9-4-3k Horse collar

[Ed Hickland]

Originally Posted by Robert Goodman

Aw, now come on! I wasn't enthusiastic about the adoption of rules against horse collar tackles to begin with, but if the governing bodies are going to do so because they believe it to be an important safety measure, it seems ridiculous to have this "saved by the bell" aspect to it.

If this tackle is completed with the ball in the field of play, it's a personal foul for the horse collar. If somebody initiated such a move on after the ball became dead, or on an opponent who didn't have or pretend to have the ball to begin with, it would be unnecessary roughness regardless of the horse collar rule. But...if somebody starts to pull a ballcarrier down by such means, and the player so grabbed is in fact pulled down, but not before losing possession of the ball or its becoming dead...it doesn't count?! Does the rule say the fouled player has to continue to be a ballcarrier throughout the action?

Robert

"Grab the inside back or side collar of the shoulder pads or jersey of the runner and subsequently pull the runner to the ground (Horse-collar tackle)."

Note 2-32-13...A runner is a player who is in possession of a live ball or is simulating possession of a live ball.

The fact that possession is lost or the ball becomes dead negates the horse-collar aspect.

[Robert Goodman]

Originally Posted by Ed Hickland

"Grab the inside back or side collar of the shoulder pads or jersey of the runner and subsequently pull the runner to the ground (Horse-collar tackle)."

Note 2-32-13...A runner is a player who is in possession of a live ball or is simulating possession of a live ball.

The fact that possession is lost or the ball becomes dead negates the horse-collar aspect.

So by repeating the phrase "the runner", they don't simply mean "the same player", they mean "the same player, who continued to be a runner", huh? Yeah, I guess it looks like it, as opposed to just writing "him" or "that player".

But then what's the basis for "evening up" by calling it a personal foul if the runner visibly (so can't be said to be simulating) loses possession or the ball becomes dead after the initial grab? If it wasn't a foul the season before the rule was adopted, how can you call it a foul now? Or are you going to deem it unnecessary roughness every time someone follows thru on an already initiated tackle in quick succession to a touchdown's being scored or the runner's stepping out of bounds or losing the ball visibly?

You know, there are other absurdities created by their wording. Looks like if you grab an opposing ballcarrier by one of those places, lose your grip, and then "subsequently" while the runner remains a runner, "pull" him down by some other means, that's a HCT.

Robert