The Philadelphia Eagles are campaigning to protect the “tush push” play that faces a potential ban following a proposal from the Green Bay Packers.
Ahead of a vote at the NFL owners meetings in Minneapolis this week, the Eagles continue to call around the league to discuss why the play should remain legal, per league sources.
The play involves a QB taking a snap under center and diving forward while teammates push him from behind in a rugby-like scrum.
For the Packers’ proposal to pass, 24 teams would need to vote in favor of banning the play.
Other teams, including the Buffalo Bills, have also frequently used a variation of the play.
The Philadelphia Eagles are running a campaign to defend the “tush push” play, which could be banned in response to a Green Bay Packers proposal. According to league sources, the Eagles are still contacting teams across the league to explain why the play should be allowed before a vote at this week’s NFL owners meetings.
In a scrum akin to rugby, teammates push the quarterback from behind as he dives forward after taking a snap under center. “Prohibits an offensive player from pushing, pulling, lifting, or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him,” according to the Packers’ proposed amendment to the ruling. The proposal’s justifications, according to Green Bay, are “player safety” and “pace of play.”.
In Palm Beach, Florida, last month, NFL owners tabled the vote on whether to outlaw the short-yardage play at the league’s annual meeting. The teams were divided 16–16 on the issue, according to an individual present during the deliberations, although there was no formal vote. 24 teams would need to vote in favor of outlawing the play for the Packers’ proposal to be approved.
The NFL is sensitive to the idea of implementing a rule change that would target one or two teams, Rich McKay, the chair of the NFL competition committee, emphasized later. According to him, the conversation focused in part on safety and in part on the game’s past.
“There are undoubtedly some people who are worried about their health and safety, but there are also a lot of people who are worried about football, and that’s kind of what happened in the room with the discussion,” McKay stated. So, I wouldn’t say that a single health and safety video or conversation was the cause. It was much more about the play, its aesthetics, and questions like “is it more of a rugby play or is it part of what football has been traditionally?”. “.”.
The Eagles have employed the play since Doug Pederson joined the team in 2016 and continued it under Nick Sirianni, according to former center Jason Kelce. However, Philadelphia’s success with it with quarterback Jalen Hurts has made it more well-known in recent years. Other teams have also regularly employed a variation of the play, such as the Buffalo Bills.
(Image courtesy of Pedro Vilela/Getty Images).
