There is a new rule going into effect during the 2024 NFL season, as the NFL competition committee has voted to ban the hip-drop tackle. Unless you’ve been paying close attention or are a rugby fan, you probably don’t know much about the intricacies of the hip-drop tackle. The name of the tackle is a good one, as you can intuit what the action is like. The NFL describes it as so:
When the defender grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and 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.
Will 2024 be a flag fest?
At this point it appears the NFL won’t flag the play often during games, per Jonathon Jones. That could mean we see a lot of fines after the fact as a way of cutting down on the instances in the first year of the rule. Enforcing the rule could end up looking a little like making pass-interference challengeable, as the NFL would rarely change an interference call, making the new rule fairly useless during game play. But, with a rule based on “player safety,” the NFL might going to slow roll the on-field flags until they have faith the rule can be implemented fairly. At least that is the hope.
What is a hip-drop tackle?
I’ve given you the league’s definition above, but let’s take a look at a few rugby clips to see it in action. Yes, there are plenty of NFL clips out there, but some rugby leagues have already penalized the tackle and you can really see the elements in these clips, along with clear explanations.
The tackle is very much like a horse collar tackle, as it puts offensive players in the position of their upper body being pulled backwards, while the defender often ends up putting his weight onto the back of the ball carrier’s legs. There is no doubt that this type of tackle sets players up for more lower leg injuries. The NFL puts the injury rate at 20 to 25 times that of other tackles, per Jori Epstein.
Should the NFL have banned the hip-drop tackle?
If you ask the majority of NFL fans, you likely will hear about the league turning into flag football and plenty of reactions that we wouldn’t want to print. The idea of a defender running the ball carrier down from behind and tackling him in a way we’ve seen many, many times, does feel like it could be too far. But, I think the league owes it to the players and fans to do what they can to keep players healthy if at all possible. That means testing things out like this.
Maybe officiating a hip-drop tack will prove to be impossible. The rule does have room for interpretation and will likely need to be reviewable, at least at NFL HQ. If they take things slow, they could be able to implement this change in a way the fans and players can eventually get on board with. The initial reactions from fans and players does not bode well for quick acceptance and that likely isn’t going to change until the NFL proves they can officiate the tackle out of the game without making the game play less entertaining.