NFL officials back hip-drop tackle rule change

NFL officials responded Thursday to protests over a proposal to outlaw a version of the “hip-drop tackle,” a technique the league says has resulted in an injury rate that is up to 25 times higher than on tackles when it is not employed.

“As gatekeepers of the game, this is something that we have to remove,” said Troy Vincent, the NFL’s executive vice president of football operations, during a conference call with reporters.

According to competition committee chairman Rich McKay, the proposed rule was written to address only a subset of the rugby tackling style that has spread around the NFL in recent years. It calls for a 15-yard penalty if a defender grabs the runner with both hands or wraps the runner with both arms and 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.”

The NFL Players Association joined many current and former players in objecting to the proposal this week, which needs approval from 24 owners to pass. In a statement posted to social media, the NFLPA said the rule would cause confusion among players, coaches, officials and fans.

But both McKay and Vincent strongly implied Thursday that the rule would likely be enforced in ways similar to that of the “use of helmet” rule, which typically leads to warning letters and fines in the week following a game rather than by flags during the game.

“We are very quick to say, ‘Listen it’s hard to see all of the elements of the hip drop,’ in one continuous action,” McKay said. “So the number one thing we had to do is get a rule on the books that we can enforce on Monday and try to get the technique out of the game.”

In other news Thursday:

• Vincent said he feels good about the likelihood that the competition committee’s proposal to revamp kickoffs will gain enough support to be approved during next week’s meeting.

• McKay said that, if approved, the resulting increase in kickoff returns would add 3 to 5 yards in field position to the league’s average drive start, which could also increase scoring. The league’s per-game scoring average has dropped for three consecutive seasons.