The health of football players are the NFL’s main priority, but what will happen if safety takes over the entire sport that many adore? The sport is filled with many positions, and tackles that make the game come together. The NFL has already dropped a safety rule stating any contact with a player’s helmet is a penalty. For a player to initiate contact with his helmet in order to make contact with the head or neck is considered intentional. This rule was implemented to lower the rate of concussions and neck injuries. This 2023-2024 football season the players are still taking a lot of damage and injuries. This raised the question to the NFL, should they remove the hip-drop tackle?
The hip-drop tackle is when a defensive player approaches from behind or from the side of an offensive player, then wraps around them, and uses their dead weight to drag down the offensive player. This often results in the defensive player falling onto the opponents legs. This play is creating a detrimental environment, and fans along with players have a lot to argue about this big decision. The fans like to argue that the sport is already becoming soft. They want to keep it the way it has been for all of the years prior. The public suggest if you ban the tackle you should just ban the sport altogether. Where are the players going to tackle if the NFL continues making these rules? Some talk shows are voicing their opinions on the topic, including ‘Undisputed’ with host Skip Bayless. The host argues with co-host Richard Sherman (a super bowl champion who played for 11 seasons in the NFL), that players are suffering season ending injuries. This is where Sherman makes the valid points that if you can’t tackle high and you can’t tackle low, where are you supposed to tackle? He also stated that it was impossible to avoid the tackle all together. Sherman makes the argument that people who vote for this ban have never played football so they cannot understand. There are two other ways to tackle, one is by grabbing the opposing team by their waist and dragging them down, and the other is grabbing their ankles and pulling them down. Either way, both of these options are not always viable and can’t ensure the defensive player is going to get the tackle.
Another influential football player who has something to say about this ban is the greatest of all time, Tom Brady. In an interview with Steven A. Smith, Brady explained that the defense’s job is not to protect the offense. Instead of getting rid of these tackles, the coaches should make a better upbringing for the players that can prepare them for these situations. In Tom Brady’s words he says that if some of the all time memorable and influential players from back in the day were to play now, every hit that they made would have been a penalty.
Although there are many valid and great reasons why the tackle should be kept in the game, there is still the main point on the other side that is acknowledging all of the injuries that this tackle has caused. A player that was affected by this tackle was Mark Andrews who plays for the Baltimore Ravens. He had suffered a cracked fibula and ankle ligament injury. Another person who suffered from this tackle was Geno Smith, who had a knee injury. One more example of a player who had significant damage due to the hip drop tackle was Tony Pollard, currently playing for the Dallas Cowboys, who had obtained a fractured leg and ankle. There are plenty more examples of people who were impacted by this tackle, but it can be argued football is meant to be a physical sport. Getting hurt is always a risk when you play a contact sport. It’s important to notice a difference between blatantly hurting other players, and getting into a freak accident. Therefore, does it make it right to put penalties on these actions that are not directed to implicate injury?
Fans suggest the game is turning into flag football with a great example of this being the Pro Bowl. The Pro Bowl is when the best players from the two conferences come together and play an off-season game against each other. The Pro Bowl format has changed throughout the years to keep the players’ best interest in mind; attempting to avoid any unnecessary injury. Although, some would say the NFL went too far last year when they made the Pro Bowl a flag football game. The reason behind this decision is because they did not want to risk hurting their star players at the end of the season. This is good that the NFL is considering the health and value of the players, but the Pro Bowl is something the fans wait all year to watch. They fly from all over the country and buy tickets to watch the best of the best play against each other in a more competitive setting. Is it fair to set the expectation of seeing some of your favorite players go against each other, and then make the game two hand touch?
