The defense of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should be bolstered by another return, this time by Vita Vea, whose massive presence is massive for the Buccaneers.
Don’t look now, but the Bucs are looking healthy. The return of Sean Murphy-Bunting to the secondary paid off in dividends in their last game against the New York Giants, and the impact of the return of Rob Gronkowski was also evident. Now, a monster is on the way back.
Once again, this writer’s love for Tevita Tuli’aki’ono Tuipulotu Mosese Va’hae Fehoko Faletau Vea can not be overstated, so this is fantastic news, and a glorious occasion indeed. Happy Thanksgiving to all of us.
When asked about Vea’s status, head coach Bruce Arians said that Vea should be “good to go” for the Buccaneers’ upcoming clash with the Indianapolis Colts and that he was even close to playing in the Giants game.
What more can you say, the man is simply not human.
Everyone thought Vea’s season was done in 2020, only for him to return for the playoffs, and his presence helped the Bucs win Super Bowl LV. Now, after being CARTED OFF THE FIELD and diagnosed with a bone bruise and a slight MCL sprain after an MRI, Vea only appears to be missing one game. Certified lunacy.
ESPN’s Monday Night Football broadcast did show clips of him running drills in pregame, and honestly, it was a marvel to see just how natural and fluid he looked. Now, he appears to be back.
The job of the nose tackle is to suck up blockers to allow the edge to create pressure. What makes this Tongan titanic the best in the world at his position, is he’s able to cause havoc and create gridlock at the line of scrimmage all by himself. He is an absolute beast and makes opposing offensive linemen look like Pop Warner Pee-wees. While Rakeem Nunez-Roches and Steve McLendon filled in amicably for Vea, the defense is better when he’s there. It’s as simple as that.
The Bucs are getting healthy, with more returns on the horizon. Halloween may be over and we’re onto Thanksgiving, but that’s a scary thought for the rest of the NFL.