By Teresa Varley
Steelers.com

One of the most talked about defenses in the NFL these days is the "Cover 2," a stifling system which employs four defensive linemen, three linebackers and four defensive backs, and was perfected by altered by Colts head coach Tony Dungy when he was in the same role with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, giving it the "Tampa 2" moniker.

But you won't hear Dungy take credit for the defense. Dungy instead credits learning the defense when he was a safety with the Steelers in 1977-78.

"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.

"Coach Noll just believed in fundamentally sound football, a lot of zone defense, getting fast guys who flew around to the ball and were well disciplined, and that is my background. That really hasn't changed in 30 years."

Dungy played for Noll and coached under him for eight seasons, including five years as the Steelers defensive coordinator. In addition to the football knowledge he learned from the Hall of Fame coach, he also learned a lot about the type of personality you can have as a coach, as Dungy's calm demeanor almost mimics the one Noll had.

"I was really fortunate coming up and playing for Chuck Noll and working for him for eight years, working for Marty Schottenheimer and Denny Green," said Dungy. "And that's where my coaching philosophy really started. Coach Noll was a teacher. I can remember coming off the field making mistakes in critical, critical situations and Coach would say: What was your thought process out there? What were you looking at? What were you keying? And that's what I needed as a player to help me zero in on my job and not necessarily somebody who was just going to breath down your throat. That was my training and background. I felt if I ever got a job, that's the way I was going to do it.

"I grew up under Coach Noll and he was that way. We went to four Super Bowls in Pittsburgh eating dinner with our families at night so I knew you could do it and win."

Steelers Coaching Photo: Dungy (left) with former Steelers head coach Chuck Noll (center) and offensiver coordinator Tom Moore, who is now Dungy's offensive coordinator with the Colts.