Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce Talks Hip-Drop Tackle

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce discussed his thoughts on the hip-drop tackle proposal at the NFL Owners' Meetings last week.

A lot of controversy has surrounded the NFL's new ban on the hip-drop tackle, which was voted on at the NFL Owners' Meetings last week.

On one hand, the rule might limit some defensive players' ability to make plays, but on the other hand, it serves as one more step in making the game of football safer at the NFL level.

Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce is in favor of the rule for the sake of the latter.

"I think it's one of those deals as a player, there's so many different opportunities in the game to make a face-up tackle, no problem," Pierce said last Monday, March 25, at the NFL Owners' Meetings. "And there's a lot of times, man, you just got to figure out how to get that guy down, right? And sometimes, you drop on the back of guys' legs, and that's not what you want to do because you know there's a possibility that somebody can get injured.

"So, when you're talking about players' safety and you're talking about the rule and the possibility of having this rule to go through and proposed, it's all for the players' safety. And if you're talking about that, I'm all for it.

"I don't think it's being taught. I think there's certain guys that just don't have the physical traits to take down 220-, 240-pound men, so you get caught in awkward positions to put them down."

Pierce's thoughts on the proposal were given before the rule went into effect.

Starting next season, a hip-drop tackle will result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down for the opponent. Per NFL Football Operations, "A hip-drop tackle occurs when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier’s legs during the tackle."

You can watch Pierce's entire press conference here.

The NFL Draft will be held in Detroit, Mich., on April 25-27, 2024. The Las Vegas Raiders currently have the No. 13 overall pick.

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