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.