Seattle Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner, Pete Carroll Disagree on 'Hip-Drop' Tackle

With the fate of the "hip-drop" tackle being discussed, Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner wants it to remain in the game, while coach Pete Carroll wants it banned.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith made NFL news recently, but not for a play he made or a pass he threw on the field. Smith was fined $10,927 for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty during the Seahawks' game against the New York Giants on Oct. 2.

Smith barked at Giants defender Isaiah Simmons - which drew the penalty - after a legal, but dangerous tackle on the sideline. Simmons was not flagged or fined for the tackle, called a "hip-drop" tackle.

The takedown, which is similar in nature to the banned "horse collar" tackle, pulls a player down backward and places the body weight of the defender on the legs of the ball carrier which increases the chance of injury.  Seattle coach Pete Carroll wants it gone. 

“We’ve just got to get that out of ball,” Carroll said last week. “It’s so dangerous.”

But not everyone agrees, including Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner, who discussed it with Pro Football Talk.

“I didn’t see the play, so I can’t really fully comment on it,” Wagner said. “But I will say that it’s very hard to be a defender in this league. It’s very hard to tackle a person in this league. If anything, I think the hit that happened, it was really late on the sideline and didn’t necessarily need to happen. But at the end of the day it’s very hard to tackle in this league and every year they make it harder and harder. I think I’m always on the defensive side.”

Wagner knows a little something about tackling, having registered 1,573 total tackles in his career, which dates back 172 career games since 2012.

The Seahawks are coming out of their bye and will face the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium on Sunday.