[Jeremy7679]

I've been a Bucs fan since the mid-80's and so I really got into learning about the Tampa 2. The foundational concept is that the safeties drop into cover two, but their deep zones are wider than a standard cover 2. The MLB then drops back in between, creating a pseudo-Cover 3. Like any other cover 2 the corners cover the flats, the OLB set up in hook zones, and the DL does their thing. Tampa Bay's front 7 is what made the system work. Obviously Ronde Barber was very good, but the other 3 DB's were good but not great. It was impossible to block both Warren Sapp and Darby/McFarland at once, and Simeon Rice off the edge gave them a dominant pass rush. Derrick Brooks was obviously a hall-of-fame linebacker, but Shelton Quarles and Dwight Smith were two athletic guys who could move well enough so Kiffin didn't have to bring a safety up to help stop the run.

So it was absolutely a bend but don't break scheme between the twenties. When the opponent got in the red zone, however, Kiffin would dial up all kinds of different zone blitzes that they never saw coming. The absolute best example I can remember was the 2003 NFC Championship Game where Barber was showing a blitz but at the snap dropped into coverage exactly where McNabb was going with the ball. Pick 6.

As far as NCAA 14, it doesn't translate well. I don't feel like the safeties get wide enough in pass coverage. I've gotten burned with 90+ OVR safeties on corner routes and fades much more often than I should have. Maybe it was just a bad experience and I bailed too quickly, but that was my take.