For the casual football fan, tackling seems to be a pretty simple concept. In essence, the act of tackling is really just one player running into another player with intentions of knocking him to the ground.
However, like a halfback perfecting his ability to protect the ball or make a cut, a defensive player must hone his skills to become a prolific tackler.
Tackling the ball carrier is the primary objective of any defensive player, and their ability to do it properly is imperative to the success of any defensive unit.
It’s something that can be learned, but in the case of linebacker Zeke Moreno, it may also be something that some players were just born to do.
“Since he was two, he was tackling the walls,” said Moreno’s mother, Arcinia Arenas. “I had to put a helmet on him.”
Lucky for his mother and the longevity of their household, Zeke quickly turned his focus from walls to opposing players.
“[Zeke] was always trying to make the roughest, toughest tackles,” said Arenas. “Since he was in Pop Warner, people would come and bring their children to watch [Zeke]. He had this gift. He could read the ball.”
Moreno has carried that gift throughout his playing career and into the CFL, where he has led the league in tackles the past two seasons. That being said, his success on the field is a result of much more than just his athletic gifts.
“It’s mostly preparation and watching the formations on the field,” said Moreno. “You start recognizing the plays that certain teams like to run in different situations, which allows me to cheat a little bit because I have an idea of what the offence is going to do.”
Although preparation can provide a defender with a better chance of getting to the ball carrier, it still remains only half the battle. Getting to the ball carrier is one thing, tackling them to the ground is a whole different story.
“I focus mostly on their hips because the hips always tell you where the player is going,” said Moreno. “When their hips turn, you know that they are turning and where they intend to go.”
Despite playing different positions, the majority of defensive players seem to use the same technique when targeting a potential tackle.
“I look at the numbers, which is what I was taught growing up,” said defensive end Jonathan Brown. “You target the numbers, because unlike an opponent’s head and shoulders which can move and become misleading, the numbers on their chest and back only move in the direction they intend to go.”
“I focus on the hips or belly button because they are always at the middle of the opponent’s body and obviously don’t have the same ability to avoid a tackle like a player’s arm or leg does,” said recently acquired linebacker, Jason Pottinger.
Wrapping up the ball carrier:
Football fans often hear television analysts refer to tacklers “wrapping a player up” when they are successful. The art of wrapping a player up is integral to getting them to the ground.
“That’s the first thing you are taught as a kid learning to tackle,” says Pottinger. “You can’t just go in there with a lowered shoulder and expect to take a guy down. You have to wrap your arms around them, get your hands on some cloth and pull them down in order stop their second efforts to break your tackle.”
Moreno agrees with his new teammate, but calls it an ideal situation.
“Ideally, you bring your head and shoulders against him with your arms wrapped around him while you pull him to the ground. However, that’s a lot easier said than done,” says Moreno. “On the field, you will try anything. You’ll use your arms, shoulders, head, fingers, and even your fingernails if you have to in order to bring him down.”
Mindset prior to a tackle:
Moreno believes that leverage is important in any instance of contact on the football field, and says he looks to gain as much leverage as he can in every encounter. He also believes that it’s a good idea to identify the player that your attempting to tackle.
“You have to take into consideration the mindset of the player you are tackling. Most receivers don’t want to get hit, and are going to do everything they can to avoid you. That will usually give you an indication of where they want to go with the ball,” says Moreno. “There’s a few running backs that will also avoid being hit, but there are a lot of them that will try to run through you and don’t shy away from contact. So you have to expect a lot more contact with running backs.”
Pottinger believes in a similar technique to that of his veteran teammate, although he warns of over thinking the situation.
“If I’m tackling a bigger running back, then you usually can take a more aggressive approach and just lower your shoulder,” says Pottinger. “If you’re tackling a wide receiver in the open field, you tend to be less aggressive in the sense that they have an open field to work with and can be more evasive.”
“Overall, I just try to use my instincts and make the tackle as soon as possible. You can’t be caught over thinking what you are going to do because it provides your opponent with time to react,” added Pottinger.
Brown uses a more simple thought process than his two peers, one that can be compared to that of a bulldozer.
“I just focus on running through the player so that, even when I do hit them, I don’t stop,” says Brown. “I envision that they aren’t even there, and that I am just running through air.”
Brown was firm that no running back is going to run him over, so his approach stays the same no matter who’s coming out of the backfield. The only time he changes his approach is when he is dealing strictly with a mobile quarterback.
“When you are going after most CFL quarterbacks in the league now, you have to be a little more reserved due to their mobility,” says Brown. “Because they have the ability to escape the pocket and take off, you can’t always be as aggressive as you would be with most traditional pocket quarterbacks.”
Hardest player to tackle:
A single devastating tackle can raise an entire fan base out of their seats and change the momentum of a game. However, a missed tackle can cost a team valuable field position and quite often, points. The CFL is loaded with offensive players that can make defenders miss, but there’s a few who do it with regularity.
“Its always the kick or punt returner,” says Pottinger. “They are typically smaller, quicker players that have the advantage of running in an open field, which is much harder than tackling a guy coming through a hole in the defensive line.”
Brown came to answer after remembering the last few seasons he spent chasing down running back Charles Roberts when he was with Winnipeg.
“He was so small, like 5’6” or 5’7”, and I had a hard time getting to him,” said Brown. “Combine that with that fact that he was extremely quick and had very strong legs, and it made him all that much harder to tackle.”
Moreno agreed that the short, speedy running backs give tacklers the most trouble, and specified former Lions’ back Stefan Logan as one of the most difficult players to track down.
“[Logan] was a very shifty little guy who could stop on a dime and go,” says Moreno. “It’s hard to get those kind of players to the ground.”
Biggest influences in tackling:
“My former teammate with the Lions, Otis Floyd. He knew how to lay the boom,” says Pottinger. “I enjoyed watching game tape of him tackling and have tried to take a few pages from his book when I’m on the field.” Pottinger will get to study Floyd from the opposite sideline this season as Floyd signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the off-season.
Moreno credits future NFL hall of famer, and former San Diego Chargers teammate Junior Seau with helping him become the player he is today.
“[Seau] was always around the ball,” says Moreno. “Getting the opportunity to play beside him early in my career was great. He mentored me and helped me develop. He taught me a lot about preparation and getting to the ball.”
The other side of being a tackler:
While there always seems to be sympathy for the running backs and quarterbacks that are often on the receiving end of tackles, the defensive players who make those tackles rarely garner any attention for the physical toll they take on their bodies. Let’s just say that offensive players aren’t the only ones that sustain pain during a tackle.
“I’ve popped my shoulder out of the socket making a tackle,” says Moreno. “After a game of tackling, you definitely wake up the next morning and feel the beating that your body has taken.”
The injury list of tacklers doesn’t end with shoulders, as many defensive players have succumbed to concussions, broken wrists, arms, and legs as a result of their tackling efforts. Not to mention the beating that a player’s fingers and hands endure over a season. Moreno knows about physical damage to the hand better than most.
“I can’t even wear my wedding ring,” says Moreno. “My ring finger is so crooked and swollen that I can’t get it on there anymore.”
It’s the reality for these men who dedicate themselves to stopping offences. That being said, these men wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s the price you pay to do the thing you love,” says Moreno.