Final week, because the NFLPA spoke out in opposition to banning the hip-drop deal with, NFL govt vp of soccer operations Troy Vincent combatted the resistance, noting it was one thing the league needed “to get out of the sport.”
“The best asset for any athlete is sturdiness and availability,” Vincent mentioned on the time. “When you’ve gotten a play that has a 20-25 instances the harm price, it does not mean you can fulfill your desires.”
That prime harm price keyed discussions surrounding the hip-drop deal with and led the league to take motion.
The choice makes life harder for defenders, a lot of whom decried the ban as an extra impediment to their work.
“For me, no, none in any respect,” NFL Competitors Committee chairman Wealthy McKay mentioned Monday when requested if there have been any unintended penalties they’ve tried to troubleshoot with the brand new rule. “As a result of this is not the elimination of hip-drop, that is an elimination of a swivel approach that does not get used fairly often. When it’s used, it’s extremely injurious to the runner — the runner is only defenseless. I’ve heard defenders say earlier than and I hear them — ‘Hey, you are placing me in a very robust spot, you are saying I can not hit right here and what do I do?’ My response has as at all times been, ‘Nicely, you possibly can’t try this.’ That is simply because the man you are hitting is defenseless, has no strategy to shield himself. So, we have got to guard him. You have to give you different methods and you understand what, they do. Sure, we outlawed the hip-drop, however what chances are you’ll assume are the drag-from-behind the place he falls on the – that is nonetheless a deal with. That is solely that deal with the place the participant is lifting themselves within the air after which falling on the legs.”
Anticipate extra fines than flags within the first season of the ban because the league works with coaches on strategies that can make the sport safer.
“Do we have now an issue? The reply was sure,” McKay mentioned. “This might be a tough one to name on the sector, it’s important to see each component of it. We need to make it a rule so we will deal on the self-discipline in the course of the week.”
The NFL permitted two different rule modifications:
- Amends Rule 15, Part 1, Article 1, altering the problem rule. Whereas beforehand, coaches wanted to get every of their first two challenges right to get a 3rd, they merely should get one right to get one other shot at dropping the purple flag.
- Amends Rule 14, Part 5, Article 2, altering the enforcement of a significant foul by the offense previous to a change of possession in a state of affairs the place each groups have dedicated fouls.
In response to McKay, the league didn’t vote on the kickoff rule change proposal on Monday morning, although a vote can nonetheless be held on Tuesday.