Category: Latest Team News

Bucs NT Vita Vea was a beast as a high school running back

Take a look back at some highlights from Vita Vea’s time at Milpitas High School, when he was utilized as a running back.

The biggest highlight from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 35-22 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday was arguably the touchdown reception by nose tackle Vita Vea.

Vea, the Bucs 2018 first-round pick out of Washington, has been a force on defense this season for the Bucs’ stellar rush defense, but he’s also shown his versatility by lining up on a few offensive plays.

Don’t be fooled, Vea is no stranger to scoring on offense. Despite the fact that his touchdown reception against the Falcons made him the heaviest player to score an offensive touchdown in NFL history, Vea was actually used as a running back in high school.

(No joke.)

Take a look back now at some highlights from Vea’s time at Milpitas High School in California, when he used his size and strength to roll through defenses.

Ronald Jones and Peyton Barber have plenty to worry about now that Vea’s gotten a taste for the end zone. It’d be a travesty if Byron Leftwich didn’t call another goal-line play for Vea again this season. Handing the ball off to the big man and letting him punch it in seems like a no-brainer.

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ESPN’s Bill Barnwell names Vita Vea to his 2019 All-Underrated team

ESPN’s Bill Barnwell named Tampa Bay Buccaneers nose tackle Vita Vea to his 2019 All-Underrated team.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took down the Atlanta Falcons yesterday 35-22 for their fourth win of the season (their third on the road).

The star of the game was no doubt Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin, who finished the day with seven receptions for 184 yards and two touchdowns, bringing his season total to 1,071 yards. It’s the first 1,000-yard season of Godwin’s young career.

But, let’s not forget about the stellar day from nose tackle Vita Vea, who finished with a sack and touchdown reception in the win.

Today, Bill Barnwell of ESPN named Vea to his 2019 All-Underrated team, and in part of his assessment of the big man, Barnwell points out how one old school coach would’ve loved the nose tackle.

Take a look.

“Vea made headlines Sunday for catching a touchdown pass during Tampa’s 35-22 win in Atlanta, but there’s more to the former first-round pick than a soft set of hands… The former Washington standout added a sack and two passes defensed to his totals against the Falcons, although he’s admittedly still a work in progress as a pass-rusher, where his limited wingspan may play against him. Vea is more realistically an example of the old George Young/Bill Parcells “Planet Theory” approach to the draft, where you recognize that there are only so many 300-plus pound human beings with truly elite athleticism on the planet and draft them when you see them. Vea, who was a change-of-pace running back in high school, is the sort of player Parcells would have loved. He’s quickly growing into a rare difference-maker for the Bucs’ defense.”

Vea has been a beast for the Bucs this season, and his pairing with Ndamukong Suh has made the Bucs’ rush defense one of the best in the NFL.

Tampa Bay will take to the road again in Week 13, this time staying in-state as they travel to Jacksonville to face the 4-7 Jaguars. Despite their big win against the Falcons, the Buccaneers currently find themselves as underdogs against the Jags.

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Bucs underdogs against the Jaguars despite a convincing win in Week 12

Despite a convincing road win against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers find themselves as underdogs in Week 12.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers walked into Atlanta yesterday for their game against the Falcons in desperate need of a win. Not only that, but the Bucs were going up against arguably the hottest team in the NFL.

Atlanta started the season just 1-7, but in their previous two games heading into Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay, they had gone 2-0, outscoring their opponents 55-12, while their defense collected 11.0 sacks and four interceptions in that time.

But Tampa Bay played solid football on both sides of the ball yesterday, upsetting Atlanta 35-22. The Bucs are now 4-7, with three of their wins coming on the road. They’ll play on the road, but in-state, next week when they travel to Jacksonville to face the 4-7 Jaguars.

Jacksonville is coming off a humiliating 42-20 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, and are still looking for their first win with quarterback Nick Foles under center.

Given how well the Bucs played on the road against Atlanta, coupled with the short travel distance between Tampa and Jacksonville, you’d think the Bucs would finally find themselves as a favorite on the road this year.

Well, not quite yet.

The opening line for the Bucs-Jags game has Jacksonville as -1.5 point favorites at home. The over/under is set at 49.5. I think this game will be a shootout between offenses, so I’d go with the over. And, for once, I’d actually be confident taking the Bucs on the road.

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]

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Jameis Winston’s 20th interception puts him in a class with Jay Cutler

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston now shares this “honor” with former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston certainly has his defenders still, even after last week’s four-interception game against the New Orleans Saints.

It might be hard for those defenders to stand by him after watching him today against the Atlanta Falcons, though. Despite a 71-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Chris Godwin, Winston threw two interceptions in the first quarter, with the second one eventually leading to a Falcons touchdown.

The two picks give Winston 20 on the season, a new career high. And, those 20 picks in 11 games puts him in a class with former NFL quarterback, and interception aficionado, Jay Cutler.

Take a look.

Winston is the first Buccaneers quarterback since Josh Freeman in 2011 to have 20 or more interceptions on the year. Freeman had 22 in 15 games for the Bucs that year, so Winston could easily break that mark before the year is over — or even today’s game against Atlanta.

It’s time to stop defending Winston. The Buccaneers, and more importantly their fans, deserve a whole lot better.

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Will Mike Evans one day break this seemingly unbreakable Jerry Rice record?

At just 26 years old, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans could eventually break this Jerry Rice record.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is just seven yards away from another 1,000-yard season entering Sunday’s Week 12 showdown with the Atlanta Falcons.

It would be the sixth-straight 1,000-yard season for Evans, tying him with Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons by a receiver to start a career.

That’s all well and good, but let’s keep in mind that Evans just turned 26 at the end of August. He’s just entering his prime.

So, if Evans manages to stay healthy, could he possibly do the unthinkable and one day break Jerry Rice’s record of 11-straight 1,000-yard seasons?

I’m sure many people are wondering how many 1,000-yard seasons Rice had to start his career. Well, it turns out, he came up 73 yards short in his rookie season. After that, however, there was no stopping Rice on his historic and Hall of Fame-worthy tear through the NFL over the next 11 years.

Take a look.

Rice would ultimately go on to have 14 seasons with 1,000 receiving yards, most in NFL history.

Back to Evans, though.

He shows no signs of slowing down at the moment. The only question, though, is how long can he keep this production up? And, should Tampa Bay decide to start over at the quarterback position through the draft, Evans could be part of a rebuilding process on offense, one where a rookie might not get it to him as consistently as he’s used to.

Still, if there’s one receiver in the NFL you should never bet against, it’s Evans. He’s only scratching the surface of what he can do. I’m sure those Madden ratings folks feel embarrassed now.

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A closer look at Jameis Winston’s pick-sick problem

Take a closer look at the career numbers of Jameis Winston’s pick-sixes, including the four he’s thrown this season.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12 in a divisional matchup featuring two 3-7 teams.

The Bucs are coming off a tough home loss to the Saints last week, in which quarterback Jameis Winston threw four picks.

Winston now has 18 interceptions on the year, already matching his career-high for a season. But, while those interceptions have obviously hurt the team, it’s the four pick-sixes he’s thrown this season that is the real cause for concern.

Winston had thrown a total of four pick-sixes over the previous four seasons, entering 2019. The fact that he already has four through the first 11 weeks further proves that this team will continue going nowhere until they can find consistency at the position.

Plus, six of the eight picks that were returned for scores came in the second half of the game, a time when you want your franchise quarterback to be at his best — poised and clutch.

Winston could have a field day tomorrow against the Falcons’ 26th ranked pass defense. But, big passing numbers from the Bucs’ quarterback often includes a few turnovers.

The Falcons defense has feasted off NFC South quarterbacks the past two weeks, first against Drew Brees of the Saints and then Kyle Allen of the Carolina Panthers. In their last two games, Atlanta’s D has racked up 11.0 sacks and four interceptions.

Hopefully, Winston and the Bucs can pull off a surprise win of their own on Sunday.

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Byron Leftwich says Jameis Winston is improving despite turnovers

Typically, quarterbacks take most of the heat for their teams for all the wins and losses that occur. This is no different for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Jameis Winston. The man-under-center is often criticized for his final line in box …

Typically, quarterbacks take most of the heat for their teams for all the wins and losses that occur. This is no different for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, Jameis Winston. The man-under-center is often criticized for his final line in box scores having turnovers, and as it sits right now, Winston has 18 interceptions – tied for the most of any season in his career.

As Bucs offensive coordinator, Byron Leftwich met with the media on Thursday (video below), he was asked about his thoughts on if Winston is still their guy.

“I love working with Jameis and I think Jameis is getting better.” Leftwich said of Winston. “Yes, we’ve got to fix the turnover thing, I know that and I understand that. Regardless, if they are on him or not, as an offense we’ve got to fix the turnover thing. It’s not really all Jameis, when we talk as a group, anybody that touches the football is in control as you can see the past couple games.” The point being made in reference to O.J. Howard’s crazy catch that turned into an interception during the Buccaneers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints.

The conundrum surrounding Winston continues, as the quarterback is currently third in the league in passing yards with 3,078, tied for fifth in touchdowns with 19, and, of course, has his league-leading 18 interceptions to add to his totals. Winston also has another blemish on his resume this season as he’s been sacked a total of 36 times thus far. While the Bucs only allowed two sacks on the day in Week 11, Winston was hurried on 12 of his 51 dropbacks.

As a former quarterback himself, Leftwich noted how hard it is to live to play another down in reference to just throwing the ball away. “One of the hardest things to do, is to throw the ball away. It’s hard when you’re trying to do what you can, every single play. You never know the play that’s going to win the game. You never know when that big play is going to happen.”

The Buccaneers travel to meet their division rival, the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, and protecting Winston from this suddenly red-hot Falcons defense has to be a priority.

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Bruce Arians praises the play of rookie kicker Matt Gay

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians praised kicker Matt Gay, who has bounced back in a big way since Week 3.

It wasn’t that long ago that questions were swirling around Bucs rookie kicker Matt Gay, and whether he was another Robert Aguayo in the making.

Aguayo, who was infamously selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, lasted just one season in Tampa Bay after missing nine kicks and two extra points as a rookie.

Gay, who the team took in the fifth round of this year’s draft, had a nightmare performance back in Week 3 against the New York Giants, ultimately costing his team a victory by missing a potential game-winning field goal at the end of the game.

But, as rough an outing as that was for the rookie out of Utah, Gay has bounced back in a big way since Week 3, and his play hasn’t gone unnoticed by head coach Bruce Arians.

Take a look.

Tampa Bay has been struggling for years to find stability at the kicker position. A lot of people questioned the team’s decision to draft another kicker, especially with a fifth-round pick, but the gamble seems to have paid off for Jason Licht.

Hopefully, Gay can be the franchise kicker the Bucs believe he is.

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Mike Evans just barely made it to 1,000 yards in 2017

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has a chance to make history in Week 12.

Bucs wide receiver Mike Evans has a shot at making history against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. With just seven more receiving yards, Evans will join Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss as the only other play in NFL history to start his career with six-straight 1,000-yard seasons.

It’s an accomplishment that certainly deserves recognition, especially when you consider that Evans’ streak nearly came to an end in 2017 when he played in just 15 games and totaled 1,001 yards on the season. What’s impressive is that Evans had just one game that year where he had over 100 yards — Week 16 against the Carolina Panthers (107).

Here’s a breakdown of how many 100-plus yard games Evans has had each season, along with his total yards for that year.

2014: 3 (1,051)

2015: 5 (1,206)

2016: 4 (1,321)

2017: 1 (1001)

2018: 8 (1,524)

Evans clawed his way to that 1,000-yard season in 2017, proof of just how great he is. He’s had three 100-plus yard games so far this season to go along with seven touchdowns.

The last time Evans faced the Falcons back in Week 17 of the 2018 season, he finished the game with six receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Atlanta got the last laugh, however, downing the Bucs 34-32.

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Buccaneers land on ESPN’s list of most improved defenses

See why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers found a spot on ESPN’s list of most improved defenses of 2019.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense entered the 2019 season looking to right the ship after ranking near the bottom of the league last season.

With new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles aboard, Tampa Bay has transformed themselves this season, turning out one of the NFL’s best rush defenses. The secondary has been a totally different story, but overall, Bowles has this team headed in the right direction — speed bumps aside.

Today, ESPN listed the Buccaneers’ defense as the league’s fourth most-improved this season.

Here’s part of what they had to say:

(DVOA: defense-adjusted value over average.)

“Intriguingly, this is almost all driven by a huge change in run defense DVOA. The Bucs have, by far, the best run defense DVOA in the NFL at -35.0%. Last season, they were at 3.0%, which was the second worst in the NFL… [Todd] Bowles has run an aggressive pass defense, blitzing at a 47.7% rate on dropbacks that has almost doubled the rate Tampa ran last season. Of course, that has barely touched the Bucs’ bottom-line pass defense DVOA, but their coverage players haven’t been very good, and Vernon Hargreaves was actually released. Vita Vea deserves a lot of praise for his role in buffing this run defense.”

Tampa Bay has all the pieces in place, it’s just a matter of putting it together on the field. Bowles has done a good job of making this unit respectable again, at least in the run game.

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