Playbooks
Quick Reference
Breakdown
Tampa 2 out of the Nickel 3-3-5 is a zone coverage shell built to take away the deep middle while keeping four underneath defenders in short zones. The two deep cornerbacks bail into deep half zones, the two outside underneath defenders (SAM and nickel corner) sink to short flat zones, and the two inside linebackers wall off short hook and curl zones underneath. The MIKE linebacker (the olive colored defender in the middle) carries a deep vertical drop to bracket the seams and rob any deep crosser or post, which is the signature Tampa 2 rat linebacker technique. This is a zone beater against man concepts and deep dagger or post shots, and the primary read progression starts with the MIKE's middle hole drop before working out to the flat defenders and hook zones for anything thrown short.
Defensive Reads
Pre-snap, check safety depth: if both safeties are at 10-12 yards with no rotation, that confirms the two deep half shell you need for Tampa 2 to function properly. Watch the offensive formation for stacked or bunch releases to one side, since that often signals a deep crossing concept designed to attack the seam that the MIKE linebacker has to run with. Post-snap, key the quarterback's eyes to the middle of the field first, since Tampa 2 is vulnerable if you do not get a clean rob from the MIKE linebacker on deep in-breaking routes. This coverage beats vertical shots, four verticals, and dagger concepts because the deep half corners and the middle runner take away both the outside nine routes and the deep post. It struggles against quick out breaking routes to the flat and shallow crossers underneath since only four defenders cover the short zones, so watch for bunch formations attacking the flat with speed motion.
Usage Tips
Call this on early downs or third and medium when you expect play-action shots or vertical route combos, since the MIKE linebacker's deep drop is designed to erase the deep middle seam. Pre-snap, identify if the offense is stacking two receivers to one side or running four verticals, and if so shade the MIKE's drop with the right stick toward the trips or stack side before the snap. User the MIKE linebacker after the snap to rob any deep in-breaking route like a dig or post, since this is the biggest man beater weakness Tampa 2 has to cover. Mix this in with Cover 2 Drop and Cover 3 Drop from the same 3-3 set so the offense cannot key on the deep safety shell presnap, since all three plays start with a similar two deep shell look. On third and long, pair this call with a spy or contain variant like Cover 1 Contain Spy on the next snap to keep the quarterback guessing between deep zone drops and man pressure.
