Not missing your point at all. Here's what you said:
"... Tampa 2 defense is a joke..."
When I refuted that by explaining the effectiveness of the defense over the years, you replied with:
" ... Using a defense that was successful in the 1970s is a pretty poor example."
To which I explained that Tampa used the defense with great effect, as did the Bears (2012), the Panthers (currently), and even the Seahawks using a variation of the Tampa 2 whenever they run a 4-3 set (they are split about 50% between 4-3 and 3-4). The first article you post is from 2012, which was interestingly the same year the Bears were so successful running almost exclusively a Tampa 2. The second article you post is from 2009, which, given the later success of the Bears, Panthers, and Seahawks makes it premature. The third article you list is more about why the Tampa 2 doesn't work for the Cowboys ... again, personnel. The same reason it didn't work great for the Vikings.
The Panthers most definitely run a Tampa 2 ... it is a 4-3, they rush four and rarely blitz, they maintain single gap assignments, Kuechly has responsibility for dropping in to coverage on passing downs, and that coverage is soft-zone. The Seahawks do similarly out of a 4-3, although they tend more towards "Cover 3" rather than "Cover 2".
It would be correct to say that the Tampa-2 is fading as an exclusive, base defense ... but so are ALL defensive schemes. Most NFL teams have spent the last decade incorporating multiple schemes and producing hybrids to confuse QBs given the rule changes and the evolution of offenses, but the Tampa 2 is an extremely effective defense with the right personnel and will always be used as the primary counter to West Coast offenses. And that is why Frazier adopted it as DC here in Minnesota and kept it as head coach ... it is the most effective defense against West Coast offenses, and the NFC North was almost entirely a West Coast Offense division.
This "death of the Tampa 2" crap reminds me of the early 80s when, after the success the Dolphins, Raiders, Eagles and Giants had with the 3-4 over the previous decade, everyone was predicting the death of the 4-3 and that everyone would be using the 3-4 by the end of the century. But by 1995, only two teams were still using the 3-4, and suddenly everyone was declaring the "death of the 3-4" to be replaced by .... the Tampa 2. Now, over the last 15 years, we've seen a revival of the 3-4, and teams like the Seahawks are effectively using it in 50% of their defensive sets.
The Tampa 2 is going nowhere ... it is simply evolving and playing an important role in the constant metamorphosis of pro football strategy.
LEAFMAN THE PURPLE FAN