NFL owners are scheduled to meet today and Wednesday in Minneapolis to vote on the Packers’ proposal to ban the Eagles most infamous play, the “tush push”. The proposal was tabled back in March, reportedly due to not having the votes to pass at that time. The Commissioner and the league seem to have momentum on their side to get the 24 necessary votes (75%) to remove the play.
The Eagles’ Brotherly Shove
What is the Tush Push? A play design that has the Eagles line up their players near the line of scrimmage. Jalen Hurts then uses his powerful legs to push forward. While he is digging for yards, another player pushes him from behind to try to gain more. Hence, Tush Push.
The NFL does not chart the completion percentage of the play, but CBS Sports had the data for both the Eagles’ QB sneak and Brotherly Shove. From 2017 through 2021 (pre-tush-push), the Eagles were relatively successful with many different Quarterbacks running the play.
2017–100.0%
2018–88.9%
2019–86.7%
2020–71.4%
2021–92.9%
I wonder what happened in 2021 that affected that number to increase?
The answer. A new Head Coach willing to gamble on a new play design, and, just as importantly, a new starting QB, Jalen Hurts, who can squat over 600 pounds, arrived.
In 2022, the genesis of the Tush Push arrived on NFL fields near you! Over that span, 2022 through 2024, the Eagles were successful 91.3% of their attempts.
So, a quick recap. 2021, pre-pushing tushes, 92.9% QB sneak conversion rate, 2022 through 2024, 91.3%. While it is annoying that the league would go to such lengths to ban a play simply because one team is better at it than everyone else, it likely does not end with their desired outcome.
Ban it because it causes injuries?
“I think for everybody, including myself, especially, health and safety is the most important thing when evaluating any play. We’ve been very open to whatever data exists on the Tush Push, there’s just been no data that shows that it isn’t a very, very safe play. If it weren’t, we wouldn’t be pushing the Tush Push.” Eagles owner Jeff Lurie.
“I know what the data says, and I know how we coach it. We don’t coach a push play any differently than we coach a quarterback sneak play. So, like, again, the injury data says what it says. And we coach it the exact same way whether somebody’s pushing, or whether somebody’s not pushing.” Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni.
The Tush Push, Brotherly Shove, Snoopy, or whatever name you want to call it, is physically demanding, but has not been linked to any injuries in the 2024 NFL season. The NFL data shows a 0% injury rate. Yet Green Bay wants it gone.
The Packers’ Sour Grapes
The Packers are trying to ban a play that they can not stop and that they rarely use. Green Bay attempted 20 QB sneaks from 2017 through 2024, which was the third fewest in the NFL over that time.
Ironically, Nick Sirianni stated the play has been around since Packers QB Bart Starr ran it over 60 years ago.
“And that play has been in, I think somebody (Packers CEO Mark Murphy) said something about Bart Starr running the play a long time ago. So that play has been in for a very long time. There’s probably enough data about that play to get information.”
A play that has been around for a very long time and that is available for every team in the NFL to use if they have the proper personnel. Also, one that has not been shown to cause any injuries.
This seems like a proposal to ban a play that a team can’t stop.
Final Thoughts
The Eagles have one of the best offensive lines in the National Football League. They arguably have the best Offensive Line Coach in Jeff Stoutland. They have a Running Back and a Quarterback who can squat over 600 pounds, and are a team uniquely built to succeed at this play.
It has been reported that the Packers’ proposal has been revised, including language prohibiting any pushing or pulling of the ball carrier anywhere on the field. It will be interesting to see if waiting two months gave the league enough time to gain the support needed to ban the play.
The league is trying to rally its base, and so are the Eagles.
“Have I been lobbying? I’ve talked to a couple of people.” said Eagles head coach, Nick Sirianni.
“I don’t ever remember a play being banned because a single team or a few teams were running it effectively. It’s part of what I personally and I think most of us love about football, is that it’s a chess match. Let the chess match play out and if for any reason it does get banned, we will try to be the very best at short-yardage situations and we’ve got a lot of ideas there.” mentioned by Eagles owner, Jeffrey Lurie.
We will all find out soon enough if the Tush Push will continue on the field or just highlights.
As always, thank you for reading!
Follow me on X @PHLEagleNews
Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images
