{"id":71941,"date":"2024-07-12T02:00:15","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T02:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/0019e9d6d7ec844f2dc7ef01"},"modified":"2024-07-12T02:00:15","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T02:00:15","slug":"what-is-the-tampa-2-defense-monte-kiffin-pioneer-of-famed-defensive-scheme-father-of-lane-kiffin-dies-at-84","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.timesamerica.net\/what-is-the-tampa-2-defense-monte-kiffin-pioneer-of-famed-defensive-scheme-father-of-lane-kiffin-dies-at-84\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Tampa 2 defense? Monte Kiffin, pioneer of famed defensive scheme & father of Lane Kiffin, dies at 84"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
<\/div>\n

Monte Kiffin, one of football’s greatest defensive coordinators who shined at both the college and professional levels, passed away on Thursday, Ole Miss announced<\/span>. He was 84.<\/p>\n

Kiffin was with loved ones in Oxford, Miss. at the time of his death, the school revealed on X, the website formerly known as Twitter. He leaves behind his two sons, Lane and Chris, both of whom followed in their father’s footsteps to become coaches.<\/p>\n

Kiffin was a defensive maven, noted for his creativity when crafting his side’s defensive playbook. He orchestrated some of the sport’s finest backlines, including the 2002 Buccaneers, winners of Super Bowl 37. Under Kiffin’s tutelage, Tampa surrendered just 12.3 points per game. No team has given up fewer points since.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just he succeeded with the talent, but I think the talent succeeded mostly because of him,\u201d NFL Hall of Fame defensive back Ronde Barber told the Tampa Bay Times<\/span>. \u201cCertainly, that was the case for me. I give all my credit to him for putting me in positions to have the career I had. And it wasn\u2019t as if Monte was doing genius, revolutionary things. It was the way he approached coaching us with this attitude that if we all just did our job, the simple things, we\u2019ll succeed.”<\/p>\n

Here’s a look at Kiffin’s gridiron legacy, best encapsulated by his iconic Tampa 2 defense.<\/p>\n

What is the Tampa 2 defense?<\/h2>\n

The Tampa 2 defense refers to Kiffin’s favorite defensive scheme, one he used to great effect during his 12-year tenure with the Buccaneers from 1996-2008.<\/p>\n

With Kiffin steering the wheel, Tampa Bay opted to line up in a 4-3 setup. It wasn’t just a formation, but an ideology, with Kiffin (and his various disciples) prioritizing keeping scores at a minimum rather than limiting yardage. Kiffin sought out unique archetypes to fill his cavalry, with speedsters preferred over physical marvels. Ballhawks litter the field in a Tampa 2 approach. Take those ’02 Bucs, who were adorned by three All-Pro performers and four eventual Hall of Famers.<\/p>\n

Tampa 2 didn’t start with Kiffin. It started as an offshoot of Tony Dungy’s preferred Cover 2 method, which was previously inspired by Pittsburgh’s vaunted Steel Curtain defense of the 1970s.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, Kiffin perfected it, and even after his departure from the professional game in 2016, the Tampa 2 has lingered, undergoing additional modifications to make it suitable for the modern game.<\/p>\n

Where did Monte Kiffin coach?<\/h2>\n

At the time of his death, Kiffin was a few months removed from serving as a player personnel analyst at Ole Miss, the program that his eldest son, Lane, heads.<\/p>\n

Kiffin wrote up tactics or coached specific positions for more than a dozen organizations, some in college (Nebraska, Arkansas, NC State, Tennessee, USC, FAU, Ole Miss), others at the professional level (Packers, Bills, Vikings, Jets, Saints, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Jaguars). He spent more time with the Buccaneers than any other school or franchise he worked for over the course of his career.<\/p>\n

In addition to his defensive coordinating exploits, Kiffin also enjoyed a brief spell as a head coach. He helmed NC State from 1980-1982, going 16-17 across three seasons.<\/p>\n

Monte Kiffin coaching tree<\/h2>\n

Kiffin’s sons represent just a portion of the coaches to have emerged from Monte’s famed coaching tree.<\/p>\n

Mike Tomlin<\/h3>\n