* Indianapolis vs. Chicago (in Miami)
Sunday, February 4, 2007. 3:25 PM, PST.
Super Bowl XLI
The Battle of the Tampa 2
What's this, then? A Cover -the-what, now?
Well, it's a form of defensive scheme honed by Indy's Head Coach Tony Dungy back when he was coaching the Tampa Bay Bucs. The scheme is predicated on a simplified format, player discipline in their roles, and team speed. A swarming, patient, ball-hawking bend-don't-break style. The "2" in the Cover 2 refers the base set of the scheme, wherein both safeties play deep from the ball, bisecting the field horizontally into two zones for each to cover.
What sort of players would a team need to run a Cover 2? The front four must be light on their feet and able to generate a pass rush on their own without sending five men at the quarterback. The linebackers must be quick and able to diagnose the offensive playcall from their respective zone. The cornerbacks must be tactful enough to stop a running back in the open field, since their zone is often at the line of scrimmage. The safeties must have the fundamentals to be able to help out in stopping the run (due to the overall form of the Cover 2 favoring speed over strength), and smart enough not to be drawn out of position by offensive chicanery. There can be no freelancers in a Cover 2 scheme. Each man has a part to play, stretching a taut membrane of denial from sideline to sideline. It's about responsibility. For in this scheme, the D truly is only as strong as its weakest link.
Dungy mastered this D in his time at Tampa, with Lane's dad, Monte Kiffin as his defensive coordinator.
Lovie learned it working under Dungy, and brought it with him to the city of the big shoulders, revitalizing the Bears franchise from a bunch of chaotic years under Head Coach
These two friends, Lovie and Dungy, pit their shared defensive scheme against one another in a battle of the utmost politeness for all the marbles. Politeness? What is this, the Canadian Football League? Well, it's refreshing. Nice guys, those two.
Back to the show. So, how does one beat a Cover 2?
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