Bill Belichick on NFL's Hip-Drop Tackle Rule Change: 'A Good Thing to Get Rid of'

The hip-drop tackle has become a source of controversy in the NFL, which led the league to ban it this offseason.

While speaking with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in a conversation for ESPN, former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said he supports the league's decision.

"I think over the years the NFL has done a great job of making the game safer for players," Belichick said around the 1:20 mark. "The targeting, the horse-collar tackle, the hip-drop. There really aren't very many of them, I think there were maybe a dozen or so last year. But it's a good thing to get rid of, there's really no place for it, and it's good to continue to keep the game safe for the players."

The NFL announced last month that the hip-drop tackle was being removed from the game. According to the league, "A hip-drop tackle occurs when a defender wraps up a ball carrier and rotates or swivels his hips, unweighting himself and dropping onto ball carrier's legs during the tackle." If a player uses the technique during a game, it will result in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic first down.

The league decided to address hip-drop tackles after it was determined that the technique caused lower extremity injuries at a significantly higher rate than other tackles.

"When you see a play that is greater than 20 times the injury rate, and as you know, most of those injuries are pretty severe, career-ending or season-ending, you've got to make a change," Goodell replied to Belichick. "And as you know, coaches and players adjust, and I think we've been able to make our game safer and more exciting at the same time."

However, defensive players have expressed frustration with the way these tackles are being policed, considering that in most cases they are not intentional. Limiting the way defenders can tackle will lead to even more offensive dominance than we've seen in recent years.

Still, making the game of football safer remains a necessity, so this was just another step in that direction.