The Tampa 2 typically consists of four linemen, three linebackers, two cornerbacks, and two safeties. The scheme is known for its simple format, speed, and the aggressive mentality of its players. Although it lacks the complexity of other defenses, it instead relies heavily on the attitudes of its players and tremendous team speed. Tampa 2 teams are known as gang tacklers and practice to always run to the ball. It also requires a hard hitting secondary to cause turnovers.

The personnel used in the Tampa 2 are specific in position and required abilities. All positions in this defense place a premium on speed, and often the result is that they are all undersized by league standards. The defensive linemen in this scheme have to be quick and agile enough to create pressure on the quarterback without the aid of a blitz from either the linebackers or the secondary, with the defensive tackle in the nose position having above-average tackling skills to help stop runs.

The three linebackers, two cornerbacks and two safeties are responsible for covering the middle of the field. The outside linebackers' general zone is between the cornerbacks, covering the area of the field from the line of scrimmage to 10 yards back. The middle linebacker must have better-than-average speed, and additional skills to be able to read the play and either maintain his central position to help the outside linebackers cover short passes, drop behind the linebackers in coverage and protect the zone of the field behind the outside linebackers from 11-20 yards out, or run up to the line of scrimmage to help assist in stopping the runs. “It takes a special linebacker to do that, a guy with speed,” says Pete Prisco, senior NFL writer for CBSSports.com.

The cornerbacks protect the sidelines of the field from the line of scrimmage to anywhere between 15-20 yards out. According to Prisco, they “don't have to be great man-to-man cover players, but they have to be guys who can tackle.” An additional requirement for all of Dungy's linebackers and cornerbacks is to be above-average tacklers, as they are usually the primary tacklers in the defense.

The two safeties are responsible for covering their respective halves of the field from 20 yards out and more. The safeties in the system are expected to be above-average cover men with the ability to break up passes, but each safety also is expected to have additional specific skills. The strong safeties, while not expected to be great tacklers, are expected to be hard hitters. The hard hitting strong safety protects the middle of the field from being exploited by small, fast receivers, and running backs on wheel routes, by intimidating them to not run their routes in that direction. The free safety will be called upon to do one of two things in certain situations, either blitz the quarterback, requiring him to have the skills necessary to beat a blocking halfback or fullback, or to assume the coverage zone left by a blitzing cornerback.

The Tampa 2 is particularly effective against high-scoring teams, or when used by teams who are playing with a lead, because it limits big plays. It forces offenses to be patient and to settle for short gains and time-consuming drives.

When executed properly, the Tampa 2 defense is difficult to beat, which speaks for its longevity that it has fundamentally not changed since first introduced in 1996. Teams that have been successful against this defense have managed to run the ball through a straw up the middle past the defensive tackles, or throw passes in the seams between the outside linebackers and the cornerbacks (often the most effective receiver against a Tampa 2 defense is a tight end, since they often line up against this seam). Other tactics that have shown to be effective on occasion are misdirection plays that take advantage of the defensive speed and rely on the defense 'over-running' the play (such as the middle linebacker rushing to the line of scrimmage on a play-action pass), or overloading the safeties by having multiple receivers running deep routes, creating more targets in a zone than defenders. Recently, some teams have also been able to exploit the seam between the cornerbacks and the safeties, when the quarterback can throw a pass to a receiver in that seam faster than the safety can rush up to close it and cover the receiver. A recent trend is for teams to send a receiver up the middle, creating a mismatch against the linebacker in coverage. The popularity of the Tampa 2 means that offenses are now finding it effective to exploit the deep middle, where the safeties have to cover the most ground

What is the Tampa 2 Defense?
Football's Cover 2 Defense explained

Jul 24, 2009 Derek Clendening

Successful schemes can be traced back farther than their credited inventor and involve special players. This article will explain how unassuming players are used.

While the Cover 2 or “Tampa 2” defense was popularized in Tampa in the mid-90s, its roots stretch back another twenty years. Still, since its inception, this defensive strategy has been effective against strong offensive teams, has helped defenses to rank in the top half of the league, and has encouraged other clubs to adopt its philosophy.

Tony Dungy, Monte Kiffin and the Tampa 2 Defense

Tony Dungy and Monte Kiffin are often credited for having invented this defense during their tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but even Dungy will admit that the philosophy actually gained its roots from Chuck Noll and Bud Carson’s 1975 Pittsburgh defense. This defense was nicknamed the “Steel Curtain”. Dungy adlibbed on the Steel Curtain to create a defense of his own.

The scheme involves speed, which is not surprising given that Dungy was known to utilize players who were slightly underweight for their position. Three linebackers, two cornerbacks, and two safeties cover the middle of the field and the outside linebacker covers the area between the cornerbacks that cover the area from the line of scrimmage to ten yards back.

The greatest pressure seems to be left up to the safeties, as they must be exceptionally fast, and possess the ability to break up passes. Unlike other positions in this defense, they don’t need to be great tacklers so long as they are hard hitters. Other positions generally do need to tackle well, or at least are known for it. In a general sense, the better the players’ attitudes, the better the scheme’s execution.

Tampa 2 Defense Advantages

A major plus for the Tampa 2 is that its hard-hitting nature causes turnovers. As long as the offense can make good on the favor, it is a win-win situation. Another positive is that it seems to be effective against high-scoring teams, which may be an answer to clubs who have mastered the No Huddle Offense, or have a strong two minute drill.

Unlike other defensive schemes, the plan is simple to learn and execute. Also, the players’ attitudes often factor into the scheme’s success. Since so many smaller players are used to run this defense, the coaches are able to appeal to their players’ strengths rather than their weaknesses.

Tampa 2 Drawbacks

The scheme’s real drawback is that it cannot be run with just any crop of players. Each player must have very specific abilities i.e. the defensive back must be an above average hitter. Almost all of the defensive players must be exceptional tacklers. Also, the scheme has become popular enough that offensive coordinators now exploit the deep middle.

In recent years, teams like the Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs have adapted the Cover 2 defense. These are teams whose coaching staff usually has roots in Tampa or a connection to Tony Dungy. The greatest Tampa 2 success has been for the Chicago Bears, whose coach Lovie Smith, worked for Dungy in Tampa.

TD wrote:Not too keen on Taylor Mays. I've seen him play and while he has outstanding measurables he seems to arrive late on plays quite often.

Not sure how he would be as an olb. To me he seems more like a player like Shaun Williams was for the Giants. Not a wrap up guy but just go for the kill shot. It's hard to get away with that nowadays in this league.

I'm certainly not any kind of draft expert though.