NFL tackling: the Seahawks way

[Fixxxer]

Something that has been bothering the last couple of years while watching the NFL is the low level of tackling expertise there is in the league. You see guys still trying to make the hightlight reels by trying to hit the opposition with their shoulders or even worse, with their heads.

It's also amazing how bad is the awareness of the tackler in certain situations. Go back to our game against the Texans and I remember Gilmore launching sideways (not even with his shoulder) and bouncing off of Chris Polk, who travels 5 yards for a TD. Had he used his arms to wrap up the tackler he would have avoided getting hit (he avoided injury there) and the TD.

 

Here is the play.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015120601/2015/REG13/texans@bills#menu=gameinfo%7CcontentId%3A0ap3000000594916&tab=videos

 

A couple of weeks later Gilmore's year ends with a shoulder injury for not using the proper tackling technique.

 

Here is a video featuring Rocky Seto, the Seahawks assistant to the HC and defensive coach. showing how they implemented the rugby tackle in their defensive approach.

 

 

 

Please foward this to OBD and Rex Ryan.

[Dorkington]

This has been something that has long bothered me about our team. Most of our players are looking to put a big hit on someone, instead of making a sound tackle. Another mark against our coaching staff.

[MDH]

Top it off with the fact that an arm wrapping around and dislodging the ball is a more effective way of getting a turnover than trying to land a big hit and you wonder what the players are thinking.

[BADOLBILZ]

Something that has been bothering the last couple of years while watching the NFL is the low level of tackling expertise there is in the league. You see guys still trying to make the hightlight reels by trying to hit the opposition with their shoulders or even worse, with their heads.

It's also amazing how bad is the awareness of the tackler in certain situations. Go back to our game against the Texans and I remember Gilmore launching sideways (not even with his shoulder) and bouncing off of Chris Polk, who travels 5 yards for a TD. Had he used his arms to wrap up the tackler he would have avoided getting hit (he avoided injury there) and the TD.

 

Here is the play.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015120601/2015/REG13/texans@bills#menu=gameinfo%7CcontentId%3A0ap3000000594916&tab=videos

 

A couple of weeks later Gilmore's year ends with a shoulder injury for not using the proper tackling technique.

 

Here is a video featuring Rocky Seto, the Seahawks assistant to the HC and defensive coach. showing how they implemented the rugby tackle in their defensive approach.

 

 

 

Please foward this to OBD and Rex Ryan.

 

Gilmore has hurt himself the same way several times.

 

Prior to that he had a couple instances where he made Deion-esque like weak attempts at tackles a couple years ago.....so at least he is willing to accept contact now........but he needs to learn how to tackle to put the finishing touches on his game.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

My buddy's idea is to outlaw all kinds of tackling except a proper wrap-up tackle.

 

His view is that such a rule would also assist in significantly minimizing concussions.

[EmotionallyUnstable]

My buddy's idea is to outlaw all kinds of tackling except a proper wrap-up tackle.

 

His view is that such a rule would also assist in significantly minimizing concussions.

And shoulder injuries.

Something that has been bothering the last couple of years while watching the NFL is the low level of tackling expertise there is in the league. You see guys still trying to make the hightlight reels by trying to hit the opposition with their shoulders or even worse, with their heads.

It's also amazing how bad is the awareness of the tackler in certain situations. Go back to our game against the Texans and I remember Gilmore launching sideways (not even with his shoulder) and bouncing off of Chris Polk, who travels 5 yards for a TD. Had he used his arms to wrap up the tackler he would have avoided getting hit (he avoided injury there) and the TD.

 

Here is the play.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015120601/2015/REG13/texans@bills#menu=gameinfo%7CcontentId%3A0ap3000000594916&tab=videos

 

A couple of weeks later Gilmore's year ends with a shoulder injury for not using the proper tackling technique.

 

Here is a video featuring Rocky Seto, the Seahawks assistant to the HC and defensive coach. showing how they implemented the rugby tackle in their defensive approach.

 

 

 

Please foward this to OBD and Rex Ryan.

Thanks for posting. I also find it extremely frustrating at the overall level of tackling in the NFL. It's difficult in today's league. Not too high, not too low. Can't be too hard or too late. However, none are valid excuses for tackling with the crown of your helmet, or simply lunging your body with your head down. I do see a time and a place for those types of tackles, but it can't be relied upon.

[boyst]

 

This is freaking hilarious. Fits the left coast well. Reinventing the football tackle, sure sound tackles and saying they want to use rugby tackling?

 

Common man, this is as funny as Taco Bell insisting they have Frisco inspired menus.

 

Eff Seattle.

[Jon in Pasadena]

 

This is freaking hilarious. Fits the left coast well. Reinventing the football tackle, sure sound tackles and saying they want to use rugby tackling?

 

Common man, this is as funny as Taco Bell insisting they have Frisco inspired menus.

 

Eff Seattle.

[Fixxxer]

 

This is freaking hilarious. Fits the left coast well. Reinventing the football tackle, sure sound tackles and saying they want to use rugby tackling?

 

Common man, this is as funny as Taco Bell insisting they have Frisco inspired menus.

 

Eff Seattle.

 

I don't know about you, but I'm all for everything that can prevent the other team from scoring TDs and/or our guys getting hurt, but that's just me.

[machine gun kelly]

Something that has been bothering the last couple of years while watching the NFL is the low level of tackling expertise there is in the league. You see guys still trying to make the hightlight reels by trying to hit the opposition with their shoulders or even worse, with their heads.

It's also amazing how bad is the awareness of the tackler in certain situations. Go back to our game against the Texans and I remember Gilmore launching sideways (not even with his shoulder) and bouncing off of Chris Polk, who travels 5 yards for a TD. Had he used his arms to wrap up the tackler he would have avoided getting hit (he avoided injury there) and the TD.

 

Here is the play.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015120601/2015/REG13/texans@bills#menu=gameinfo%7CcontentId%3A0ap3000000594916&tab=videos

 

A couple of weeks later Gilmore's year ends with a shoulder injury for not using the proper tackling technique.

 

Here is a video featuring Rocky Seto, the Seahawks assistant to the HC and defensive coach. showing how they implemented the rugby tackle in their defensive approach.

 

 

 

Please foward this to OBD and Rex Ryan.

 

This video is great, but for some posters, it is not just the Bills. almost every team in the NFL except the Patriots and Seahawks often has poor tackling techniques.

 

Living in Tampa, going back to the 90's, people here used to complain as you wouldn't see a lot of killer hits (Remember the old segment on ESPN, "Jacked up") in Tampa, but that was because those teams used to tackle very well. Dungy and his crew, (Mike Tomlin, Herm Edwards, Lovie Smith, Monte Kiffin, and Rod Marinelli) would teach to wrapping up, using shoulders, and leverage. The best was a HOF Derrick Brooks. I never saw a kill shot from him, but he almost never missed a tackle. He would stop them dead in their tracks where he made contact.

 

Yes, the Bills could be much better, but so could most of the league. The funny thing is it is taught in Pop Warner, and they get sloppy as they get older.

[boyst]

 

I don't know about you, but I'm all for everything that can prevent the other team from scoring TDs and/or our guys getting hurt, but that's just me.

if we went back to actually letting guys practice it would allow for a safer league.

 

They say they cut down on practices to reduce injury but the truth is that cannot be in any way possible. Practice makes perfect and if you want to allow guys the chance to learn to tackle and keep them fresh on it you have to keep working it.

Its frustrating watching trends develop when the basics and simplicity of football needs to be coached.

[GunnerBill]

Living here in the UK I watch a bit of rugby, though I wouldn't say I am a huge fan, and I played a bit at school. Rugby players tackle with better technique than American football players. They wrap up more consistently, they use their heads far less in tackling and they are more consistent in their tackling. However, a friend of mine was a pro rugby player for a little while and their is something in Boyst's last post... rugby players practice full contact tackling pretty much every day. Eliminating real practice and introducing so many time bound glorified walk throughs has not been good for the game or for safety in my honest opinion.

[boyst]

Living here in the UK I watch a bit of rugby, though I wouldn't say I am a huge fan, and I played a bit at school. Rugby players tackle with better technique than American football players. They wrap up more consistently, they use their heads far less in tackling and they are more consistent in their tackling. However, a friend of mine was a pro rugby player for a little while and their is something in Boyst's last post... rugby players practice full contact tackling pretty much every day. Eliminating real practice and introducing so many time bound glorified walk throughs has not been good for the game or for safety in my honest opinion.

+1

[Fixxxer]

Living here in the UK I watch a bit of rugby, though I wouldn't say I am a huge fan, and I played a bit at school. Rugby players tackle with better technique than American football players. They wrap up more consistently, they use their heads far less in tackling and they are more consistent in their tackling. However, a friend of mine was a pro rugby player for a little while and their is something in Boyst's last post... rugby players practice full contact tackling pretty much every day. Eliminating real practice and introducing so many time bound glorified walk throughs has not been good for the game or for safety in my honest opinion.

 

I played it for 15 years, my father was a rugby coach and he threw me on the field at the age of 7, best decision he ever made for me, lots of fun and friends over those years.

 

Anyway, I agree with the practice problem that NFL teams face nowadays but with 10' of tackling drills on every TC practice it would be enough, heck if you watch the video, there's zero contact on some drills so they could coach it on early OTAs if they wanted to.

Like better props for practice, better playing field for the players, if I'm an owner I would explore every option at hand if it prevents my players (assets) from injuries. (as long as it is legal)

[LA Grant]

My buddy's idea is to outlaw all kinds of tackling except a proper wrap-up tackle.

 

His view is that such a rule would also assist in significantly minimizing concussions.

 

That's a great idea and should be way more popular.

[mannc]

My buddy's idea is to outlaw all kinds of tackling except a proper wrap-up tackle.

 

His view is that such a rule would also assist in significantly minimizing concussions.

Adopting rugby tackling rules (requiring the tackler to attempt to wrap his arms around the ball carrier) would also greatly reduce leg injuries because tacklers would no longer be allowed to launch themselves into the runner's knees. It would be very easy to implement and (IMO) would not detract at all from the game on the field.

Edited December 29, 2015 by mannc

[vincec]

I agree 100%. The Bills absolutely need help with their tackling technique. It's terrible.

[Jon in Pasadena]

if we went back to actually letting guys practice it would allow for a safer league.

 

They say they cut down on practices to reduce injury but the truth is that cannot be in any way possible. Practice makes perfect and if you want to allow guys the chance to learn to tackle and keep them fresh on it you have to keep working it.

Its frustrating watching trends develop when the basics and simplicity of football needs to be coached.

I agree with you that reducing practice time to the extent required by the last CBA has been counterproductive both to the safety of the players and to the quality of the product on the field.

 

I disagree that if a better approach to teaching technique is found it shouldn't be taught (coached). The game evolves. I don't care about kill shots. I care about stopping the other team's offense, and winning.

[hondo in seattle]

Something that has been bothering the last couple of years while watching the NFL is the low level of tackling expertise there is in the league. You see guys still trying to make the hightlight reels by trying to hit the opposition with their shoulders or even worse, with their heads.

It's also amazing how bad is the awareness of the tackler in certain situations. Go back to our game against the Texans and I remember Gilmore launching sideways (not even with his shoulder) and bouncing off of Chris Polk, who travels 5 yards for a TD. Had he used his arms to wrap up the tackler he would have avoided getting hit (he avoided injury there) and the TD.

 

Here is the play.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015120601/2015/REG13/texans@bills#menu=gameinfo%7CcontentId%3A0ap3000000594916&tab=videos

 

A couple of weeks later Gilmore's year ends with a shoulder injury for not using the proper tackling technique.

 

Here is a video featuring Rocky Seto, the Seahawks assistant to the HC and defensive coach. showing how they implemented the rugby tackle in their defensive approach.

 

 

 

Please foward this to OBD and Rex Ryan.

 

 

This is an awesome find. Thanks!

 

I've always wondered how tackling was taught in the NFL these days.

 

Like most of us who played organized ball, I was taught to tackle with my shoulder and wrap the guy up. Not very different than what the Seahawks teach (Seto: "We are a shoulder tackling team").

 

Yet you see a lot of sloppy tackling in the NFL. It's puzzling. Even given that the CBA doesn't allow a lot of full contract drills, you would think the basics of tackling would be instilled at an early age.

In any case, the Seahawks find a way to teach good fundamental tackling. Why can't the Bills?

 

Vince Lombardi: "Some people try to find things that don't exist but football is only two things: blocking and tackling."

Edited December 30, 2015 by hondo in seattle

[John in Jax]

Top it off with the fact that an arm wrapping around and dislodging the ball is a more effective way of getting a turnover than trying to land a big hit and you wonder what the players are thinking.

To be honest, although most NFL players are great physical specimens, their mental capacity is a whole 'nother ball of wax. IOW, they're not what you would call "smart." LOL

[hondo in seattle]

 

This is freaking hilarious. Fits the left coast well. Reinventing the football tackle, sure sound tackles and saying they want to use rugby tackling?

 

Common man, this is as funny as Taco Bell insisting they have Frisco inspired menus.

 

Eff Seattle.

 

Huh?

[boyst]

 

Huh?

frisco, fresco, fresca... whatever

 

i'm not a chef

 

http://tacobell.wikia.com/wiki/Fresco

[BADOLBILZ]

My buddy's idea is to outlaw all kinds of tackling except a proper wrap-up tackle.

 

His view is that such a rule would also assist in significantly minimizing concussions.

 

It's heading that way.

 

The only way to bring the head trauma down is to take the *hitting* out of the game.

[Dragonborn10]

All well and good until you see the kid from Nebraska ejected for making perfect tackle in a Bowl game.

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=nebraska+bowl+game+ejection&view=detail&mid=7F68C809A484713925727F68C809A48471392572&FORM=VIRE2

 

I bet even the UCLA coach shows this tackle during Spring ball as one of the better examples of proper tackling technique.

[L.EvansHands]

To be honest, I was a wrestler through high school and college. These rugby tackles, especially the hot tackles are double legs and single legs. I used the same principles as a walk-on OLB in a semi-pro league. I've always had a "healthy" fear of breaking my neck, and we taught single leg and double leg moves specifically to prevent neck injury, so when I played football, I tackled like I wrestled. Squared up its a little tougher but you can still hit at a high speed and squirt your body under most of the force, naturally falling of shoulders, to hip, to legs (where you're going to trip them up the best anyway).

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Top it off with the fact that an arm wrapping around and dislodging the ball is a more effective way of getting a turnover than trying to land a big hit and you wonder what the players are thinking.

 

For the current generation of players, I believe the "big hit" school of tackling has been accepted or even encouraged/taught since HS (or even before)

At this point they aren't thinking, they're just reacting unless they are drilled and drilled and double-dog drilled to do something else.

 

Here's the strange thing. I really noticed the hitting in the Colts game. I was like "wow, big improvement, must be great coaching." Then ....pfffft...it disappeared.

 

To be honest, although most NFL players are great physical specimens, their mental capacity is a whole 'nother ball of wax. IOW, they're not what you would call "smart." LOL

 

How many NFL players have you met to draw that conclusion?

[LA Grant]

 

It's heading that way.

 

The only way to bring the head trauma down is to take the *hitting* out of the game.

 

Big hits I'd miss like I miss smoking on airplanes. Look, big hits are exciting but I don't think it's why most fans watch, you watch for the game. It's not even a great sport to see hitting anyway. That's why we have UFC and boxing and those aren't going anywhere.

[dulles]

 

I don't know about you, but I'm all for everything that can prevent the other team from scoring TDs and/or our guys getting hurt, but that's just me.

+1 It's not like Seattle was out there setting new records for defensive futility while implementing this tackling technique. Their D was taking over the League. This is effective and safe - something every team should implement, at every level of football.

Edited December 30, 2015 by dulles

[CardinalScotts]

All well and good until you see the kid from Nebraska ejected for making perfect tackle in a Bowl game.

 

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=nebraska+bowl+game+ejection&view=detail&mid=7F68C809A484713925727F68C809A48471392572&FORM=VIRE2

 

I bet even the UCLA coach shows this tackle during Spring ball as one of the better examples of proper tackling technique.

UCLA doesnt even have a training table or a nutritionist

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Something that has been bothering the last couple of years while watching the NFL is the low level of tackling expertise there is in the league. You see guys still trying to make the hightlight reels by trying to hit the opposition with their shoulders or even worse, with their heads.

It's also amazing how bad is the awareness of the tackler in certain situations. Go back to our game against the Texans and I remember Gilmore launching sideways (not even with his shoulder) and bouncing off of Chris Polk, who travels 5 yards for a TD. Had he used his arms to wrap up the tackler he would have avoided getting hit (he avoided injury there) and the TD.

 

Here is the play.

http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2015120601/2015/REG13/texans@bills#menu=gameinfo%7CcontentId%3A0ap3000000594916&tab=videos

 

A couple of weeks later Gilmore's year ends with a shoulder injury for not using the proper tackling technique.

 

Here is a video featuring Rocky Seto, the Seahawks assistant to the HC and defensive coach. showing how they implemented the rugby tackle in their defensive approach.

 

 

 

Please foward this to OBD and Rex Ryan.

 

with teams not going live or ever practice tackling anymore, terrible tackling is to be expected