The National Football League continued it’s bastardization of the sport we have grown up watching and loving. With approval by the owners, the NFL has banned the hip-drop tackle in a move that has many angry and confused. While NFL execs use player safety as the sole reason for this rule change, one can’t help but wonder if the league’s drop in scoring since 2020 is truly the catalyst behind this change.
For those unaware a hip-drop tackle, it is described as follows:
If a defender “grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms” and also “unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.”
There is no arguing that the swivel hip-drop tackle can be dangerous. As stated by NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller, 15 players missed time during the 230 instances of this type of takedown; that’s a percentage of 6.5 percent. Big picture though, there are 272 games played per year with an average of 153 plays run per game for a total of 41,616.
No surprise here, despite the NFLPA’s objections. The NFL made clear it wanted what it calls the swivel hip-drop tackle out of the game, and now it is. Expect more fines than flags as the league and coaches work to remove the technique. https://t.co/HsD1rGkiry
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 25, 2024
Is the NFL really banning the hip-drop tackle for 15 injuries out of 41,616 plays?
First and foremost, the NFL is a business trying to make money; don’t let anyone tell you anything different. To league execs, scoring equals money. Defense may win championships, but scoring wins ratings and makes a profit. The NFL expects its fans to believe that tackles resulting in injuries on .005 percent of plays is the reason that the tackle is being banned. Yeah, right.
There is another reason that the NFL wants these tackles gone. Rich McKay, competition committee chairman, admitted that the NFL is worried about the recent dip in scoring.
“Statistically, what gives us concern a little bit is scoring,” Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay said during a Thursday conference call. “Scoring this year at 43.5 is still above an historical marker, which has kind of been that 43 mark. But we were at 49 points per game during COVID [in 2020], and we went to 45 [in 2021], we went to 43.76 [in 2022], and now we’re down to 43.54.”
Plainly said, the NFL wants offenses better than defenses so more points are scored in games. Banning the hip-drop tackle will have a plethora of effects on defenses, thus allowing more players to make plays with the football in their hands.
Football is a physical sport.
Football is a fast and physical sport; injuries happen. The mental part of tackling is often overlooked. Once an offensive player has the ball in his hands, the defender has mere milliseconds to make a decision. Tacklers aren’t planning to use a hip-drop takedown. They already have to be sure not to drop their helmet, grab a facemask, or commit a horse-collar tackle. While those are all relatively understandable things to avoid, now with the hip-drop banned, it’s going to be harder than ever to make those split-second decisions.
NFL bans hip drop tackles.
NFL defensive players: pic.twitter.com/VNTlZ67FQM
— Kyle Davis (@TheDaringPastry) March 25, 2024
Making it harder on tacklers.
Expect tackling to suffer even more than it already is. Offensive players will be able to gain even more yards after catch due to the newest restriction placed on defenders. Tacklers are undoubtedly going to be worried about getting flagged when tackling, resulting in more broken tackles and more hesitant defenders. The more tackles that are missed, the more yards gained, long plays broken off, and more points put on the board.
Giving referees more power.
As NFL exec McKay mentioned, points scored have steadily decreased over recent years. What better way is there to have more points scored than by giving more power to officials and making it harder to tackle? Referees will now be given more opportunities to make mistakes on judgment calls. Can you imagine a defense making a big stop on a third down late in the fourth quarter only to see a ref throw a controversial flag on a close call? Drives will be continued, games will be decided, and points will be scored due to this new rule.
In the end, the NFL will take the complaints from fans and players as long as more points are getting scored. Does the league care about having fewer injuries? Sure, but the banning of the hip-drop tackle serves as a perfect time to make themselves look as if player safety is their priority and allow more points to be scored.