Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker, TJ Watt is a five-time Pro Bowler, a three-time First Team All-Pro, the 2021 AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and tied for the most sacks in a season ever with 22.5 in 2021. He is one of the best defensive players in the league and even he has a hard time adjusting to some of the safety rules the NFL has put in place recently.
TJ Watt Via The Pat McAfee Show
"It's tough because you can't practice it. So how are we supposed to continue to get better at it when I'm not allowed to do it as much in a practice setting. I mean in training camp, we do tackle more than any team. We do live tackling once a practice. Even when you are in pads its a dud and you can't really practice having your head up at all times and not tackling the quarterback too low or too high"
Steelers' Watt Discusses NFL Safety Rules
The NFL has been focusing more and more on the safety of the game with every year that passes. Recently some big areas of focus for the league have been targeting (using the helmet to tackle an opponent and contacting an opponent’s head or neck), eliminating late hits, and the use of the guardian hat to prevent the number of concussions that take place every year. Every year, the NFL looks into all of their equipment including helmets, pads, and playing surfaces to improve every year in safety.
The guardian cap is something the NFL has been experimenting with the last couple years and in 2022 became a mandate for teams during key points of training camp. According to the manufacturer, the guardian cap reduces force from head contact up to 20% if all players are using it. The NFL is looking at ways to improve the guardian cap this off-season as well.
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Another thing the NFL is doing this off-season is looking into the "hip drop tackle." The hip drop tackle is when defensive players grab an offensive player by the hip and drop their weight on the players ankles to tackle them. TJ Watt was asked about the potential ban on the tackle:
"It's tough because as an edge defender, you're often chasing plays down from the backside and you have to layout. You can't possibly run through the tackle so you have to kind of just grab on and fall down as best as you can. Nothing is malicious, at the end of the day, we all respect each other in this league. We're never trying to hurt somebody"
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These rule changes have seemed to benefit the offense, which fans may enjoy, but defenders do not. From all the rules, like roughing the passer, defensive pass interference, and now potentially the hip drop tackle ban, there is an argument to be made that these rules are being put in place to benefit the offense and make playing defense harder.
When Watt was asked about rules constantly being changed, he had this to say:
"You have to deal with it for sure. It's tough, quarterbacks nowadays are getting the ball out after you have them wrapped up. It's like how long are we going to have him wrapped up before we call? Because obviously if we take him down, it's a potential penalty."
How do you feel about the constant rule changes? Let us know in the comments below
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