LOOK: Richard Sherman rips NFL over hip-drop tackling ban
On Monday, offensive players in the NFL had another reason to smirk or feel confident when going up against a defense.
Defenses can barely touch the receivers as it is, there is a small area in which they can legally tackle, and while tackling techniques have been modified for safety, the latest rule change has many upset. NFL owners approved the rule proposal which will ban the swivel hip-drop tackle, as announced by the league on Monday.
If a player ends up tackling someone with the technique, which has long been utilized as a way for smaller defensive backs to bring down running backs and tight ends, it will lead to a 15-yard penalty if it is called. It is more so expected to lead to fines after the game rather than penalties during.
The goal is to help prevent lower body injuries, but current and former players alike on the defensive side of the ball are outraged. Something we saw on social media on Monday from former Stanford and NFL star Richard Sherman, who is now one of the more popular media figures in the game. When responding to a question posed by Robert Griffin III, Sherman revealed that the rule change is making the job of a defender nearly impossible.
"He’s not. He’s just supposed to let them score and cost his team. They are taking the Defensive players money. All these fines for defensive players doing their job. They could not coach him on how to get a 270lbs TE down while running. Smh," wrote Sherman.
Sherman's complaints were accompanied by notable players such as Darius Slay, Jevon Holland, and DJ Reader who each expressed their frustrations with how impossible it will be to tackle players. Only time will tell how much this impacts the game, but for all those young players who have NFL asprantions on the defensive side of the ball, it appears that learning to catch, throw, or block is in their best interests at this time.
