Making hip drop tackles illegal is the latest rule change that is being protested by almost everyone.
At the NFL’s annual meeting in Orlando this week, a resolution was passed banning tackles, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down. It remains to be seen how this will affect the Bucs and defensive head coaches like Todd Bowles.
Bucks HC Todd Bowles – Photo courtesy of USA Today
It’s getting more and more difficult every year defend In the NFL, league tries generate more offense and more points on the scoreboard. Some rules have naturally been put in place for player safety, such as illegal blows to the head. However, some believe it is unreasonable to believe that a defender moving at full speed can abide by certain rules, such as not putting his weight on the quarterback when making a sack.
In today’s game, defenders can’t touch receivers more than five yards down the field or even take big hits over the middle. At the root of any physical play is the idea, “Will the flag be thrown?”
I feel like the hip drop tackle also falls into that category. Defenders have to find new ways to actually beat the player with the ball, as it becomes increasingly difficult to do so legally every year.
What does Todd Bowles think about the new rules?
Bucs head coach Todd Bowles shared his thoughts on the new rules at the NFL’s annual meeting in Orlando on Tuesday. Todd Bowles doesn’t believe this will be a major adjustment based on how he and the coaching staff teach tackling.
As for whether this will spark dramatic change, Todd Bowles said, “No, because we don’t teach it, we don’t preach it, we don’t practice it.” “So it’s not a big deal for us in terms of preparing for things that we’re not doing. If it happens, it’s never intentional. It just makes us more aware. . We realized: We don’t approach it that way, we don’t teach it that way. It doesn’t change — things don’t change.”
Todd Bowles doesn’t have too many problems with the new rules, but not all of his players feel the same way. After the announcement, safety Jordan Whitehead, who returned to the Bucs, commented on X, saying, “Tell them they can’t use their stiff arms on offense,” expressing frustration with the rule.
He also posted a since-deleted post in which he clarified that most of the people who instituted the rule “probably never played soccer.”
Tell the attacking team not to use their stiff arms.
— Jordan Whitehead (@jwhite_333) March 26, 2024
Fellow Bucs cornerback Christian Isien, who coach Todd Bowles used as his starting nickel last season as a rookie, also expressed his displeasure on social media.He simply posted, “LOL” With quoted tweet From ESPN’s Adam Schefter. “They’re making my job even harder than it already is,” he said on Instagram.
Idzien also retweeted a post from former Pewter reporter John Ledyard, who spoke on the topic, noting how bad these rules have gotten over the years.
It’s clear that not everyone is happy with this decision, including the NFLPA. NFL officials are already struggling to understand what a catch is and what it means to rough the passer, so this new rule is sure to cause some growing pains as well.
Future Hall of Famer JJ Watt spoke openly about how much he hates the new rule regarding hip drops.
A new kickoff is coming to the NFL
Bucks GM Jason Licht and owner Joel Glazer – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
The hip drop rule wasn’t the only big change Tampa Bay and Todd Bowles had to deal with at the 2024 NFL Annual Meeting. Even better news: See NFL game kickoffs in a whole new light. The league adopted the XFL’s kickoff rule to recover kick returns, but it was done in a safer manner that reduced or eliminated concussions.
Under this new rule, kicks will still be taken from the 35-yard line, but players from each team, excluding the kicker and returner, will be lined up 10 yards apart and near the returner at the 40- and 30-yard positions on the return side. . yard line. Players may not move and cannot make a fair catch until the returner touches the ball or the ball hits the ground in the landing zone (20 yards to the goal line).
All kicks must be returned, and if the ball rolls from the landing zone into the end zone, it can be brought down for a touchback at the 40-yard line.
This rule was introduced to prevent full-speed head-on collisions during these plays, which previously occurred when a player ran more than 40 yards down the field to make a tackle. It also brings back the excitement of more kick returns, which has dwindled over the years as teams blast the ball into the end zone. It brings a needed dynamic back to kick returns and overall special teams.
At the meeting, Bucks owner and C0 chairman Joel Glazer gave his opinion on the decision.
“The biggest thing was the kickoff,” Glaser said. “There was a lot of discussion about it, but I think we all decided as a league that this was an exciting play and we needed to get it back in the game. I support that.”
