Tampa Bay Buccaneers' New Coordinator Brings Change after 12 Seasons

Derrick Brooks is no longer in Tampa; neither is Jon Gruden or Jeff Garcia. Of all the changes to the Buccaneers’ personnel and staff this offseason, however, none will have as much impact as the switch at defensive coordinator.

Monte Kiffin is gone, following his son to the University of Tennessee, and he took his "Tampa 2" defense with him.

The "Tampa 2," which began with the Bucs hiring Tony Dungy in 1996, has been a tweaked version of the basic cover two defense since Kiffin was brought in as defensive coordinator in 1998.

The "Tampa 2" was an aggressive cover two defense that relied on undersized, speedy linebackers that created pressure and covered the middle.

Undersized defensive backs with an explosive first step covered specific zones down field; specifically, the defense got its name from the two safeties that each covered half of the deepest part of the field.

The opportunistic and talented backs like Ronde Barber were counted on to cover their zone and step in and break up or intercept passes.

Kiffin and the "Tampa 2" relied on strong, rushing defensive tackles, such as Warren Sapp, to create pressure in the backfield up the middle, while the fast linebackers, like Derrick Brooks and Shelton Quarles, created pressure and containment on the outside edges.

This system produced seven top-five defenses since 1998 and, most importantly, one Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Now, Jim Bates has taken over for the departed Kiffin, and he brings a new defensive style with him that relies on speed and pressure to create turnovers and stop offenses.

While it may sound very similar, the differences are in the details.

Bates’ system relies heavily on larger, but exceptionally fast cornerbacks and safeties that will play bump-and-run coverage.

Quarterback pressure in Bates’ system comes from the defensive ends on the outside and some blitzing linebackers up the middle.

Bates’ resumé includes some highly rated defenses, especially passing defenses, during his stints in Miami, Green Bay, and Denver.

Bates is a fiery coach that demands perfection and has led some great NFL talent to Pro Bowl seasons. He’s coached Patrick Surtain, Jason Taylor, Zach Thomas, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, Champ Bailey, and John Lynch.

With the change in defensive philosophy will come a change in personnel.

The Bucs have already seen this first hand with the departure of long time fan favorite Derrick Brooks, as well as starters Philip Buchanon and Cato June.

These losses can be attributed to declining production and salary cap consideration, however, the switch to a bump-and-run coverage might hasten the departure of another fan favorite, Ronde Barber, as soon as next season.

However, for the 2009 season, barring any pick-ups after the June 1 cuts, the defensive roster will look very similar, save for the two new outside linebackers.

One of those outside linebackers will certainly be Angelo Crowell, who tallied 126 tackles in Buffalo in 2007 before missing the ’08 season because of injury.

Crowell is a fast, aggressive linebacker who will fill in nicely in Brooks’ spot in the lineup, even if not the fans’ hearts and minds.

In the secondary, 2008 first-round draft pick Aqib Talib will likely flourish in the new bump-and-run defense; while at Kansas Talib was a feared “shut-down” corner.

He has a large frame and incredible anticipation of the ball. In his first year, Talib led all rookies with four interceptions on the season.

However, Talib will have to grow emotionally before the Bucs can rely on him week-to-week to lead the secondary.

Recently, Talib was involved in a fight at practice with tackle Donald Penn, in which Talib swung his helmet as a weapon, striking fellow corner Torrie Cox.

Cox needed stitches to close his facial wounds.

This is not the first time that Talib was involved in an off-the-field incident. He was first reprimanded for a fight with the Denver Broncos’ running back Cory Boyd at a rookie orientation event last year.

While aggression and fire can be positive on the playing field, they can also lead to pass interference calls that hurt the team if not controlled.

The Bucs must get Talib under control or risk him washing out, like another Bates corner, 2005 Packers first rounder Ahmad Carroll.

Off the field incidences and an abundance of pass interference calls have severely limited his once-promising career.

Luckily for both Talib and the Bucs, Barber can prove to be a positive influence on Talib if he desires.

The last member of the Bucs’ defense that should see changes to his role is defensive end Gaines Adams.

As previously stated, Bates’ system will rely heavily on pressure coming from the end position; think about the sack totals of Taylor, Gbaja-Biamila, and Adewale Ogunleye.

This is the type of presence that the Bucs defense needs from Adams. The former first round pick has totaled a respectable six sacks in each of his first two seasons, but his performances always left the fans and coaching staff expecting more.

With a new, more aggressive role in the defense, expect Adams to as much as double his previous season’s total.

Bates’ previous stops in the NFL have been very successful, producing some of the best defenses in the league. The Bucs should not expect any drop off from the defensive side of the ball with the departure of Kiffin.

With a clock-eating running game and this aggressive defense, expect this year’s Bucs to exceed some of the experts’ low expectations.