FAB 5. SR’s Buc Shots

• Despite the lack of sack production from Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea (9.5 career sacks, 3.5 in 2017), he had 39 quarterback pressures last year as a junior, which ranked fourth in the nation among interior defensive linemen, according to Pro Football Focus. What might really turn the Bucs on is the fact that Vea, who was the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, had four passes defensed as that is a trait that general manager Jason Licht takes note of because it relates to a defensive lineman’s awareness during the pass rush.

“He’s so smart when it comes to recognizing three-step drops and when a quarterback is about to get rid of the football and Vita is aware of all of those things. He studies film like a professional already,” Washington defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake said. “With his size alone when he pushes the pocket he’s going to be naturally knocking down a lot of passes.”

Sometimes pass rushers get so focused on beating the man blocking them that they fail to keep their eyes on the quarterback. If a defensive lineman can’t sack or hit the quarterback, getting his hands up to swat down the pass is another way to affect the QB.

• Here’s one last item on Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea from Huskies defensive coordinator Jimmy Lake. During our interview, I asked what kind of person Vea was and he told me that his personality is one that is easily going to win over head coaches and general managers at the NFL Scouting Combine later this month.

“When he first walks in the room they are going to go, ‘Holy [expletive]!’ Nobody looks like this guy,’” Lake said. “Then they are going to talk to him and say, ‘We need this guy to be in our building.’ I remember when Patrick Peterson came out. You were thinking, ‘Nobody is this big and this fast. Nobody looks like this.’ Nobody looks like Vita. I was there with Gerald McCoy. I’ve seen NFL defensive tackles. Nobody looks, and runs, and plays like this guy. He’s just a different guy.”

You’ve been warned, Jason Licht and Dirk Koetter.

Lake continued to fill me in on Vea’s personality.

“He’s a very funny, very engaging guy,” Lake said. “Our head coach, Chris Peterson, wants the players to know everybody’s name on the team. All the freshmen that come in, he wants all the veterans to know their names, where they are from and all that. He’ll usually call on one player and he’s got to know one new guy. Well, we’re a week into training camp and Vita stood up in front of the whole team and spoke about all the new guys – we had about 22 of them – and one-by-one he said their name, their position and what high school they went to. I couldn’t even do that and I’m a coach. He did that with everybody. About halfway through everybody was just cheering him on.

“That’s the type of kid he is. He wanted to learn everybody’s name. It was amazing. I don’t think I could even do that right now. He’s a smart, engaging guy. Everybody on the team loves him. He’s a special guy.”

For more on Vea, be sure to read PewterReport.com’s new 2018 Bucs’ 7-Round Mock Draft 2.0 and also Trevor Sikkema’s Cover 3 column, which profiled the massive 340-pound defensive lineman.

• Pewter Nation – we appreciate your help in getting the @PewterReport Twitter account to 28,500. If you haven’t followed us on Twitter yet and want everything from breaking Bucs news updates, live tweets during Bucs practices, press conferences and games as well as notifications about new PewterReport.com, join the legions of Bucs fans who do and please click here to follow us. And you can join the increasing number of PewterReport.com Facebook fans by clicking here.

• Washington was wise to promote former Bucs defensive backs coach Jimmy Lake to the role of co-defensive coordinator last year to prevent him from leaving to go to the University of California to be the Golden Bears defensive coordinator. Last month, the Huskies made Lake their sole defensive coordinator and gave him a raise to go a long with his promotion.

It won’t be long before Lake, who has been with head coach Chris Peterson since his days at Boise State, becomes an NFL defensive coordinator or a college head coach. In addition to being on a defensive coaching staff that has put a host of Huskies in the NFL, including defensive linemen Hau’oli Kikaha, Elijah Walls and Vita Vea, linebacker Shaq Thompson and defensive backs Budda Baker, Sidney Jones, Kevin King, Lake is a dynamic recruiter, personally landing Baker, Jones and two future NFL stars in safeties JoJo McIntosh and Taylor Rapp, who was the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year in 2016.

Congratulations to Lake, who was always gracious with his time with the PewterReport.com staff during his two stints in Tampa Bay. I’m very happy to hear his career continues to ascend at the college level, and I’d love to see him back the leap back into the NFL as a defensive coordinator at some point. The guy not only has a brilliant football mind, he’s also a top-notch communicator.

• We’ve got a new Pewter Nation Podcast for you, as Trevor Sikkema and yours truly share our final thoughts on the Senior Bowl, discuss what the Bucs need to do this offseason in the free agency and draft fronts, and offer our analysis on Dirk Koetter’s decision to make Todd Monken the full-time offensive coordinator. Here is a link to that Pewter Nation Podcast – Episode 59: #GottaGetSix

If you haven’t listened to this week’s podcasts yet, it’s the perfect way to enjoy your lunch on a Friday afternoon or battle rush hour traffic on your way home from work. In addition to listening to the Pewter Nation Podcasts on PewterReport.com you can also subscribe to the free podcasts at PodBean by clicking here and on SoundCloud by clicking here.

• Speaking of college coaches making the jump to the pros, I fully expect former Bucs head coach and current Ohio State defensive coordinator Greg Schiano to become New England’s defensive coordinator after Matt Patricia leaves after the Super Bowl to become the head coach in Detroit. Schiano has an interview with Belichick next week and the two have a long past dating back to Schiano’s days at Rutgers where Belichick’s son, Stephen, played lacrosse in college.

It’s a great move for Schiano, who was victim to an Internet mob of Tennessee fans that didn’t want him to be the next head coach of the Volunteers program and torpedoed his hiring last fall. Truth be told, Schiano, a Northerner, wouldn’t have been a good fit at a Southern school like Tennessee. However, Schiano coaching with Belichick and learning from the greatest NFL head coach of all time is a perfect fit. I hope this lines up well and that he gets the job as expected.

• And speaking of the Patriots, it might be time that Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston steps away from quarterback guru George Whitfield and turns to Tom House, the offseason quarterback coach for New England’s Tom Brady. Winston was making strides throwing the deep ball in the OTAs and training camp, but it didn’t translate into the regular season where he failed to connect with speedster DeSean Jackson on multiple occasions.

Bucs QB Jameis Winston – Photo by: Getty Images

“I just think it’s a matter of repetitions,” Bucs offensive coordinator Todd Monken said about Winston hitting the deep ball earlier this season. “I can’t speak specifically to what Mike [Bajakian] worked with him [on] in terms of technique, but I do think there is something to be said for the same receivers doing it over, and over and over and never getting tired of doing the same things over and over until you get really good at it. It’s really just a matter of repetition. I’m sure there [are] some technique things that he has improved on. We will see as we move forward. What we have seen so far, we like, now we’ve got to do it on Sunday. That’s what it comes down to – doing it on game day.”

I’ve got nothing against Whitfield, who has tutored Winston since he declared for the 2015 NFL Draft, but sometimes it is time to hear a new voice in your ear and learn a new tip or trick. House is credited with helping Brady become one of the league’s best deep ball throwers over the years. If he were good enough to work for the greatest quarterback of all time, I’d give him a try if I were Winston.

• True story. My first date with my wife was at Bonefish Grill. We had an amazing dinner then on July 30, 2013, after the first day of Buccaneers training camp, and it’s still a fantastic place for your corporate dinners, family meals or romantic date nights. I was so excited when I heard that Bonefish Grill was partnering with PewterReport.com last year because of how much the restaurant means to me.

The first time I ate at a Bonefish Grill was actually with former Bucs general manager Bruce Allen for an off-the-record meal. It’s conveniently located in Carrollwood about 15 minutes north of Raymond James Stadium. It’s the perfect place to have a meal to celebrate a Tampa Bay victory after a 1:00 p.m. kickoff, but don’t wait until football season to go. Give Bonefish Grill a try this weekend. Bonefish Grill is located at 13262 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. in Tampa. Give them a call for seating information at 813-969-1619 or visit their website by clicking here.

And here’s a little secret. I don’t even like seafood. My wife does. But they have a tremendous pork chop fontina that I get every time and Bonefish Grill can also throw a steak on the grill for you, too. And the signature cocktails are out of this world. Be sure to check their Hand-Crafted Happy Hour every day from 4:00 – 6:30 pm.

If you haven’t been to Bonefish Grill in a while or have yet to try it, make tonight the night. Bonefish Grill is open from:

4:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday
4:00 p.m. – 11:30 p.m. on Friday
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 p.m. on Saturday
10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. on Sunday

Make sure you try Bonefish Grill’s Sunday brunch, too. I get the Crème Brulée French toast and the endless mimosas, too.