Which Defenses Employ the Tampa 2 (Cover 2)? (1 Viewer)

[Trap Play]

Hi all.

I was wondering if there was a resource out there that could tell me which teams are employing the Tampa 2 (Cover 2) defense in whole or in part this season? I tried searching on 'cover' 'two', and 'Tampa' but 'two' or '2' do not meet the search length requirement.

Thanks.

 

[Almas_4th_Child]

I know Indy, Chicago, and Tampa Bay all use it exclusively.

Dungy started it(Tampa and Indy) and Lovie learned it underneath him(Chicago).

 

[greenf7cat]

KC "attempts" to use it, but nothing really does work for them

 

[azgroover]

I think Detroit uses it. Poorly.

 

[nysfl2]

KC "attempts" to use it, but nothing really does work for them

Ditto for Detroit, although their real scheme is wandering randomly around the field, and if the ball-carrier runs directly into them, making a weak attempt to slow them down with one arm and then looking mad as they dart into the end zone.

 

[QUEZILLA]

I know Indy, Chicago, and Tampa Bay all use it exclusively.Dungy started it(Tampa and Indy) and Lovie learned it underneath him(Chicago).

 

[Anthony Borbely]

The Lions version of the Tampa-2 should have a name change because all they do is impersonate it.

 

[Addai's Adidas]

Love how Detroit brings in the Tampa2 but doesn't have the Barber, Jackson, Sapp, etc. of 8 years ago to play it. Nice.

 

[5-ish Finkle]

Bud Carson started it(at Georgia Tech then brought it with him to Pittsburgh) everything else has pretty much been a copycat/enhancement of his scheme.

Fixed.As for who else runs it now, I believe the Bills run some form of Cover 2 hybrid, don't they? Could be wrong.

 

[QUEZILLA]

Bud Carson started it(at Georgia Tech then brought it with him to Pittsburgh) everything else has pretty much been a copycat/enhancement of his scheme.

Fixed.As for who else runs it now, I believe the Bills run some form of Cover 2 hybrid, don't they? Could be wrong.

When the Bucs began playing primarily two-deep zones in 1996, it was something of a novel approach. The Cover Two concept wasn't invented by Kiffin, Dungy or the Buccaneers, but it isn't a stretch to say they perfected it beyond anything that had come before.

 

[Jene Bramel]

You'll pretty much find anything you want to know about defense, especially scheme discussion, in the IDP Forum. This thread has a list of each team's current defensive scheme and defensive coordinators (with discussion). It's updated regularly and pinned in the Forum. If you're interested in a deeper breakdown of the Tampa-2, there's a link to an installment thread in my signature with multiple posts on the scheme. Those threads were adapted into a huge subscriber article breaking down defensive schemes in NFL and fantasy terms, which can be found in the preseason article section of our subscriber pages if interested.

Right now, Indianapolis and Detroit are really the only team that runs Tampa-2 coverage nearly exclusively when the offense passes. Tampa Bay and Chicago use it often, but have been working in plenty of man coverage in recent seasons. Kiffin has strayed from it frequently in his nickel packages over the past two seasons. Kansas City has been using more Cover-2 under Edwards, but uses some Tampa-2 concepts at times. Buffalo and Minnesota have coordinators with Tampa-2 experience, but employ it less frequently than they did earlier in their careers. Both are more aggressive blitzing teams than you'd expect Tampa-2 teams to be.

The success of the scheme has gotten Tampa-2 coverage into the playbooks of a lot of defenses that aren't considered Tampa-2 teams. The Redskins used a lot of Tampa-2 under Gregg Williams last season, but haven't used as much this year. I've seen it in Oakland a little bit this season, too, though it's likely out of the playbook with Lane Kiffin gone and a set of corners that are much better suited to man coverage.

 

[Trap Play]

Thanks guys!

If anyone was wondering what possible significance this has for FF purposes, as an owner of the Cutler/Marshall combo I have noticed that duo tends to put up worse numbers against the Cover 2 (even the KC version!), so I want to start managing my expectations.

I hope it may be helpful for other purposes as well.

BTW...

Ditto for Detroit, although their real scheme is wandering randomly around the field, and if the ball-carrier runs directly into them, making a weak attempt to slow them down with one arm and then looking mad as they dart into the end zone.

Edited to add:

You'll pretty much find anything you want to know about defense, especially scheme discussion, in the IDP Forum. This thread has a list of each team's current defensive scheme and defensive coordinators (with discussion).

Awesome! Thanks so much. My current leagues don't use IDP, so I haven't ventured there much. It would appear my view of that forum is too myopic.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Bud Carson started it(at Georgia Tech then brought it with him to Pittsburgh) everything else has pretty much been a copycat/enhancement of his scheme.

Fixed.As for who else runs it now, I believe the Bills run some form of Cover 2 hybrid, don't they? Could be wrong.

When the Bucs began playing primarily two-deep zones in 1996, it was something of a novel approach. The Cover Two concept wasn't invented by Kiffin, Dungy or the Buccaneers, but it isn't a stretch to say they perfected it beyond anything that had come before.

The Tampa-2 is definitely a fluid thing, and based off many of the Cover-2 concepts Bud Carson worked to perfect in Pittsburgh. However, Kiffin and Dungy together indeed "started" the Tampa-2. Kiffin brought some of the Over-Under concepts learned from his time under Floyd Peters in Minnesota, Dungy brought a lot of the Cover-2 concepts he learned as a player under Carson in Pittsburgh. Those concepts were melded with their original concept to drop the middle linebacker to help with the deep middle zone to generate what been called the Tampa-2.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Thanks guys!

If anyone was wondering what possible significance this has for FF purposes, as an owner of the Cutler/Marshall combo I have noticed that duo tends to put on worse numbers against the Cover 2 (even the KC version!), so I want to start managing my expectations.

I hope it may be helpful for other purposes as well.

BTW...

Ditto for Detroit, although their real scheme is wandering randomly around the field, and if the ball-carrier runs directly into them, making a weak attempt to slow them down with one arm and then looking mad as they dart into the end zone.

There are a number of ways to beat a Cover-2 (there are some diagrams in the links in my sig if you're interested), but having receivers that can stretch the field and an underneath option (TE/RB/slot WR) that can threaten with underneath and seam routes helps. Flooding one side of the zone and forcing the safety to make a decision is a common strategy as well.Cutler/Marshall may do better when they can use their arm strength and physical separation skills against man coverage, but they should be able to beat zone coverage as well. It'd help if Tony Scheffler was healthy and could threaten the deep middle or run combo patterns with Marshall, but Stokley could be productive underneath and/or moving Royal around could help.

Unless you're Wayne/Harrison/Clark or Owens/Witten or the like, it'll be hard to beat a disciplined Cover-2 deep if you're facing a good pass rush. It's designed to be a bend-but-don't-break kind of scheme.

 

[Jene Bramel]

Edited to add:

You'll pretty much find anything you want to know about defense, especially scheme discussion, in the IDP Forum. This thread has a list of each team's current defensive scheme and defensive coordinators (with discussion).

Awesome! Thanks so much. My current leagues don't use IDP, so I haven't ventured there much. It would appear my view of that forum is too myopic.

Clearly I'm biased, but I think you'll find some of the best defensive discussion on the internet in the Forum. Much of it contains IDP discussion, but the thrust of most of the analysis is based on general defensive concepts and how they apply to the production of players. Anyone interested in defensive football should be checking in regularly, listening to our weekly podcast on The Audible and reading some of our "IDP" subscriber content. A fair amount of it will be worth reading by any football fan, IDP league enthusiast or not.

 

[puckalicious]

The Lions version of the Tampa-2 should have a name change because all they do is impersonate it.

I've always said that Detroit's version of the "cover two" is called "cover who?"

 

[Jene Bramel]

Probably should've mentioned that there are plenty of teams that run more than the average amount of Cover-2 without the Tampa-2 wrinkle. Many of the current 3-4 teams use a Cover-2 concept -- NE, CLE, NYJ, MIA, PIT (now and then). Tennessee will run a fair amount as well.

 

[QUEZILLA]

The Tampa-2 will NEVER have the success it had like the first few years the Bucs began implementing it.

-When Tampa began running the Tampa-2 it was a new look was to offenses. Now it has become so popular QBs are used to seeing it.

-It's hard to mention the Tampa-2 without mentioning Warren Sapp. As much of a jerk the guy was, he was a large part of the success of the scheme in Tampa. The NFL will never see a DT that can rush the passer the way Sapp did. He was a freak of nature, and a phenomenal athlete.

The Tampa-2 requires a good rush from 4 defensive lineman. Many teams have DEs that can get to the QB but, the addition of a DT that can get back there like Sapp did makes the scheme deadly. Combined with the occasional blitz, and it's a QBs worst nightmare.