Tom Brady Slams the NFL Ban of Hip-Drop Tackle: 'Offense is the Only Way to Win Games Now'

6 days ago 18

Tom Brady retired from the NFL in February of 2023, leaving behind an unmatched legacy. The seven-time Super Bowl champion is one of, if not, the greatest quarterback and player the game has ever seen.

Despite his legacy, Brady is also attached to one of the biggest controversies the NFL has ever experienced. The infamous "Tuck Rule Game" happened in 2001 when the New England Patriots and then Oakland Raiders faced off in the AFC Divisional playoff game.

Brady was attempting a pass but stopped mid-motion, and instead pulled the ball down, touching it with his left hand. Charles Woodson knocked the ball out, resulting in a fumble recovery for the Raiders, which would have sealed the win for the team. However, a replay official determined the "tuck rule" applied, and the fumble was reversed as an incomplete pass.

The reversal of this decision has long been discussed, with many believing that Brady was being favored considering he has been described as the "golden boy" of the NFL. Now, the alleged most protected quarterback in NFL history explains the current ruleset for the NFL is dubious, as Brady has slammed the new hip-drop tackle ban in a new interview.

"It's a thing I don't like. I feel like we're trying to protect people in a physical sport... if you can protect yourself in football, then it's your responsibility to protect yourself... offense is the only way to win games now. It used to be offense, defense, and special teams. We've created a game now where only the offense can really make an impact."

Brady is alluding to the physicality being taken out of the NFL in quite a significant way. The hip-drop tackle was just banned by the NFL competition committee, despite many players and even the NFLPA pleading to not let this tackle be banned.

The hip-drop tackle is when a defensive player approaches the ball carrier from behind wraps his arms around the offensive player and becomes dead weight while dropping to the ground. The tackle itself was reported by NFL.com to have been used 230 more times in the 2023 season. This increase in usage also led to 15 players being injured or missing time.

This statistic was enough for the NFL competition committee to decide to ban it. The issue is that the tackle seems to be quite harmless when all things are considered. It's not necessarily as violent as the horse collar tackle, which is also banned.

Despite Brady being accused of being "protected" by officials throughout his career, he has a very valid point. It's becoming a lot harder for defensive players to tackle the ball carrier without committing any number of banned tackles, and adding the hip-drop tackle will just make things far more complicated.