Banker: Huskers to Look at Rugby-Style Tackling

Blackshirt316 said:
We had a third down play early in the frst half where going low hurt us. Kalu went low on their WR on a swing pass on like 3rd and 2 and the kid fell forward for the 1st down. Had Kalu hit him up top he probably stops him short.

That said,

I recall one blitz where MRI had their QB dead to rights up the middle and just flat ran right by him... but did we actually miss a single tackle where we made contact?
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Then Kalu went too low. He doesn't need to hit him high. That's exactly the mentality of coaches who teach wrong and why targeting is such a big deal because coaches quit teaching it right. Hit him in the strike zone upper thighs to rib cage, get your head to the side and DRIVE YOUR FEET. No one wants to drive their feet anymore. That's the part that's missing from all of this.

Kids grab on and go to their knees almost instantly. You see many more knee injuries to ball carriers this way too because while the ball carrier is still driving his feet he ends up rolling the defender up on his knee.

 
Gang tackling - you never want to see many solo tackles in the heart of the defense and you like to have multiple defenders assisting as the tackle is finished off. The sign of a great defense is gang tackling. For the CBs and Safeties and smaller LBs, tackling low is the best and sometimes only way to bring down a bigger and stronger player. Big DTs and so on with size comparability or superiority can move up and stop the player in his tracks. But you don't want to ever push the ball carrier forward in the process of tackling. I see that too often when the defender actually drives the player down field and extends the gain made in the tackling process. Bring them down ASAP and once the hit and grab hold is under control, the assisting tacklers (the gang members) need to be stripping the ball. Creating turnovers requires the mindset of going for the ball AFTER the tackle has reached the point of gaining control of the forward progress / momentum etc. Gang tackling leads to fumbles and solid hits in the chest down to the thighs gives a better chance of knocking the ball loose from the receiver/runner.

 
That style of tackling is now considered "rugby style"? That is how I was taught to tackle!

Hit them at the hips and pull the legs to your chest.. You can drop a person real quick by doing that!

Talking about when a single person makes the tackle.

 
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Blackshirt316 said:
We had a third down play early in the frst half where going low hurt us. Kalu went low on their WR on a swing pass on like 3rd and 2 and the kid fell forward for the 1st down. Had Kalu hit him up top he probably stops him short.
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Coach Power'T said:
Then Kalu went too low.
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Rewatched the game, and Kalu stumbles as he goes to make the tackle, so I don't think he exactly planned where he was hitting that guy.
 
I don't know what rugby-style tackling is, but it might be a good idea against these teams where all eleven guys run a different direction.

 
Optimistic, bordering on insanity, Redux.  :lol:

Any more context on "ball disruption," @Mavric? Interested in understanding the full scope and their intent when using that term.

 
Nebraska football coaches no longer are putting players through rugby-style tackling drills, and the athletic department has ended its contract with the Seattle company that was helping the Cornhuskers transition to the technique.

Nebraska paid Atavus $100,00 last year to provide training to coaches and design drills for players. The school was to pay $80,000 this year but exercised a clause allowing it to terminate the contract for any reason before Jan. 15.

New defensive coordinator Bob Diaco, when asked about rugby tackling last spring, said "there are a lot of style of tackles that have to be conducted."
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USA Today

 
BigRedBuster said:
I honestly didn't see any change in our tackling techniques last year.
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I honestly forgot about the supposed change.  Probably because we were usually so out of position to make any style of tackle.  Diaco doesn't exactly have big shoes to fill, but most of us are still pining for a return to 2009-2011 form.

 
1995 Redux said:
Probably because we were usually so out of position to make any style of tackle.  Diaco doesn't exactly have big shoes to fill, but most of us are still pining for a return to 2009-2011 form.
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That's a pretty fair point. The most important part of tackling is being in position to make a tackle in the first place, and while your form/technique is critical, it's not the first priority. It's a bit like being a good base runner: base running skills are important, but you have to be able to get on base first.

 
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