The NFL held its annual league meetings for all 32 owners this week in Florida. As usual, there were many divisive topics on the docket. Some concerned broadcasting rights, international games, rules for flexing games to primetime, and the switch to automatic first down marking using Sony’s Hawkeye technology. However, the debate over the tush push was undoubtedly the most polarizing topic among teams at the meeting, and fans on social media.
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It’s a take on the QB sneak that has been used over the past three years almost exclusively by the Philadelphia Eagles but also to a lesser extent by other teams, most notably the Buffalo Bills. It consists of a regular QB sneak with two players lined up behind the signal-caller to give him an extra push over the line. In those three seasons, Philly QB Jalen Hurts has an 87 percent success rate on the play.
The issue has angered some opposing teams, as they have struggled to find an answer. This caused the Green Bay Packers to propose a ban on the play at this year’s meetings. That contingent didn’t have the 24 necessary votes to get the resolution passed, so they tabled the issue until May. Analyst Andrew Siciliano believes if it’s not banned then, it’s only a matter of time until the Brotherly Shove is axed by the league.
“I understand the vote was right down the middle, 16-16. Ban or continue the tushy pushy. It wasn’t a vote, it was a straw poll. It was tabled until the next meeting in May. When something is tabled, I will tell you, that means there is a good chance it is gonna pass the next time you have a meeting. They need to whip the votes.”
Siciliano continued, saying that usually when a proposal is dead in the water, it simply does not pass, and that’s that. However, when a proposal does not pass and is then tabled, it usually means some stronger powers want the vote to change.
“What does the commissioner want? And can they get that between now and the next meeting? When something isn’t going to pass, it simply does not pass. Or it is withdrawn as a proposal,” he stated.
“When they want something to pass they table it. And they revisit it. Now, not everything that gets tabled, gets passed. But I’m telling you right now, I think, I feel, there is a better chance than not, the tush push is gone.”
Ari Meirov has since reported that Roger Goodell has spoken on this issue. The NFL commissioner suggested that “it would make sense” to go back to the old rule, which did not allow the pushing or pulling of players forward. At the moment, the rule only prohibits the pulling of players up the field.
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Fans were about as divided as the league on this issue. One fan said that this was a crusade against Philly because “the NFL despises that the Eagles beat the Chiefs” in Super Bowl 59. A different fan wondered why they couldn’t “tackle real issues“, while another pondered “why is pushing from behind” allowed at all?
The push to ban the ‘Tush Push’ is embarrassing for the NFL
The NFL rule concerning this situation clearly states that while players cannot pull a ball carrier forward to gain additional yardage, there is no prohibition on pushing from behind. All Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni did was take advantage of a rule others hadn’t thought of. And Sirianni has pretty much built the team to be unstoppable with that play.
They have a QB that can squat 600 pounds. They have an offensive line whose average size last year was 6’6″ and 338 pounds. The guys pushing Hurts, Saquon Barkley and Dallas Goedert are pretty massive for their positions as well. That, plus practice, is why they’ve had such a high success rate with the tush push compared to the rest of the league.
Unfortunately, we have heard the same asinine line trotted out by many league execs on this topic: “There is little data but a clear potential risk” of injury. How does that make any sense? The NFL itself reported that there were zero injuries related to the tush push play last season. So where are they getting the idea that there is a “clear potential risk” of injury? Their imaginations?
Like Siciliano said, it seems the powers that be have made up their minds here and the play will be banned sooner rather than later. It’s a sad indictment of the state of the league if they ban a play simply because only one team can execute it properly. If you don’t like them pushing their tushes on you, come up with a way to stop it! That’s what sports and competition are all about. When an opponent finds an advantage, you need to find a way to counter or nullify it.
A few coaches have spoken in support of the ban, such as the Buffalo Bills’ Sean McDermott (strange, considering his side is the only other team that has had success with the tush push) and the Atlanta Falcons’ Raheem Morris. However, it appears that more football fans are in favor of keeping the play.
Kellen Moore of the New Orleans Saints, Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots, DeMeco Ryans of the Houston Texans, Chris Ballard of the Indianapolis Colts, and Brad Holmes have all spoken against the ban. It just seems very unsportsmanlike and almost un-American to remove a play from the playbook simply because other teams can’t figure out how to stop it.
