Any time there’s a change in the way officials enforce physical penalties, defensive-minded teams will have a reason to re-think some things. But the Vikings don’t appear to be too worried.

For reference, the new rules make it illegal to lower your helmet into a tackle. That seems like a description of any good tackle – how does the league want defenders to bring down receivers and ballcarriers?

In reality, it’s not a description of good form tackling. “Head up,” or “leading with the face mask,” as the officials put it to Vikings players on Thursday night, is the proper way to make a tackle. Lead with the shoulder, keep your face mask in front of you instead of below you, wrap up, and drag the player down.

But don’t take my word for it, I’ve never played. Here’s Herm Edwards teaching a better tackle.

Essentially, a head down tackle loses a lot of power. A runner’s momentum is going forward, why take it on at its strongest? Better tackling form puts more momentum upward, and allows you to explode with your hips, legs and glutes. Much like a good block.

Here’s another demonstration from the Detroit Lions’s youth program. They’ve been teaching this to youth players since 2013. The good stuff starts at about 1:50.

A similar message has come out of Vikings’ camp. When asked about the new rule in an impromptu presser on Friday morning, Mike Zimmer said, “…if some of the crown of the helmet hits, it can be dangerous. So they’re trying to eliminate that from the game to make the players more safe. I have no problem with that.”

He also mentioned that he was personally involved in some of the discussions on new rules surrounding illegal contact.

Mackensie Alexander will undoubtedly be put in situations this season where he’s required to make this kind of tackle. But that’s not a new fixture of the 2018 season for him. He recommends the same things.

“…not hitting with your head so much, more shoulder work, hitting with your eyes, seeing what you hit … you just gotta train your body to do it, and hopefully your body does it.”

Anthony Harris echoes the same thoughts. “It’s all pretty much been the same. Continue to tackle with your head up. That’s always been something that they’ve preached here. Now they’re just emphasizing that a bit more.” Harris used similar wording to Alexander: “see what you hit.”

Defenders across the league are going to give frustrated quotes and wear hats with catchy slogans, but in reality, this rule change simply emphasizes something the team already taught. Once again, Zimmer and his defensive staff are two steps ahead of the game.

Thanks for reading!

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