Modified Horse Collar Tackle

[Cmac]

Removing the Dez Bryant injury out of the equation.

Since Roy Williams' tackling technique was discouraged with penalty.....Do you think the tackle on a player by one player that pulls the upper body while causing potential damage to the legs/knees/ankles warrant review by the NFL Safety/Rules Committee during the offseason regardless of tackler reaching into the shoulder pads?



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[The Natural]

Absolutely..

I know you said removing Dez from the situation but it was effectively a horse collar tackle

 

[eternaljester81]

Considering the tackler no longer has to get inside the pads for a horse-collar, but only has to drag the ball carrier down from behind and high, one could make the case that the Dez play would warrant a penalty.

 

[ondaedg]

I thought the exact same thing. But I'm not sure this can be fixed by a new rule.

 

[CF74]

Assasins!!!

 

[haleyrules]

Any tackle is a risk for injury. The horsecollar was a little worse.

 

[KJJ]

Absolutely..

I know you said removing Dez from the situation but it was effectively a horse collar tackle

Dez wasn't pulled down backwards so they're not going to call that a horse collar tackle. If that tackle was a penalty defenses would really be handcuffed.

 

[xwalker]

Removing the Dez Bryant injury out of the equation.

Since Roy Williams' tackling technique was discouraged with penalty.....Do you think the tackle on a player by one player that pulls the upper body while causing potential damage to the legs/knees/ankles warrant review by the NFL Safety/Rules Committee during the offseason regardless of tackler reaching into the shoulder pads?



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I don't want to watch flag football.

 

[Zman5]

Dez's tackler grab the front of the jersey and not the back to pull Dez down. Based on the current rule, it wasn't a horse collar tackle.

 

[Zman5]

The ridiculous part of the rule is that you can't grab the back of the jersey to tackle someone but you can grab the player's hair from behind to pull them down.

 

[John813]

But grabbing the hair to yank him down is still legal?

Or was that included this year?

 

[BotchedLobotomy]

If we are asking to penalize the type of tackle that was used on Dez, what's next? Soccer?

 

[NickZepp]

Let's just penalize all tackling.

 

[gimmesix]

Dez wasn't pulled down backwards so they're not going to call that a horse collar tackle. If that tackle was a penalty defenses would really be handcuffed.

Realistically, though, if you pull a player down from the side by his collar and slam into his legs, the risk of injury is just as high if not higher. The leg is not meant to bend sideways at the knee.

I was against the horse-collar tackle because if an offensive player is racing away from you and you can only get one hand on their collar, how else can you stop them immediately? It destroyed Roy Williams' game because he could not adjust to the rule. However, I do see the safety aspect of it, and allowing the "side horse collar" like was used on Dez is just as much of a safety issue.

The problem with banning either move is that the offensive player is usually trying to hold off the defender with a stiff-arm to try to keep him from making the tackle, so the only move left to secure the tackle is jerking the offensive player down, which usually pulls the defender into the offensive player's legs.

Another problem is that you put too much interpretation in the hands of the officials. Banning the tackle that was used against Dez would be even tougher to officiate than the horse collar ban. Would it only be called if the defender grabbed the collar and then went to the ground or when a defender grabs anywhere and goes to the ground?

 

[gimmesix]

Any tackle is a risk for injury. The horsecollar was a little worse.

The horse collar really only became worse because of Williams. He was very effective at immediately ending the momentum of the offensive player by jerking the player to the ground. The technique wasn't anything new, Williams just did it so violently, causing some injuries that made the league take notice.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

At the end of the day.....and I know there are those that do not want to hear this.....the old adage to "fight for every yard"....should stop being advanced. Of course in shortage yardage situations....and/or around the goaline you need to try and achieve the goal. But todays athletes are too big, fast, strong....the collisions are more violent and damaging...the repercussions are to damaging physically and financially....for these modern day gladiators.

This sport as we know it....will barely be recognizable if guys don't do a better job of protecting themselves. It will always be a dangerous sport. Lot's of sports are. But the risk/reward for a needless 2 or 3 yards is something that needs to be emphasized.

 

[KJJ]

Realistically, though, if you pull a player down from the side by his collar and slam into his legs, the risk of injury is just as high if not higher. The leg is not meant to bend sideways at the knee.

I was against the horse-collar tackle because if an offensive player is racing away from you and you can only get one hand on their collar, how else can you stop them immediately? It destroyed Roy Williams' game because he could not adjust to the rule. However, I do see the safety aspect of it, and allowing the "side horse collar" like was used on Dez is just as much of a safety issue.

The problem with banning either move is that the offensive player is usually trying to hold off the defender with a stiff-arm to try to keep him from making the tackle, so the only move left to secure the tackle is jerking the offensive player down, which usually pulls the defender into the offensive player's legs.

Another problem is that you put too much interpretation in the hands of the officials. Banning the tackle that was used against Dez would be even tougher to officiate than the horse collar ban. Would it only be called if the defender grabbed the collar and then went to the ground or when a defender grabs anywhere and goes to the ground?

There's risk of injury with every type of tackle but if they start flagging defenders for pulling players down from the side by the neck area, it's going to handcuff defenders even more. There's just too many rules on how you suppose to tackle and eventually the rules will hurt the game. An officials interpretation will always be part of the game so you have to make these plays more clear cut so they're easier to officiate.

 

[NickZepp]

We are basically getting rid of tackling above the neck now which leads to tackling lower which leads to more leg and lower body injuries. Eventually that tackling will be penalized too. To me it's football and injuries happen. If someone is blatantly out to injure players and it's obvious, then penalizing em is acceptable.

 

[BrassCowboy]

like xwalker said, I don't want to watch flag football. It is watered down enough already and we need to see them get rid of some rules not tack on some more.....

 

[31smackdown]

The rule was updated this year.. I'm pretty sure that is a horsecollar using the new rule:
ARTICLE 15. HORSE-COLLAR TACKLE
No player shall grab the inside collar of the back or the side of the shoulder pads or jersey, or grab the jersey at the name plate or above, and pull the runner toward the ground. This does not apply to a runner who is in the tackle box or to a quarterback who is in the pocket.

Note: It is not necessary for a player to pull the runner completely to the ground in order for the act to be illegal. If his knees are buckled by the action, it is a foul, even if the runner is not pulled completely to the ground.

Penalty: For a Horse-Collar Tackle: Loss of 15 yards and an automatic first down.