What it is

Tampa 2 is a version of Cover 2 where the middle linebacker drops deep into the middle of the field, between the safeties.

In a game

It covers the soft spot that a plain Cover 2 leaves open down the seam. It needs a fast, athletic middle linebacker, and the defense depends on a four-man rush that reaches the quarterback.

More detail

The scheme was made popular by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the late 1990s and 2000s. The middle linebacker runs with the seam to a depth of about 15 to 20 yards. The cost is that fewer players cover the short middle, so offenses attack with underneath throws, and the defense needs a strong four-man rush.

Animated diagram

1. The two safeties drop deep, each guarding half of the field, as in normal Cover 2.
2. The difference is the middle linebacker, who runs back and covers the deep middle, the gap between the safeties.
3. That takes away the seam route, the standard way to beat Cover 2.