N.F.L. Tries to Get a Grip on Tackling That Has Suddenly Gone Amiss
By JUDY BATTISTA
NYT
Jacksonville Coach Jack Del Rio was so disgusted by how many tackles the Jaguars missed last Sunday in a 30-13 loss at Tennessee that he took an unusual step in today’s N.F.L.: he had his team practice in full pads. Del Rio even considered, but ultimately rejected, having his players actually tackle in practice.
“You can design it any way you want, you can have any number of X’s and O’s and D-linemen and linebackers and secondary guys,” Del Rio said. “You can distribute them any different which way you want, but if you can’t tackle, you can’t stop people, you can’t play good defense.”
Del Rio is not alone in his frustration. Tackling, one of football’s bedrock elements, seems to be worse than ever, setting running backs and wide receivers loose and confounding coaches desperate for a remedy in an era when tackling has become an only-on-Sunday requirement.
Last week, the San Francisco 49ers’ Frank Gore broke two tackles on his way to a 64-yard touchdown. The Miami Dolphins’ Ted Ginn Jr. was faced with a wall of Jets, only to break free for a 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Earlier this season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach Raheem Morris lamented his team’s 24 missed tackles against the Buffalo Bills.
(Continued here.)
NYT
Jacksonville Coach Jack Del Rio was so disgusted by how many tackles the Jaguars missed last Sunday in a 30-13 loss at Tennessee that he took an unusual step in today’s N.F.L.: he had his team practice in full pads. Del Rio even considered, but ultimately rejected, having his players actually tackle in practice.
“You can design it any way you want, you can have any number of X’s and O’s and D-linemen and linebackers and secondary guys,” Del Rio said. “You can distribute them any different which way you want, but if you can’t tackle, you can’t stop people, you can’t play good defense.”
Del Rio is not alone in his frustration. Tackling, one of football’s bedrock elements, seems to be worse than ever, setting running backs and wide receivers loose and confounding coaches desperate for a remedy in an era when tackling has become an only-on-Sunday requirement.
Last week, the San Francisco 49ers’ Frank Gore broke two tackles on his way to a 64-yard touchdown. The Miami Dolphins’ Ted Ginn Jr. was faced with a wall of Jets, only to break free for a 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Earlier this season, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach Raheem Morris lamented his team’s 24 missed tackles against the Buffalo Bills.
(Continued here.)
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