The NFL has made some major changes to the league rules this off-season, and players have been sharing their views.
Two of the major changes made are the editing of the kickoff procedure and the banning of “hip-drop” tackles.
The NFL has chosen to change its standard football kickoff to a new kickoff style adopted from the XFL’s rules. The new kickoff is rooted in eliminating high-speed collisions that are common in traditional football kickoffs. This motion by the league was inspired to lower injuries, specifically head injuries and concussions, which have frequently occurred on kickoffs.
The ball will still be placed at the 35-yard line. However, the kicking team will no longer line up behind their kicker. Instead, the kicking team will be lined up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line. This change will end in the opposing players meeting each other, as well as the ball carrier, much sooner and at much lower speeds.
The league cited the high touchback rate as a reasonable reason for the change. On most NFL kickoffs, there is no return due to high-level kickers being able to casually boot the ball into the end zone.
The “hip-drop” tackle ban has much more effect on the game and has received more backlash from players.
The phrase “hip drop” refers to when a defensive player grabs the ball carrier and drops their hips to unweight themselves, making dragging or bringing the opposing player to the ground easier.
The league cited a high injury rate on plays where “hip-drop” tackles occurred as well as a vote on the rule by owners throughout the league to be reasons for the ban.
The NFL Players Association, or NFLPA, released a statement regarding the ban, saying that they could not support a rule change that would be confusing to players, coaches, officials and fans.
The rule change has been spoken out against via social media platforms by defensive players who feel that part of the game is starting to be taken away from them.
New England Patriots linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley displayed his protest for the ban with a post on X.
“Y’all must not have had to tackle these dudes before,” Bentley said.
Bentley is not the only player who takes issue with this rule change, as even retired players are sharing their thoughts.
“Just fast forward to the belts with flags on them,” said J.J. Watt, a former NFL defensive lineman and three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
In recent years, many rule changes and new penalties have changed what defensive players are allowed to do, with player safety being a main concern.
“I feel for players on defense because the most frequent changes to the game are somewhat handicapping them by limiting what they can do to stop a ball carrier,” said John Nagy, a senior mass communication major. “These guys have made it to the highest level by playing the game the way they were taught as kids. Taking techniques away from largely just one side of the ball comes off as unfair, but I do understand player-safety concerns. I think the league just wants to see more points scored.”
These new rules will be implemented into the game at the start of the 2024-2025 season.
