That Horse Collar On The Opening Kickoff

[papachaz]

one definition
"The horse-collar tackle is an American football maneuver in which a defender tackles another player by grabbing the back-inside of an opponent's shoulder pads. The technique is most closely associated with Pro Bowl safety Roy Williams. This kind of tackle was banned from the NFL during the 2005 offseason; the rule forbidding it is often referred to in the press as "The Roy Williams Rule."[1] The rule was expanded to include the back of the jersey collar in 2006. The rule, with modifications, was adopted in college and high school football in 2008 and 2009, respectively"

a link to a USA article about 'the Roy Williams Rule"

LINK

in one article i read, when a defender grabs the offensive person by the back of the collar/shoulder pads, yet the runner carries him a few yards down the field (IE:riding the runner) and they both fall to the ground, it is NOT a horse collar tackle, because to qualify as a horse collar, the defender uses the leverage he gets by grabbing the shoulder pads and pulling or yanking the runner to the ground immediately. here's that link examples of horse collar/non horse collar plays

and the text from that article "Where and when on the field is it legal and where and when is it illegal? Here are some situations to test your understanding of the new rule.

Play One — After the snap from his own 20-yard line, the running back takes a pitch from the quarterback and runs around the right end. He breaks into the open and runs to the 35-yard line where a linebacker grabs him by the collar of his shoulder pad and immediately jerks him to the ground. Is this a legal tackle?

Answer — No, this is a horse-collar tackle because the tackler immediately pulled the runner to the ground. The penalty is 15 yards added on to the end of the run and an automatic first down.

there ya go hit, you don't have to worry about admitting you're wrong, we all know it already