Mike Vrabel laid down the challenge to his football team. His players have openly spoken about it through training camp so far – to be the No. 1 scoring defense in the National Football League.
Making a move for disgruntled Tampa Bay defensive wrecking machine Vita Vea could accelerate the race to that goal.
The situation in Tampa
Vea, the two-time Pro Bowl nose tackle, is heading into the final season of his four-year, $71 million deal with the Buccaneers and has reportedly requested a trade.
Vrabel has to be at least a little bit intrigued by the possibility at the right price.
Think of a front three with Vea on the nose, flanked by Milton Williams on one side and Christian Barmore on the other.
Potential history-making D-line
You would need to go back to the 2003 and 2004 Patriots teams with Hall of Famer Richard Seymour and Ty Warren over the tackles and the combination of Ted Washington, Keith Traylor and Vince Wilfork in the middle, to find a unit that good in Patriots history.
Those teams won a pair of Super Bowls and had a 21-game win streak that bridged over the seasons. Vrabel, a linebacker and three-time Super Bowl champ at the time, had a first-hand look at the havoc wreaked.
© Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Williams, in his second year with the team, is a modern-day version of Seymour, who collapsed pockets and altered things at the line of scrimmage like few ever have. Barmore is a strong comp for Warren, who was steady, stout and reliable. And Vea is in the same conversation as the trio from '03-04, commanding double-teams and dominating first and second downs.
A costly acquisition
Of course, he will come at a price – or at least a financial commitment. Tampa might be forced into a move, so the draft capital in return might not be as steep as if he were under contract for more than just this year.
Marcus Jones wasn’t talking about Vea, but he was talking about the key to winning defensively when he noted:
“When it comes down, the first important thing is first and second down. Early downs are very important,” said Jones. “Whenever it’s third down and three, third down and five, it makes it way easier for the offense. Whenever we could get those third down and long situations, we were a pretty good defense when it came down to that.”
Vea certainly would impact that.
