John Mara talks NFL rule changes: Hip-drop ban gets ‘very strong’ support

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The NFL has dropped the hip-drop, with John Mara’s strong support.

The Giants’ president and CEO is a 24-year member of the NFL Competition Committee, which considers player health and safety as its most important priority. This year, the committee’s discussions on the subject were dominated by the hip-drop tackle, which occurs when a defender wraps up a ballcarrier, swivels his hips, and drops onto the ballcarrier’s legs.

The play has been responsible for a disproportionate number of injuries, many of them serious and long-term.

At the league’s annual meeting in March, NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller said the league reviewed 230 instances of the hip-drop tackle last season and the maneuver resulted in an injury rate 20 to 25 times greater than other tackles. Of those tackles, 15 players missed time due to injury because of the tackle. Miami wide receiver Tyreek Hill, Seattle quarterback Geno Smith and Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews were among the players who were hurt on hip-drop tackles.

At the meetings, the committee recommended the hip-drop be eliminated and the 32 team owners voted unanimously to adopt the measure.

“I felt very strong that we had to change that just based on the seriousness of the injuries that were occurring,” Mara said. “It appeared to me that players were getting better at that particular tactic. It was becoming more and more part of the game, and that was not a trend that we were comfortable with.”

The primary objectors to the rule change were the defensive players who used the controversial tackle.

“We had the usual outcry from certain players that you’re making it too difficult for us to do our jobs, and it’s going to be more and more difficult to tackle players,” Mara said. “That happens every time we make a rule based on health and safety. What ends up happening is that players always adjust. They’re tremendous athletes, they’ll get used to it, they’ll adjust to it. Hopefully, we’ll get that tactic out of the game.

“We talked for a while about, can we just coach it out of the game? That was never going to work unless you make it illegal. The tactic was just going to be used more and more. Players were getting better at it, and we did not like the results. This is all based on health and safety. Our only goal here was to protect players.”

Mara said the committee watched tape of “a lot” of hip-drop tackles, many of them multiple times.

“It’s not a pretty sight,” Mara said. “It was causing serious injuries, and in many cases, there was no reason for it, but the defender had learned to use that tactic effectively to get the runner down. It just was not something we were comfortable continuing with. I think in the first year, you’re not going to see a lot of flags on it, because the officials hopefully will take the view that they’re not going to call it unless they’re absolutely certain that they see it. However, if it’s picked up by the league office during the week, there will be discipline imposed. I think that’s the best way to start with this particular rule change.”

Penalties will be called when a defender lifts himself in the air before falling on the ballcarrier’s leg.

“That’s where you get the high-ankle sprains and the knee sprains, some of which were pretty serious last year,” Mara said.