback to give the Buccanneers a supersized heavy package.
Asked on Monday why he decided to give Vea the nod on offense when he is such an important part of their defense, Bowles noted it didn't take much convincing to give him the nod, as his lead blocking helped the Buccaneers get on the board 7-0.
“It didn't take much convincing,” Bowles told reporters. “We're trying to score every way possible so everybody is available. The more you can do.”
Touching on Vea's play further, Bowles noted that he's been really impressed with what his Pro Bowl nose tackle has brought to the table, as he's been playing as well as he ever has during his pro career.
“I mean, he has a good season every year for me. It's not about the Pro Bowl, it's about helping us win, and the accolades will come as they come,” Bowles noted. “Whoever has the best record – it usually ends up like that, and it kind of goes according to that, but I think he had a Pro Bowl year the last couple seasons for us. In my opinion, he's playing good football, he's got the sacks to show it – that's not the whole story that it tells because he's destroying the middle, and he's keeping us in ballgames.”
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On paper, the Buccaneer's defense really does operate a whole lot differently when Vea is on the field versus off, as there are very few players, nay, human beings period, who have his level of power and athleticism at almost 350 pounds. And the best part? Tampa Bay's other defenders appreciate it, too, including Calijah Kancey, who has rapidly become his partner in crime on the defensive line.
Calijah Kancey is impressed by Vita Vea's versatility for the Buccaneers
Discussing how Vea performed for the Buccaneers in Week 12, including his two snaps moonlighting on offense, Kancey celebrated his friend, noting that the Washington product is an infectious personality who galvanizes his teammates on and off the field.
“Seeing Vita do that without even being mad, literally cracking jokes in the huddle or just his mind is somewhere else, just joking around – actually seeing him do that to a grown man is crazy, without even being mad or pissed off or anything so imagine him pissed off,” Kancey told reporters. “As far as him at fullback, I was ready for him to get the ball, but if you see him at fullback, you'll definitely run behind him.”
With the NFC South still very much in play after watching the Atlanta Falcons drop two straight games, the Buccaneers are going to need their best player to keep putting them in the best position to succeed long-term. If that means turning Vita into a two-way player, then hey, why not, especially if it's only for a few snaps every now and then? Even if the Buccaneers didn't really “need” his offensive snaps in Week 12, opposing teams now have to prepare for it all the same, which is a second W from Week 12, indeed.
