Posted by Lisa on September 7, 2007, 9:02 pm So, here is what I see. The traditional T-2 depends upon the DE clamping down from the outside and the DTs clogging up the middle. The MLB reads run/pass and drops like a safety if he reads pass. The corners give bump and run, and short zone coverage with the Safety running free and making the big plays from over top. FS and SS are almost identical in responsibilities. The WLB runs fairly free (protected by the d-line and having fewer gap responsibilities than the MLB or SLB), running down everything sideline to sideline from flat to underneath the mid-range. Here is where I see the evolution going. Marinelli and Barry still want the the d-line to be the bread and butter of the defense. But with the personnel that they have the pass rush looks like it's coming from the middle and the DEs play clean-up and contain. However, They're trying to turn Kalimba into a T-2 DE, which may only be effective situationally. Evolution 1...whether it was planned or not. The pressure is coming from the inside, rather than the outside. With Shaun Rogers/Langston Moore and Cory Redding breaking through the middle they are applying the best QB pressure of the d-line. However, what I've also seen is that when the DTs collapse the pocket, Kalimba is overrunning the QB and then the QB is escaping through his vacated spot. So, if they insist on keeping Kalimba as a starter, they are going to have to lean the LBs to his side to cover that short area gap...which will leave more area to be covered by the MLB (Lenon who has limited range) and would, hence, be a mistake. The only way this works is if they get a speedy LB, like Alex Lewis ... or possibly Teddy Lehman to play the middle who have better speed and range. However, rather than disrupting the entire scheme, I think it might be a better idea to put Jared deVries at the other RE, because though he lacks speed he still has enough to string out the outside run and has the discipline and straight up power to play the contain on the QB very well. It would be different of Kalimba could get to the QB, but his angles have not gotten any better from what I've seen, while deVries always seems to look to be in position. With Shaun Rogers and Cory Redding turning the inside/outside pressure on it's ear, that is a clear break from most 4-3 defenses (and T-2 D's). Kenoy Kennedy lacks the speed of most SS in the cover 2, who are really FSs who can tackle. Therefore he's going to have more run coverage in conjunction with Lenon and could help with covering the hole presented by Kalimba's edge rush on situational downs. I hate relying up Kennedy's speed as a starting SS, but there is no denying his instincts are borderline excellent. He exceeded my expectations for him last year. And in his second year in the same system, I will be very interested to see if he can continue to improve or if the lack of speed limits out his effectiveness. I don't have great expectations here, but I will be happy to be proven wrong. The loss of Bullocks at FS is huge because in his second year he was really starting to get it. I had thoughts of Bullocks taking over FS from Kennedy and Alexander taking over FS sometime around mid-season. However, Gerald Alexander has been a pleasant surprise in his development and playmaking ability. I don't still don't like the idea of a rookie calling the DB coverage and then leaving him on island deep...since Kennedy is basically a liability in pass coverage...but Alexander sounds like he has a really good head on his shoulders. I just don't want him to lose faith in his abilities and getting down on himself. What helps Alexander at free safety is that the CBs are going to be playing more man-to-man coverage. I did really wonder why Millen/Barry/Marinelli were emphasizing the speed aspects of their CBs, when traditionally the T-2 CBs are bangers with limited speed, but good instincts. I think that they would still like to get size as well as speed out of their CBs ... ala Keith Smith (who I think has bypassed Wilson at CB), but in the meantime they have Fernando Bryant and Stanley Wilson who are smaller, tenacious CBs who can stick with their man for 20-25 yards...about 10 yards longer than the traditional T-2 CB and can tackle hard and aggressively. Kennedy cheat up, playing the mid-range up to the line of scrimmage in a zone run/pass read along with the LBs. It does put a lot of pressure on Alexander as the last line of defense, but also gives him some leeway to read the play deep over the top and time to come over to make the play, as well as giving the D-line the 1-2 seconds longer to influence the QBs to make bad decisions.
Tom K. has an audio response to Pat Kirwan's article about the phasing out of the Tampa 2. Neither specifically address how Detroit's Tampa 2 is different from the traditional T-2.
The core philosophy is still T-2, but is adapted to the Detroit personnel and what they can do well. I really wondered what they were doing here. And I still think they've got too many of their eggs in one basket, but still it has merit.
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