Edelman Talks with Crosby on Controversial Rule

Former NFL WR Julian Edelman talked with Las Vegas Raiders star Maxx Crosby about the hip-drop tackle.

The NFL recently approved a rule that would penalize defensive players for utilizing a "hip-drop tackle," a maneuver in which a defender grabs a ball carrier around the waist and twists them while dragging them down. 

It will now be a 15-yard penalty for any player called for this tackle. It comes after Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews was injured when Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson tackled him with a hip-drop tackle. 

Las Vegas Raiders star defensive end Maxx Crosby recently invited former NFL wide receiver Julian Edelman on his podcast, "The Rush with Maxx Crosby," where he discussed the hip-drop tackle.

“How are you going to tackle, dude?” Edelman said, taking the side of defenders as a former offensive player. “It’s crazy. I remember later in my career, I would watch all my film after each season; you want to look at everything. I’d look at 15, 20 balls over the middle. I’m like, ‘If this was an earlier part of my career, I’d probably be missing a week.”

Edelman talked about how there aren’t elite defensive units like the Seattle Seahawks "Legion of Boom," a group of defensive backs who helped them win a Super Bowl in 2013 by delivering big hits and playing physically. 

“It’s also been farmed out where DBs aren’t even going for big hits anymore," Edelman said. "A: they don’t want to get fined. B: you don’t get paid for big hits; you get paid for interceptions. So, everyone is trying to get these interceptions, so the game has completely changed on that side of the ball when it comes to that.”

Edelman also said players must take some blame for the game going in the direction it has so far. 

“We can go out and sue the damn owners for all of the head stuff," he said. "They’re going to sit here, and they’re going to put it in our face, like, ‘You guys took this money from us, so we’re going to make the game safer whether you f---ing like it or not.”

The hip-drop tackle being penalized will be an interesting development to watch throughout the season.

Click here to watch the full podcast episode with Crosby and Edelman.

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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