Vea eyes improvement as snaps increase
TAMPA — Rookie defensive tackle Vita Vea made his first NFL start in Sunday’s win over the Browns, replacing injured veteran tackle Gerald McCoy.
Wednesday’s first practice of preparation for this week’s game in Cincinnati will offer the first indication whether McCoy will be able to return. Meanwhile, Vea’s mentality is to continue to get better as his snaps potentially increase.
“You know, just trying to get better,” Vea said Tuesday when asked to evaluate his first start. “That’s all I can ask for, just trying to improve week by week, and as the reps come, just try to take advantage of them and get better as each week comes.”
Vea, the Bucs’ first-round pick, wasn’t active until Week 4, missed the first three games of the season with a calf injury. Even with McCoy’s injury, the Bucs were expected to find ways of gradually increasing his workload with every week.
While Vea received the start and he received his most snaps out of his three games this season (38), he didn’t have to most among the interior linemen. Beau Allen received 41 snaps, and William Golston had total 33 snaps while partially moving inside.
Vea played 33 snaps in his Week 4 debut at Chicago, but just 28 in the Bucs’ loss at Atlanta two Sundays ago.
Injuries to McCoy and end Vinny Curry have tested the Bucs’ defensive line depth, forcing Golston to get more time at tackle while Carl Nassib assumed most of Curry’s snaps.
The Bucs recorded five sacks, including two from Carl Nassib against his former team. On Nassib’s second sack, Vea helped bring pressure up the middle while tackle Beau Allen was double teamed as Nassib caught quarterback Baker Mayfield from the left end spot.
The Browns ran for 119 yards against the Bucs, and 80 of those yards came in the fourth quarter and overtime. And a majority of those yards came up the middle.
Vea’s only tackle Sunday — and his first of the season — came in the fourth quarter, catching Browns running back Nick Chubb from behind on a 14-yard gain.
Whitehead likely to be fined: The hit by Bucs safety Jordan Whitehead on Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield on Sunday was helmet to helmet and will likely be subject to a fine, though no penalty was enforced on the play.
Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said he never got a good explanation from referee Shawn Hochuli why two flags were picked up by his crew after the play in the Bucs’ 26-23 overtime win.
“I did not get a great explanation for that,” Koetter said Wednesday. “What they said on the field was it’s a helmet-to-helmet hit and then (Mayfield) got up and taunted our guy, so then they threw the second flag. Somehow, they worked it out that they were picking up both flags. Where I was on the field, I didn’t see it as a helmet-tohelmet (hit). But when you look at it on tape, it clearly was, and I guess the fallout from that is what it is.”
Mayfield scrambled for a 35-yard run on second-and-26 with just over eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. When he began to slide, Whitehead dove at Mayfield helmet first.