Tampa 2 defensive scheme
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The Tampa 2 defensive scheme is an American football defensive strategy that emphasizes zone coverage, speed, and disciplined positioning, particularly featuring a middle linebacker dropping deep to cover the middle of the field.
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
American football defensive scheme
ⓘ
defensive strategy ⓘ zone coverage defense ⓘ |
| alsoKnownAs |
Tampa 2 defense
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Tampa-2 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| associatedWithCoach |
Lovie Smith
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Mike Tomlin NERFINISHED ⓘ Monte Kiffin NERFINISHED ⓘ Tony Dungy NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| coverageType | Cover 2 zone ⓘ |
| differsFrom | traditional Cover 2 by dropping the middle linebacker deeper into coverage ⓘ |
| emphasizes |
bend-but-don’t-break philosophy
ⓘ
disciplined positioning ⓘ team speed ⓘ zone coverage ⓘ |
| eraOfProminence |
early 2000s
ⓘ
late 1990s ⓘ |
| goal |
force offenses to sustain long drives
ⓘ
limit explosive plays ⓘ |
| influencedTeam |
Chicago Bears
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Indianapolis Colts NERFINISHED ⓘ Minnesota Vikings NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| keyFeature |
cornerbacks cover the flats
ⓘ
front four generate most of the pass rush ⓘ limited blitzing ⓘ middle linebacker carries vertical routes in the deep middle ⓘ middle linebacker drops deep down the middle ⓘ outside linebackers cover hook-curl zones ⓘ safeties split the deep halves of the field ⓘ zone drops based on route recognition rather than landmarks only ⓘ |
| originatedIn | National Football League NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| philosophy |
keep the ball in front of the defense
ⓘ
rally to the football and tackle ⓘ |
| popularizedBy | Tampa Bay Buccaneers NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| requires |
athletic linebackers with coverage skills
ⓘ
defensive linemen who can rush the passer without frequent blitzes ⓘ fast middle linebacker ⓘ sure tackling by all defenders ⓘ |
| strength |
encourages yards-after-catch tackling tests
ⓘ
forces offenses to throw short passes ⓘ prevents deep passes over the middle ⓘ |
| typicalAlignment |
four down linemen
ⓘ
three linebackers ⓘ two cornerbacks ⓘ two safeties ⓘ |
| usesBaseFront | 4–3 defensive front ⓘ |
| variationOf | traditional Cover 2 defense ⓘ |
| weakness |
vulnerable to deep sideline routes behind cornerbacks
ⓘ
vulnerable to runs up the middle if linebackers drop too deep ⓘ vulnerable to seam routes between linebacker and safety ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.