The roots of the Tampa 2 system actually are in the Steel Curtain days of Pittsburgh football.[2] "My philosophy is really out of the 1975 Pittsburgh Steelers playbook," said Dungy during media interviews while at Super Bowl XLI. "That is why I have to laugh when I hear 'Tampa 2'. Chuck Noll and Bud Carson—that is where it came from, I changed very little."[3] Lovie Smith mentions having played the system in junior high school during the 1970s, though Carson introduced the idea of moving the middle linebacker into coverage. Carson's system became especially effective with the Steelers' addition of aggressive and athletic middle linebacker Jack Lambert.[2][4]
Tony Dungy if you recall developed the defense further with Lovie Smith and Monte Kiffin in Tampa Bay, but the roots of the Cover-2 system remain the same as they were since it's inception in Pittsburgh. Mean Joe Greene at the 3-technique, Jack Hamm at the WILL, Jack Lambert at the MIKE and Tony Dungy played in the secondary.
Dungy coached as the defensive coordinator in Minnesota from 1992 to 1995
Jack Del Rio played under Dungy from 1992 to 1995
Del Rio ran a one-gap Cover-2 in Jacksonville as head coach and developed the system that Mel Tucker followed in Jacksonville, the same system he played in under Tony Dungy. Dungy coached the same system he played in, Gus Bradley in Jacksonville now coaches the same defensive system he played in as a player (linebacker for the Tampa Bay Bucs) Bob Babich (Lovie's linebackers coach is now the DC in Jacksonville because like Bradley and Tucker they coach the same one-gap 4-3 Cover-2 system. Tucker did most of his coaching and defensive development under Jack Del Rio.
Tucker's defensive roots trace to Del Rio's roots which trace to Dungy's roots, obviously one of Dungy's branches is Lovie Smith.