This week, the NFL officially approved a rule change that bans the “hip drop” style of tackle. And while the move is controversial and did not have the support of the NFL Player’s Association, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was a supporter of the rule change.
During an interview this week at the NFL’s annual league meetings, Matt Eberflus explained that defensive players will have to adjust, but he’s happy about the rule change because it will keep his offensive players on the field.
“We came up with a thing called the hamstring tackle,” Eberflus said according to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. “I’ve been using that since ’95 [at the University of Toledo]. To me, it’s pretty easy. I don’t have to really change or adjust. We’ve never taught that type of tackle. We hit with the top of our pads. Now, I had to adjust a little bit when they took the head out of the game, putting the head in front and on the side, all those things. But it’s been the same that we’ve done since ’95.
“I think it’s a really good rule because I don’t want to lose offensive players because of that technique. I think it’s a really good way to put it on the books to make sure we get that tackle out of the game.”
The NFL made the rule change because they found that the hip drop tackle led to injuries at a rate that is about 20-25 times higher than any other tackle.
