NFL proposes hip-drop tackle ban, kickoff changes

What do you think of these possible changes to the game?

The NFL has proposed instituting a 15-yard penalty for what is commonly called the ‘hip-drop tackle,’ as well as a radical change to the kickoff. Those were among 10 rules changes put forth on Wednesday.

The proposals will be presented to owners at the league meetings later this month. It takes approval of 24 of the league’s 32 owners to approve a rule change.

Let’s look at both rules.

Hip-drop tackle

The new proposal defines a hip-drop tackle as follows:

It is a foul if a player uses the following technique to bring a runner to the ground:

(a) grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms; and
(b) unweights himself by swiveling and dropping his hips and/or lower body, landing on and trapping the runner’s leg(s) at or below the knee.

The league is proposing assessment of a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.

The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) quicky pushed back on the proposed penalty. In a statement released on social media, the NFLPA said:

“The players oppose any attempt by the NFL to implement a rule prohibiting a “swivel hip-drop” tackle. While the NFLPA remains committed to improvements to our game with health and safety in mind, we cannot support a rule change that causes confusion for us as players, for coaches, for officials and especially, for fans. We call on the NFL, again, to reconsider implementing this rule.”

Players have been injured on this type of tackle, and Commissioner Roger Goodell has spoken out against it. The tackle is often incidental rather than intentional, though. How it would be officiated, and how players would avoid it, are both valid questions.

Kickoff changes

The kickoff has always been one of the most exciting, but dangerous, plays in football. For years, the NFL has tried to legislate the danger out of the play — to the point where the league has nearly legislated the play out of the game.

In 2023, only 22% of kickoffs were returned. In the Super Bowl, none of the 13 kickoffs were returned.

Let’s try to summarize the new rule, which is modeled after kickoff rules used in spring football leagues:

• The kicker remains at the 35-yard line.
• The other 10 players are aligned at the receiving team’s 40-yard line, 25 yards ahead of the kicker, and cannot move until the ball is caught or hits the ground. That is called a “restraining line.”
• The receiving team’s “restraining line” will be 5 yards from that spot, usually its 35-yard line. Players cannot cross that “restraining line” until the ball is caught or hits the ground.

One interesting note is that since there will be no other players aligned with the kicker, should wind force the ball off the kicking tee league-approved kicking sticks will be used to hold the ball in place.

The league is also reversing course after years of aiming to get more touchbacks by virtually eliminating the touchback in the proposed rule change. There won’t be any more blasting the kickoff through the end zone if the rule is adopted. Here’s why:

The dead ball spot is the 35-yard line if a free kick:

• Goes out of bounds behind the receiving team’s goal line
• Strikes the receiving team’s goal post, uprights, or cross bar
• Lands at or beyond the goal line and is downed in the end zone by the receiving team.

So, the league is forcing kickers to place the ball in the “landing zone” between the goal line and the 20-yard line.

The receiving team can get the ball at its 20-yard line in the following circumstance:

• A free kick into the end zone that remains inbounds must be returned or downed by the receiving team, otherwise it is a live ball. It is a touchback and the dead ball spot is the 20-yard line if a free kick: (a) touches the ground or a player in the landing zone, rolls beyond the goal line and is downed in the end zone.

There are other nuances to the proposed kickoff rule change, but that’s enough to give you the idea of what owners will vote on. There are also eight other rule changes being considered, but none of those as noticeable or as controversial as these.

Your thoughts, Giants fans?