Let’s hop right into a time machine and return to Week 14 of the 2023 NFL season. The Miami Dolphins — winners of three straight video games — welcomed the Tennessee Titans — holders of a 4-8 document on the time — to Miami Gardens, Florida for a Monday Evening Soccer contest underneath the brilliant lights of Arduous Rock Stadium.
The Dolphins have been 9-3 on the time, tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the highest seed within the AFC, leaders within the AFC East race and boasted the league’s most electrical offense led by their All-Professional speedster at wide-receiver, Tyreek Hill.
Followers have been sure that the MNF contest could be simply one other evening on the workplace for Hill, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the remainder of the Miami Dolphins offense.
Sadly, the universe had different plans.
Early within the sport, Hill could be the sufferer of a hip-drop sort out sort out from a Titans defender after catching a display cross from Tagovailoa. The takedown would injure the ankle of the person nicknamed “The Cheetah,” and he could be compelled from the competition. He would later return, but it surely was clear that the damage was hampering his efficiency that evening.
Because of this, Tyreek Hill would play simply 33 snaps in a sport that the Dolphins ought to have received simply on paper — but, finally misplaced 28-27 because the Titans mounted a ferocious comeback late within the evening to seal Miami’s destiny.
Hill — who was on tempo to surpass the lofty 2,000 yards receiving purpose he had set for himself previous to the beginning of the season — wouldn’t be the identical participant for the remainder of the yr and the Dolphins would falter because the common season winded down, conceding the AFC East race to the Buffalo Payments.
On Monday, it was introduced by way of quite a few on-line sources that the notorious hip-drop sort out has been banned from the NFL forward of the 2024 season. In reality, the vote from the NFL’s competitors committee was unanimous regardless of the NFL Gamers Affiliation’s objections.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Community says to “count on extra fines than flags because the league and coaches work to take away the approach.”
Will probably be fascinating to see how the league enforces the brand new rule, and what the penalty will probably be for gamers flagged for the foul. Nonetheless, offensive gamers will presumably be proud of the change whereas defensive gamers will really feel slighted with the NFL’s determination.
In reality, Miami’s star security, Jevon Holland, weighed in shortly after the announcement was made on Twitter with this remark:
“Breaking information: Tackling Banned.”
It’s affordable to imagine he received’t be the one defender up in arms with the league’s most up-to-date try to “make soccer safer.”