Okay, that helps. I think I didn’t understand Ramstien’s point as he did not understand mine. That’s due to a new generation of rules changes.
So, to clarify, now defenders are taught to tackle with their shoulder. I’m guessing from Ramstien’s post is that a rationale for this is that if you lead with your head, you can break your neck.
However, as you and I know, Stafford9, from the time of the introduction of the facemask until the leagues (following on the example set by the NFL) forbad tackling with the helmet as the lead point of contact, thousands of kids were taught to tackles with their facemask as the lead point of contact. We were taught
not to tackle with the crown of our helmet. That does lead to major injury as evidenced by Ryan Shazier.
But as long as you’re looking at the numbers of the player you’re about to tackle—as opposed to looking down in the ground—you were good.
And I think this newer change in the rules—forbidding tacklers from leading with thei helmet/facemask—is what Shanahan is exploiting. It’s far easier for an offender to break tackles when the shoulder is the lead point of contact since your approach is not balanced (you’re either tackling with your left or right shoulder). Whereas when you lead with the facemask, your approach is balanced.
We Not Me
