what has happened to tackling

[fakebobholt]

Its not just college, its as bad in the pros. There is no more breaking down, wrapping up as you explode into the ball carrier. To many defenders trying to shoulder tackke or trying to strip the ball instead of tackling. YAC have to be at an all time high the last 3-4 years. I know we had it drilled into us as a kid through high school how to form tackle. I was taught to put my facemask into whoever I was tackling chest. The saying was you cant get hurt if you tackle the numbers. I think it might have to do players that are alot faster, stronger and alot bigger. Some of these guys are so athletic that if you break down to form tackle or wrap up, they will juke you out of your jock strap. Plus the fact linemen run what rb's and wr ran when I played football. I guess its hard to wrap up these huge players. Its bad in college but its just as bad in the pros. Are the kids taught the right way but mimick what they see on tv or am I missing something.

[Wildhog]

In the NFL, you get fined for form tackles now'days

[Music City Hog]

Concussions

[hogsanity]

7 on 7?  Wanting to blow someone up? All the good athletes get moved to offense?  Fear of penalty? These and others have been floated as a cause of poor tackling.

[ballz2thewall]

its been this way for years.  i don't know why as i'm too far removed from things by age.

if i were to guess i'd say they're not learning it in jr high, and by sr high its forgotten.

[fakebobholt]

Dont all the tackling drills teach proper form. I know on 1 on 1 dead man drills where one guy gets the ball and the other has to tackle between 2 tackle dummies has to be done right. You cant build uo and speed to spear or lunge shoulder first into the guy. I know everybody works on stripping drills but no longer is the first guy wrapping up and the second trying to strip the ball. When guys try to tackle the ball, it seems like the ball carrier gets 2-4 more yards by just falling forward. I know I wouldnt want to try to tackle some of these beast running full speed. Wrestling might help, it helps build a solid base and how to take opponets down.

[Pickwick Hog]

Running backs aren't 5'10" 185 lbs anymore. Place your head and shoulder in front of the thighs and knees of RB's today, play after play, and you'll have a short lived career.

[1highhog]

All of these stupid new rules they are putting in place is what's happening.  It's ruining the game.  Football is a contact sport, always has been.  But I swear there's more contact in basketball now than in Football.  A player has to be so careful when tackling someone I think that's what leads to a lot of these missed tackles.  Case in point, in the 2nd half yesterday, I forget which hog player it was, but he had a gift sack, he could have drilled the QB into the turf and they would have to filled up the body impression it made.  But instead he let up and pushed the QB hard and the QB stayed on his feet and eluded the rusher and gained positive yardage instead.  I know many of y'all might think that was okay, but Bret got on to him a little about it as he mentioned on his Coaches show.  You have still got to finish that play and level the QB.  Players are doing more thinking than just letting the game come to them.

[lefty08]

Its gone the way of the mid range jumper....

[Theolesnort]

One of the penalties a day or so ago was targeting a defenseless running back. It was not leading with the helmet or anything like that. My response is are you kidding me? The offenses have all the advantages today.

[BILLYBOB]

Defenders are coached to strip the ball...rather than simply "get the man on the ground".

[Kevin]

Tackling is a skill. Like any skill you must work on it to get better. Actual tackling is not worked on anymore. 

[MultipleScoreGasms]

A stripped ball makes the highlight film.  A good tackle usually doesn't.  It's all about the "pub."

[davglo35]

If you watch the play where Nebraska scored against McNeese with :20 seconds left you will se the perfect example of what tbe OP is talking about. I think a lot of it is that defenders are told told lead with their shoulders so as to avoid helmet to helmet contact.  Cant wrap up if your leading with your shoulders.

[Hoggish1]

7 on 7?  Wanting to blow someone up? All the good athletes get moved to offense?  Fear of penalty? These and others have been floated as a cause of poor tackling.

Agreed. 

The SEC was the first league to want to blow up the runner.  Now, anything to do with the helmet is scrutinized, so the shoulder has become the weapon of choice.  Sometime it works (if the runner doesn't see the tackler coming), but mostly stud runners bounce off and keep going for extra yards.

[DeltaBoy]

It is not taught much after HS any more from what I see !

[Nosboar Accubond]

The best athletes play offense

[DLUXHOG]

It's called the Pussification of American Football...........

[PorkRinds]

If you watch the play where Nebraska scored against McNeese with :20 seconds left you will se the perfect example of what tbe OP is talking about. I think a lot of it is that defenders are told told lead with their shoulders so as to avoid helmet to helmet contact.  Cant wrap up if your leading with your shoulders.

Yes you can.

http://usafootball.com/health-safety/how-to-tackle

This is what's being taught from pee wee up to college level at this point.

[clutch]

It is not taught much after HS any more from what I see !

It's not taught much IN HS anymore. I'm in my second year as a HS coach and I'm amazed when talking with other coaches at how little effort goes into defense. Most coaches now work on offense pretty much the whole practice. Defense practice usually consist of a walk through of where to line up and who to cover. The actual D practice usually comes from live scrimmage type situations. Tackling and fundamentals are worked on pretty rarely. It's insane. All about putting up 50 pts now at the HS level. Sad.

[ShadowTheHedgehog]

One of the penalties a day or so ago was targeting a defenseless running back. It was not leading with the helmet or anything like that. My response is are you kidding me? The offenses have all the advantages today.

I saw that, he did lead with the crown of his helmet and hit the RB helmet to helmet if we are talking about the same play.

[JayBell]

Take your pick: penalties in the pro's and in college for hitting a guy too hard (so much of the time for perfectly legal hits), overemphasis on 7-on-7, poor coaching at the lowest levels, etc.

[Pigdiana Jones]

Another thing that pisses me off is regards to the "late hits" on QBs. I watched the Texans and Redskins game yesterday, and I watched as the rusher for the Texans hit the QB while he was in the throwing motion. The stupid ass ref trew the flag for late hit on QB. I was like WTH? He hadn't even completed his throw before he was hit. AYSM? Seriously?

Enough of this crap is enough.

[DeltaBoy]

It's not taught much IN HS anymore. I'm in my second year as a HS coach and I'm amazed when talking with other coaches at how little effort goes into defense. Most coaches now work on offense pretty much the whole practice. Defense practice usually consist of a walk through of where to line up and who to cover. The actual D practice usually comes from live scrimmage type situations. Tackling and fundamentals are worked on pretty rarely. It's insane. All about putting up 50 pts now at the HS level. Sad.

Our Staff does one one one and 2 on one tackling drills and they let them take them to the ground.  Our Coach came out of the Aledo TX System and it basically the old 1/3 rds approach ,  You spend 1/3 on the O , 1/3 on the D and 1/3 on the Special Teams. We won some games this past 5 years because of blocking punts, EP and running back punts and kickoffs. 

[hogsanity]

Our Staff does one one one and 2 on one tackling drills and they let them take them to the ground.  Our Coach came out of the Aledo TX System and it basically the old 1/3 rds approach ,  You spend 1/3 on the O , 1/3 on the D and 1/3 on the Special Teams. We won some games this past 5 years because of blocking punts, EP and running back punts and kickoffs. 

What kind of offense do they run?  I can tell you the 1st yr my son played, 7th grade, they did not teach them how to tackle, but now that I think back, they didn't really teach them much at all.

[clutch]

Our Staff does one one one and 2 on one tackling drills and they let them take them to the ground.  Our Coach came out of the Aledo TX System and it basically the old 1/3 rds approach ,  You spend 1/3 on the O , 1/3 on the D and 1/3 on the Special Teams. We won some games this past 5 years because of blocking punts, EP and running back punts and kickoffs. 

We work on tackling quite a bit now. When I first got here it wasn't hardly at all. There was a little of 2 on 1 tackling drills, but that was about it. It was sad. Not really any technique work at all. It didn't even take a full juke move to send defenders flying past the play, just a slight head fake. And you could forget about somebody getting wrapped up. Everyone wanted to go for the KO shot.

But hey, at least we scored a lot of points.

[hogsanity]

But hey, at least we scored a lot of points.

and that's all it takes to keep 90% of any team's fans happy now.

[GoHogs1091]

Some of it has to do with the fact that some of the newer Defensive Coaches (such as Mike Stoops and Chris Ash) are not as good as the Defensive Coaches from the 1980s and early 1990s.  For instance, Nick Saban was a Defensive Coach in the 1980s.  His Alabama teams are some of the best at tackling in all of college football.  Also, watch the Kansas City Chiefs Linebackers and their excellent tackling, which is some of the best tackling in the NFL.  They are coached by Gary Gibbs, who was a Defensive Coach in the 1980s. 

[Maximus Tusk]

It's been replaced with the "big hit". You know, the one that gets on ESPN. Trouble is, the big hit is a statistical loser resulting in lots of missed tackles. I like a big hit too but want to see more lock on and wrap up.

[clutch]

and that's all it takes to keep 90% of any team's fans happy now.

That's unfortunately very true

[Will Tom]

Coaches realized that with rules favoring the offense the best way to play defense is to emphasize turnovers.  Teams today are regularly scoring 35+ points a game so those two turnovers you create defensively very well could be the difference in the outcome.

[hawginbigd1]

Another thing that pisses me off is regards to the "late hits" on QBs. I watched the Texans and Redskins game yesterday, and I watched as the rusher for the Texans hit the QB while he was in the throwing motion. The stupid ass ref trew the flag for late hit on QB. I was like WTH? He hadn't even completed his throw before he was hit. AYSM? Seriously?

Enough of this crap is enough.

+1 this if the ball makes it to the edge of the fingertips you better not hit the QB! I would get 2 or 3 flags a game these days!

[MissippHog]

its been this way for years.  i don't know why as i'm too far removed from things by age.

if i were to guess i'd say they're not learning it in jr high, and by sr high its forgotten.

The kids see the players at collegiate and NFL level doing it, so they do the same.  I coach pee wee football and at 9 years old they do it as well.  As a matter of fact, we spent 3/4's of our practice today on tackling fundamentals.