Bucs Gameday

Film Room: Breaking Down the Buccaneers Man Coverage Strengths

What did the Buccaneers' 2020 playoff run teach us about Tampa Bay's man coverage responsibilities and playmakers?

Taylor Kyles

With no GamePass All-22 and a few more weeks until wins and losses are written in pen instead of preseason pencil, I decided to pick the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl content carcass clean. 

After rewatching what their underdog pass defense did to a murder’s row of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks (and Washington's Taylor Heinicke playing out of his mind), it became clear the secondary had to be a focus after months of (well-deserved) praise for their dominant front.

Todd Bowles and his loaded defense etched themselves into history by leaning on 2-deep zones to protect against deep shots while QBs fought for their lives in the trenches. Tampa Bay also threw in a dizzying array of fronts and blitz packages to overwhelm offenses mentally as well as physically.

But, upon further review, the Bucs wouldn’t have earned the franchise’s second ring without moments of suffocating man-to-man coverage. Tampa’s zone-heavy approach balanced out in critical situations, shifting to a 50-50 split on 3rd downs and inside their own 10-yard line.

The defense’s 60 snaps in man throughout the postseason produced:

  • Three interceptions
  • 10 pass deflections
  • 26 tight-window throws
  • Stops on 14/23 3rd down attempts
  • Stops on both 2-point conversion attempts

While allowing:

  • Four touchdowns (two of 50+ yards)
  • Four explosive plays

I’ll be reviewing Tampa's man coverage snaps from their final four games to dissect how they use it and how their defenders performed mano y mano against some of the league’s best-receiving talent.

Total Man Coverage: 60

Total Blitzes: (5+ rushers): 30

Coverage Types: Cover 1, Cover 2 Man, Cover 0, Double

Most of the Buccaneers’ man snaps came out of 2-high safety looks, which is to be expected when facing aggressive downfield throwers like Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers. Interestingly, Bowles’ approach for each team was different.

On 3rd downs and in the low red zone, Tampa often bracketed Packers' #1 target and All-Pro receiver Davante Adams with a cornerback playing with outside leverage and a safety ready to jump anything deep inside.

Against the Chiefs, however, the Bucs played exclusively Cover 2 Man with both safeties’ eyes glued to the QB. This was an adjustment many saw coming after Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman torched the secondary earlier that season when they played Cover 1 and left the sidelines vulnerable.

In terms of blitzing, the Buccaneers primarily sent a fifth rusher out of their 5-2 formation with pass rushers over each offensive lineman. They also sent Devin White out of 4-2 on a handful of occasions against New Orleans and Washington, with a few DB blitzes mixed in against the Saints.

Cover 0 blitzes showed up on tape in the low red zone against every opponent but the Chiefs, and high red zone once against Washington.

Now that we’ve gone over Tampa Bay’s man coverage scheme, here are breakdowns of each defender who saw 5+ targets in the postseason.

Carlton Davis, No. 24

Auburn - 24 y/o - 4 yrs - 6’1” - 206 lb (2022 FA)

Tampa’s CB1 has the size, length, and confidence you want from a guy who consistently faces the opponent’s top target. He’s at his best when he can jam receivers and read their body language to anticipate routes, which was on full display against Saints two-time All-Pro Michael Thomas.

Against Green Bay, Adams and burning receiver Geronimo Allison exposed Davis’ lack of top-tier change of direction and deep speed, combining to exploit the CB for multiple scores and first downs.

Davis rebounded with a quiet Super Bowl against the Chiefs.

Sean Murphy-Bunting, No. 23

Central Michigan - 24 y/o - 6’ - 195 lb (2023 FA)

Murphy-Bunting served as the defense’s CB2, but unlike most second corners he bumped inside to the slot against multiple receiver sets.

Though not quite as physically imposing as the team’s outside corners, his willingness to get in receivers’ grills before and after the whistle help set a tone for the secondary.

His stifling press coverage led to two interceptions, though that aggressiveness also lost him some reps off the line when his jams missed their mark.

Jamel Dean, No. 35

Auburn - 24 y/o - 6’1” - 206 lb (2023 FA)

No, you didn’t misread, Davis and Dean were college teammates with identical height-weight measurements.

The overlap doesn’t stop there, as both Auburn alums bring length, athleticism, and disruptiveness to the boundaries of the secondary.

Dean is the faster, more explosive cornerback of the two, and was consistently competitive at the catch point despite some losses.

Lavonte David, No. 54

Nebraska - 31 y/o - 10 yrs - 6’1” - 233 lb (2024 FA)

Lavonte David is one of the most gifted and underappreciated players in sports. David's decade worth of experience makes him nearly impossible to fool and he’s athletic enough to take on jobs most safeties can’t handle. All that while still bringing the power, IQ and toughness requisite to hold down the middle of a championship defense.

Devin White, No. 45

LSU - 23 y/o - 3 yrs - 6’ - 230 lb (2023 FA)

White wasn’t targeted often in the playoffs, but there were flashes of greatness in coverage.

He's a rangy player with good instincts who brings the wood on contact, but needs to improve his awareness and technique when he’s isolated in the open field.

Conclusion

It wasn’t perfect and featured some ugly moments you’d expect from a press-oriented scheme facing Davante Adams, Mike Thomas, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce.

That said, Tampa did an impressive job containing most of those names and made a palpable impact in big moments. Rather than letting talented throwers and catchers pick them apart in the cavities of zone coverage, the Bucs were able to bring the fight to opposing receivers and make them earn wins when they mattered.

Stay tuned to AllBucs for further coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' preseason updates, and other news and analysis. Follow along on social media at @SIBuccaneers on Twitter and Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sports Illustrated on Facebook.

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Taylor Kyles
TAYLOR KYLES