NFL Players Eviscerate ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. for Call to Ban Two-High Safety Defenses

ESPN's Mel Kiper called for a ban of two-high safeties on Thursday's edition of 'Get Up' | Screengrab courtesy of @GetUpESPN on X

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. made one of the most controversial football strategy takes in recent content history on Thursday morning's episode of Get Up, when he called for the NFL to ban two-high safety defenses.

The take has set the internet ablaze.

Here's what Kiper said, in part, on Thursday morning.

"Well, I grew up with the best of the National Football League, 60's, 70's, into the 80's," Kiper argued. "You're talking about deep shots. The go route, the nine route, the post. You're talking about Terry Bradshaw in the Super Bowl hitting John Stallworth. You see Leeroy Irving diving, right? Just off his fingers. There's the receiver. They laid it out there, right? Hit the receiver in stride. 65-yard touchdown. It's a beautiful thing to watch. That's what I want to see brought back to the National Football League. Okay? Checkdown kings. Bubble screen sensations. Boring football. Uh-uh. Game manager I get it. I want to see those deep shots. That's what the NFL was built on. I grew up with Johnny Unitas, Fran Tarkenton, Ken Stabler, Daryle Lamonica. You talk about quarterbacks—Joe Namath, Brett Favre when he was doing what he did. Herb Jones with the Baltimore Colts. You think about those quarterbacks who would thrown the ball down the field. I said what Bradshaw did with Stallworth and Swan. Roger Staubach. That's what I want to see brought back."

After continuing his rant, which included a reference to safeties playing so far back off the ball that it looked like there were only nine guys in the play on defense, Kiper made his most poignant point of them all.

"The NFL is being ruined by these two-high safeties."

.@MelKiperESPN believes two-high safeties "should be outlawed" 👀

"The NFL is being ruined by these two-high safeties." pic.twitter.com/d65PFJysIq
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 19, 2024

Dissenting opinions on the matter have emerged all across the internet during the day on Thursday. The most popular takes have included calls for better offensive line play and running back play to bring the safeties closer to the line of scrimmage.

For the most part though, it's been straight up roasts of Kiper's all-time football take. Here are some of the best reactions from social media from both current NFL players and former to Kiper's call to ban two-high safety defenses.

This is…insane. Literally one of the worst schematic football takes in the history of television. So bad it can’t possibly be real. Can it? https://t.co/5pjc2SzjQi
— Matt Chatham (@chatham58) September 19, 2024

Dans face says it all. https://t.co/UZQiGPzcEs
— Golden Tate (@ShowtimeTate) September 19, 2024

Hey you don’t want Two High looks . Run the Ball https://t.co/AAccck9qnd
— Chris Harris (@ChrisHarrisJr) September 19, 2024

This man literally just said defenses running cov 2 , 4, or 6 should be against the rules because it discourages the deep ball pre snap … Either he’s joking or this is THE WORST football take we have ever heard !! DBs already can’t tackle, hit hard, or touch WRs, now this 😵‍💫😂 https://t.co/x8KNLOVSZQ
— Su’a (@iammsuzy) September 19, 2024

#1 reason for 2 high safeties at a rate we’ve never seen: BAD O-Line play@TheFacilityFS1 @EmmanuelAcho @89JonesNTAF https://t.co/c6icw53gH8 pic.twitter.com/C9KNmObsmk
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) September 19, 2024

Or…just run the football effectively so they have to drop the safeties in the box and open up the pass game. What an idiotic take. https://t.co/2kLBOJAyQn
— Jeremiah Sirles (@Jsirles71) September 19, 2024