“Lavonte, what do I have to do to be you? I want a day off.”
We all know that the two elder statesmen of the Bucs, two guys that hopefully, both will have their busts in Canton someday, get vets days off.
Lavonte David, 35, and Mike Evans, 32, are two of the best players in NFL history at their respective positions, linebacker and receiver.
Partially because the Bucs need them badly, partially because they are NFL senior citizens and partially because they have the street cred, both David and Evans regularly get vet days off.
Especially in training camp when the Florida sun is unforgiving.
Today after practice, Bucs coach Todd Bowles was asked about Vita Vea. The hulking nose tackle and Pro Bowler didn’t miss a practice this summer, Bowles was reminded.
So, Bowles was asked, is there a reason Vea doesn’t get vet days?
Bowles, who rarely passes on a chance at a good one-liner when the opportunity arises, didn’t let this fat fastball get by him.
“Vita doesn’t need a day off,” Bowles said. “He hasn’t reached the Mike [Evans] or Lavonte [David] status yet. Those are upper-tier guys that get that kind of action.
“Other than that, everybody else practices.”
Rim shot!
Now Joe twittered out Bowles’ one-liner this morning and several Bucs fans were angered over this, thinking Bowles was being the British version of a knob. No he wasn’t.
All Bucs players know Bowles loves dropping sarcasm and one-liners on players. Like last week when Zyon McCollum had a pick at Pittsburgh, Bowles walked up to McCollum, grabbed his hands and said, “Eureka! They work!”
And it seems Bowles’ players enjoy his one-liners. Joe’s never heard anyone have a problem with Bowles.
Besides, Vea is one of the biggest pranksters on the team. Vea very likely had a good laugh when Bowles’ remarks got back to him.
But seriously folks…
Yes, seriously. Vea had a good camp. And Bowles made sure to praise Vea after Bowles dropped the one-liner.
“He came in in great shape,” Bowles said of Vea. “He came in in very good shape. He worked on a lot of things.
“He worked on his feet, he’s working on his hands. You like to see him where he’s at right now. He’s just got to keep pushing forward.”
Provided Vea stays healthy, Joe is looking at a huge season from both Bucs’ starting defensive tackles Calijah Kancey and Vea.
If Vea has the kind of season Joe thinks he may have this year, Vea, 30, might be getting vet days in next year’s training camp.