NFL Competition Committee Crafting Hip-Drop Tackle Rule Proposal

Summary:

• The NFL competition committee is working on a rule proposal to define and ban the hip-drop technique.
• A formal proposal is expected in late March when NFL owners will meet in Orlando.
• A minimum of three-fourths of NFL owners would need to agree with the measure to turn it into a rule.

In NFL language, the “hip-drop technique” is defined as a defender rotating his hips away from the ball carrier and tackling him by dropping his weight on him.

The technique has sparked a lot of controversy over the years, which has led to the NFL competition committee finally agreeing to reunite and work on a rule that would ban it.

Some coaches, defensive players, and the NFL Players Association are expected to voice out their disapproval in case the measure is adopted as a new rule by team owners.

Formulating Language for the Rule Proposal

According to NFL top football executive Troy Vincent, the competition is now working on formulating the right language for the rule proposal to best define the components of the dangerous technique.

While the same committee studied the technique at the end of the 2022 season, it never officially proposed a rule change.

The new season of study convinced the committee of the need to push for a rule that would ban the move, similar to the ban that is imposed on horse-collar tackles.

105 Drop-Hip Technique Instances in 2023

Vincent spoke about the high rate of injuries caused by the use of the technique which cannot and should not be ignored. In the 2023 season alone, the hip-drop technique was used 105 times in American Football games.

He used the example of star Baltimore Ravens’s Mark Andrews who suffered a serious ankle injury when he was dragged down by Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson (pictured) to emphasize that the technique is mostly used by larger players against smaller players, and not the other way around.

He added that the league recorded a rate of injuries that is 20 times higher on a hip-drop tackle compared to the rate recorded for all plays.

Talks on the heated subject will continue during a series of extensive meetings starting next week in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

By the end of March, during the Orlando meetup of NFL owners, a formal proposal is expected to be ready for presentation.

To become a formal rule, the measure would require the vote of at least three-fourths of 24 current NFL owners.