During this year’s annual owners meeting in Orlando, the NFL made some interesting and controversial rule changes. Just like most sports around the world, the National Football League is losing its physical edge with these constant rule changes. And next thing on the chopping block is the controversial Hip Drop tackle.
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During the recent episode of The Pat McAfee Show, former Colts Punter voiced his annoyance over the proposal of the rule. He made it known that it was a senseless decision with serious implications and would be used by offensive teams to con the referees to get them to rule in their favor. While he acknowledged that some of the illegal tackles are acceptable, for instance, the horse caller tackle. But in his view, the recent change that hasn’t been properly defined and depends on the discretion of the refs means giving too much power in the hands of officials.
“This is just a dumb decision. It is just like the fair catch thing that happened with kickoffs last season,” McAfee said. “If we take away tackling from the side, what else are we gonna take away? Why don’t we just stop tackling? why don’t we just stop the violence? Why don’t we stop football from being football?”
Besides the Hip Drop tackle rule change, however, there is another rule change that would allow the replay assistant to be more involved. As reported by Tom Pelissero, the refs will get additional help from the replay assistant to minimize incorrect calls on decisions like roughing the passer, and intentional grounding. McAfee praised this rule, as he likes the idea of having a person who will be able to fix mistakes instantly. He said,
“This is good. This is very good news,” McAfee said. “I like the assistant ref that’s up in the sky to be able to fix things quicker. We saw it last season a lot more than we have ever seen in the past where ‘they after further discussion’ which means somebody that is not on this field has eyes on replays before we do has told us we should pick up this flag so we are going to do as such. Now they are giving him more power. This is good.”
It’s worth noting that the Hip Drop rule evoked a strong and negative reaction from everyone in the NFL world. The majority of fans feel that it would undermine the defensive side of the game even further.
Hip Drop Tackle Garners Mass Criticism
An NFL rule change becoming the center of mass criticism; is nothing new. This time, it is an amendment to the Hip Drop tackle rule, which now bans the tackle and if any player attempts to use this illegal move in a game, a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down will be enforced.
Ex-players, fan pages, football analysts, and reporters all came together to express their views regarding the rule change. Many feel this is the end of football and before they know it, the NFL will actually turn into flag football. Moreover, others feel this will make the job of defensive players even harder. Take a look:
Robert Griffin chimed in and said,
JJ Wait wrote,
Brian Urlacher stated,
Barstool Sports commented,
Seth Joyner quipped,
Others said,
The NFL has evolved into its current form largely through rule changes, aimed at enhancing the game and prioritizing players’ safety. However, the recent changes seem to detract from the essence of the sport, which is supposed to be contact-driven, where players know the risk of getting injured even before they step onto the field.
With the league tilted in favor of the offense, it will be entertaining for the fans; however, purists believe these new changes threaten to further diminish the significance of defense.
