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Roger Goodell appears to have fingers pointed at him again. Questions are being raised after the NFL took such severe action against Azeez Al-Shaair. Although the linebacker used a hard tackle, other defenders did the same. But you don’t see them being suspended? This ban has prompted extensive controversy within the NFL, with many different perspectives on how the league handled the case.

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While these concerns are being raised, it appears that one head coach has revealed what is happening in the NFL. This anonymous HC revealed to The Athletic that Roger Goodell wants “to protect its $250 million investments.” These investments are obviously the primary quarterback of all the teams. The HC explained that spectators would not want to watch backup quarterbacks. This is why saving the star quarterbacks is the primary reason why the NFL is taking significant strides toward brutal head tackles and slides of the QBs.

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The HC stated, “Nobody wants to watch games with backup quarterbacks, and the league understands that. The refs do a solid job spotting the ball where the first body part touches, and fake slides aren’t really an issue anymore.” Said coach also disclosed that Kenny Pickett’s fake slide move made Roger Goodell and NFL board members modify the rule that penalizes players who fake a slide.

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While all these new rules are made, are they getting used? Well, on the field, the game moves so quickly that the refs occasionally miss these things. Sometimes brutal tackles would happen and quarterbacks may get injured. But there is one more way the NFL can maybe solve this situation.

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Roger Goodell should ensure that the players get good coaching

The hard tackles are difficult to deal with. But this anonymous HC plainly believes that other coaches should teach their defenders good technique. Instead of jumping and connecting with the quarterbacks, the defenders should tackle using their hands. This not only prevents injuries but also makes the game more fascinating.

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The head coach explained, “Defenders need to be coached to lead with their hands, not their heads. Sliding QBs lower their target area, which makes it tougher to land a clean hit.” In addition, the HC explained how quarterbacks should learn to evade these tackles.

Roger Goodell, the commissioner, can also be involved in this scenario too. He can make sure that every quarterback is taught how to dive to prevent head-first tackles. The head coach explained how he instructs his quarterbacks to perform a “Superman dive.” If you don’t remember what it is, maybe the name Carson Wentz will ring a bell. He uses a different approach in which he jumps over other tacklers to gain momentum for a run.

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The head coach thinks that in this way QBs can “get a few extra yards while still being protected from head and neck hits. The rules are what they are.” All of these ideas might be very beneficial to the NFL. And if Roger Goodell ensures that the players receive this type of instruction, then maybe the controversial suspensions like Azeez Al-Shaair may be avoided.

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Written by

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Anurag Bhardwaj

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Anurag Bhardwaj is an NFL writer at Essentially Sports. He is an ardent follower of football and is quite enthusiastic about how the game unfolds on the gridiron. As a major fanboy of Patrick Mahomes, he is in the corner of the Chiefs during the season. With his coverage of the sport, Anurag curates various aspects of the football world and brings insightful news stories to the American audience. When he is not curating the next big story about touchdowns and game-changing plays, Anurag can be found watching suspense-filled documentaries or engaged in a competitive Madden NFL gaming session.

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Edited by

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Garima Yadav

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