The Buccaneers will have plenty of fun with the Falcons.
In the world of physics, such things as unstoppable forces and immovable objects may exist. But on the field at Raymond James Stadium, there is no such thing as an immovable object when it comes time for Vita Vea to rush the passer.
Truly, just take a gander at some of the video evidence of Vea’s play versus the Cowboys last week, and it’s easy to understand. Vea’s pass rush resembles a tsunami.
It’s not that he just comes off the ball hard and fast, which he does, and it’s not the suddenness with which his opponent realizes he has no chance at stopping that force of nature. It’s more how Vea just keeps coming from the time the ball is snapped till the whistle blows.
His rush isn’t just some bump and run, it’s more the swell that arrives onshore following some catastrophic underwater earthquake. Take a look at the destruction a tsunami can cause. In the end, nothing left is the same. It looks a bit like a nuke went off at the point of attack.
And maybe, just maybe a nuke did go off. But nukes tend to be sudden, whereas the swelling of a tsunami just seems to go on and on.
That, ladies and gentleman, and Buccaneers fans too, is pretty much what a pass rush from Vea looks like on video. It’s not just that first lunge that happens when the ball is snapped. It’s that continuous, overwhelming feeling of helplessness as the unstoppable force continues his drive into the backfield.
While he didn’t register a sack last week, there were a number of times when he was within arm’s length of getting it done. Once, he managed to get to Dak just as he was throwing the ball. Even Dak wasn’t sure where that ball went, but it didn’t make it anywhere near a Star-Head receiver.
And it wasn’t the only time.
There’s no question that the Dallas offensive line had to account for Vea on each and every snap, throwing the ball or the meager number of rushes the team attempted. Sure, he plays next to the incomparable Ndamukong Suh, but for sure Suh has never played on a line with a nose guard like Vea.
The Bucs have had some serious players at the nose, and some of you might even remember David Logan, who back in 1984 was named All-Pro. He could play the nose. But in truth, Logan was merely a nostril compared to Vea.
In due time, there will be someone out in Cyberland who is bound to try to find some player to compare alongside Vea. But even the search is a waste of time. Simply put, Vea is the best nose tackle in the current NFL, and likely throughout the history of the game.
So, in order for the Falcons to have any chance at all Sunday. And the means being able to toss the ball, since Vea and Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett are going to feast today.
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