NFL Competition Committee submits proposal to ban controversial hip-drop tackle
The NFL’s competition committee submitted its many proposals this week to improve play around the league next season. Among their proposals is a case to ban the controversial hip-drop tackle. The league owners will consider the proposals at the annual league meetings next week in Orlando, Florida.
If the NFL chooses to enact the competition committee’s proposal, the penalty for committing a hip-drop tackle will be a loss of 15 yards and an automatic first down for the opposing team. Naturally, there are multiple schools of thought regarding the tackling technique in question, but the injuries speak for themselves.
Here is the NFL Competition Committee’s proposed amendment to Rule 12, Section 2 of the NFL rule book:
“Article 18. Hip-drop tackle. It is a foul if a player uses the following technique to bring a runner to the ground:
(a) grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and
(b) 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.”
If you’re having a hard time visualizing the tackle, here’s a clip of one hip-drop tackle that ended running back Rhamondre Stevenson‘s season in Week 13 this year. He suffered a high-ankle sprain as a result of the hit by Chargers defender Tuli Tuipulotu.
NFL sees spike injuries from hip-drop tackles
ESPN analyst Greg McElroy called for hip-drop tackles at all levels to be curbed after Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis fractured his leg against North Alabama. The injury knocked him out for the rest of the year, and subsequently gave the CFP committee a reason not to include the Seminoles in the College Football Playoffs.
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews suffered a season-ending lower leg injury on an apparent hip-drop tackle on Thursday Night Football just days before the Florida State quarterback was injured.
“We HAVE to do something about Hip-Drop tackles. It’s like the ‘Horse Collar’ from awhile back. It’s not dirty, but it’s dangerous. There’s been SO many lower leg injuries from Hip Drops over the years. We must address it as a sport,” McElroy said on social media.
Booger McFarland had a different view, however, as a former defender in the league:
“Agree on horse collar, the hip drop I’ll push back,” McFarland said in response to McElroy. “How are we as a defender supposed to get a guy down running full speed away from us while trying to pull away when we grab him? I agree on making the game safer however we have to be able to get fast explosive players down.”