[Red Flag]

As an Eagles fan, I am getting sick and tired of what I refer to as "disrespect him" tackling attempts. This is when a player tries to knock a runner down instead of wrapping him up and tackling him like we were all taught to do when we were kids. It hardly ever works. Madden commented on it during last weeks blow out of the Eagles by the Colts. I read an interview of Emmit Smith a year or so ago where he addressed this. He said something to the effect that he welcomed these knock down tackle attempts because he could usually just bounce off of them. The Eagles defense CAN return to the fundamentals if they choose to. I think just this one improvement, or is it a new mentality, would make a significant difference.

[rmjvol]

Hi Red Flag, welcome to GoTeamsGo

Yeah, I'm in total agreement. Just seems like most of the tackle attempts you see from any team is this knock down, disrespect him tackling mess. And it usually doesn't work. But there's gotta be something behind it. These guys are getting paid pretty well so why do they keep doing it?

Look forward to chatting more with you here and in our Eagles forum.

[Red Flag]

I think it definitely has to do with the change in attitudes in the NFL. Knocking a player down with a hard hit will get you noticed on ESPN but the fact that it greatly lowers your chances of taking the runner down is the problem. I think it is much along the lines of trash talk, beating your chest when you make a tackle even if your team is down by 4 touch downs and show boating in general.

[ThePundit]

Welcome to GoTeamsGo Red Flag. I agree. I hate when guys celebrate a sack when their team is getting crushed. Also, how about guys laughing on the sideline when their team is getting creamed?

Thanks for the welcome. Yeah, it's getting harder and harder for me to enjoy watching the NFL. Women commentators are my personal pet peeve. Not be a cranky 50-year old but what is with all the dropped passes??? I swear it wasn't this way twenty years ago.............or am I wrong?

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Not be a cranky 50-year old but what is with all the dropped passes??? I swear it wasn't this way twenty years ago.............or am I wrong?

id say 2 things are different now then 20 years ago

1. more coverage.....with ESPN, Fox Sports and all the rest you see much more coverage now then 20 years ago.......(yes i know ESPN was around then but they didnt cover it as much and not as many people had cable)

2. there are 4 more teams now then there were 20 years ago which at 4 receivers per team means 16 receivers playing that wouldnt have been 20 years ago

i think its like lousy pitching in baseball.....exspansion has watered down the sport


as for the tackling, i agree they need more team tackling....1 goes high 1 goes low......would solve the problem

[Lefty Noob]

Welcome aboard Red Flag. The total decay of tackling techique is probably my biggest pet peeve in football today. I'm tired of guys trying to just knock a ballcarrier down instead of squaring his shoulders and wrapping. It's pathetic.

[joeytheking23]

welcome...but I agree, although it is for a lot of teams, and could injure a guy. BUT I have no problem with it, if you can'y play smashmouth D in a game, you shouldnt play D...jmo

[Red Flag]

Simple Simon makes two very good points that I hadn't considered. Expanded coverage and more teams watering down the talent level. Still, there is another factor involved here with the trash talk and chest beating that political correctness dictates cannot be intelligently discussed so, being a newbie on this site, I won't go there.

I have a feeling, for some reason, that the Eagles are going to win on Monday night. I said earlier that they will have a problem winning any of their remaining games but it's been a very unpredictable year. They are certainly due to be on the plus side of turnovers. I wish they would put a picture of a bowling pin on the back of Matt McCoy's jersey cuz he gets knocked over like one a lot.

[MJHMarc]

Welcome, Red Flag.

I like your bowling pin analogy. However, I don't think the Eagles will pull away with the win this week. They have been downhill since Donovan McNabb went on the cover of Madden.

[Red Flag]

Losing McNabb was terrible but, as I said on an earler post, the law of averages makes me think that the Birds are due to be on the plus side of turnovers for a change. That might not be enough but turnovers certainly played a big part in todays games. Hell, I'm just holding onto hope and the fact that anything can happen. That's about all that Eagles fans can do these days.