The Philadelphia Eagles put the Tush Push to good use this season. The Brotherly Shove, as it is often referred to, is even on the brink of being banned with deliberations in the NFL front office underway. Its impact forced some of the greatest names in the NFL including Tom Brady to put it to good use for their gameplay. However, a recent revelation and in-depth analysis of the Physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson caused a change in the narrative that prevailed around its mechanics.
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Neil DeGrasse Tyson engaged in a deep conversation with Kyle Brandt, fusing physics and football to talk about the Tush Push. He scrutinized and squashed the narrative that the play only works for someone like Jalen Hurts with lower body weight. Cosmos host highlights that the claim might be completely untrue and that the latter part of the Tush Push depends more on the players connected to Earth than Hurts who is flown on top.
“If I’m on the opposing team, I want to jump over you. But you know what happens when I jump over you? You’re no longer connected to the earth.”
As Brandt chimed in asking if this was a disadvantage, Dr. Tyson laid it down in layman’s terms.
“Yes! If you’re no longer connected to the earth, you have nothing to press against. And I know this because I used to wrestle.”
Dr. Tyson also dealt with the case of Jalen Hurts‘ powerlifting history allowing him to execute the shove efficiently. Hurts who was a part of Alabama and Oklahoma before 2019 squatted over 500 pounds of weight. As a sophomore, he also became the regional finalist in the 198-pound weight class.
However, the physicist highlighted that there was no connection between the Eagles’ quarterback’s powerlifting hobby and the Tush Push execution. He added more about the push which has fallen in question to a committee that surprisingly excludes the Philadelphia Eagles.
Neil Derasse Tyson Sparks Cosmic Conversation about the Tush Push
The astrophysicist further claimed that the unconventional play gives a competitive edge and alters the rotation of the earth. However, it was only an eloquent way of putting his observation forward. He meant that the Eagles are using the Earth as a launch point and transferring its rotation into their momentum. Tyson breaks it down, stating,
“The Eagles get a quarter-second head start in momentum transfer. So the Eagles are already in motion. They are using the Earth as a launch point do their movement.” He added, “In fact, if you run the math on this, every time the Eagles run this play, it slightly changes the rotation of the earth.”
It is obviously impossible to match the excellent analysis of Dr. Tyson. However, the play is in fact more grounded than usually projected. Moreover, it is an excellent way of converting potential energy to kinetic energy and gaining a head start.
Despite the attempts by the NFL teams to emulate the Brotherly Shove, the league intends to ban it. The NFL executive Troy Vincent dismissed such speculations. But, the absence of Eagles from the stakeholder committee screamed a different story altogether. Still, Dr. Tyson held that it is almost impossible to stop the play even for mighty Roger Goodell. He put it aptly, concluding,
“So, I’m happy to chalk this up as an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics. Manifest in this universe.”
The Eagles’ important piece of gameplay is still under wraps and its reconsideration stands upon the safety of players. The arguments include Jeff Miller’s claim that there is insufficient evidence to determine the effect of Tush Push on player safety. Thus, there is anticipation for the final decision with a hesitancy for rule changes unless a significant injury risk arises.
