Ravens' Mark Andrews injury another reason for NFL to outlaw hip-drop tackles
The NFL is trying to outlaw hip-drop tackles and Thursday's matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals gave them another unfortunate reason to do so when Ravens tight end Mark Andrews fell victim to one.Just for full context: A hip-drop tackle is when a pursuing player takes down a ball carrier from behind and lands […]
The NFL is trying to outlaw hip-drop tackles and Thursday's matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals gave them another unfortunate reason to do so when Ravens tight end Mark Andrews fell victim to one.
Just for full context: A hip-drop tackle is when a pursuing player takes down a ball carrier from behind and lands on the back of their legs. The tackler "twists their body and drops their body weight on the lower legs of the opposing player. In doing so, it traps the attacker's lower limbs in a dangerous position", per Total Rugby League.
As you can see, that's exactly what happened to Andrews as Bengals linebacker Logan Wilson took him to the ground:
Andrews' initial reaction was not good. Things became really serious when Lamar Jackson took his helmet off and threw it to the ground. However, the situation became a lot more encouraging after the commercial break when Andrews was seen walking to the sideline under his own power.
Amazon's sideline reporter, Kaylee Hartung, later reported that Andrews was undergoing x-rays and that he could not place any weight on his left leg. The Ravens ruled him out of the game a little while after she reported that information.
Regardless of the outcome, an injury like this to a star player such as Andrews is going to keep the debate going over how the NFL can outlaw this kind of play. Right now, the issue is defining the type of tackle and then enforcing it. But, the more it happens, the better the NFL can ID it and then yes, throw flags in attempts to curtail it from occurring.
There are strong feelings on both sides of the debate
Geno Smith was the victim of the hip-drop tackle earlier in the season and it's clear he is a proponent of finding a way to ban/penalize the play.
“[It was] a dirty play,” Smith said after the game. “Dirty play. You guys could see it. It was a dirty play. There’s no place in this sport for that. And, you know, hopefully something happens. But other than that, the grace of God allowed me to come back into this game…
"… I don’t respect that type of stuff, you know what I mean? There’s no need for that type of stuff. It’s a hard-fought game out there. We’re all battling. But no need to take shots at guys running out of bounds on the sideline.”
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach, Todd Bowles, feels much differently.
“There’s going to be collateral damage,” Bowles told USA Today back in March. “You want to limit it as much as possible. You don’t want anybody getting hurt, but it’s hard to tell somebody how to tackle. The angles are different. The speed is different. I don’t know how you stop it. ‘Don’t tackle high. Don’t tackle low. Don’t hip-drop.’ What are you going to tell a guy? Some guys are more athletic than others. Where does it stop?
"I mean, god—-. Just play 7-on-7 and the game will be over.”
No one is going to be satisfied with whatever happens. But when names like Patrick Mahomes, Tony Pollard, Smith, and now Andrews, are getting hurt, people are going to notice and take action. It looks like they're going to cause a ripple effect sooner than later, as well.
