NFL owners opted to table the vote on whether to ban the “tush push” — the play made popular by the Philadelphia Eagles — during the annual league meeting on Tuesday in Palm Beach, Fla., a league source told The Athletic.
The Green Bay Packers proposed the league ban the “tush push,” a play where the quarterback takes the snap under center and dives forward while teammates push him from behind in a rugby-like scrum. The Packers’ proposal was “to prohibit any offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap.”
The Eagles have run the play, also known as the “Brotherly Shove,” to great success in short-yardage situations under coach Nick Sirianni with quarterback Jalen Hurts. The Buffalo Bills — with reigning MVP quarterback Josh Allen — have also used a variation of the play frequently.
Tuesday’s decision, however, is not a clear victory for teams which utilize the play. The tabling of the vote means the language of the rule concerning the play could potentially be tweaked. So while the play itself might not be banned, it could still look different going forward.
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The “tush push,” and the discussion on whether or not to ban the play, was a huge talker among coaches and executives ahead of the vote at the league meetings. And there was far from a consensus on how the vote would go.
Some coaches and executives believe the player safety concerns regarding the play were paramount. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst did not draft the proposal that his team submitted, but he fully supported it.
“I think certainly the medical professionals at the league have high concerns about putting players in positions that could lead to catastrophic injuries,” Gutekunst said. “I think this is something that needs to be discussed and we need to be proactive with it rather than be reactive on that.
“I think we owe it to our players. It’s not about success. It’s about safety here.”
Bills coach Sean McDermott believes that his team and the Eagles can be just as good in a more traditional quarterback sneak.
“My biggest concern is the health and safety of the players, first and foremost. It’s added force and then the posture of the players being asked to execute that type of play. That’s where my concern comes in,” said McDermott, who is part of the NFL’s competition committee, which reviews rule proposals and will present supporting statistics to the voters.
“That’s not a healthy posture, to me. Then, when you add force to that posture, that’s concerning for me as to the health and safety of the players. … To me, (the Green Bay proposal) takes away the force. Traditional quarterback sneaks have been around for a long time. That’s the context of it that’s important. Then the pushing adds the force piece, and it exponentially raises my concern.”
Others, like Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and Indianapolis coach Shane Steichen, saw no reason to change the rules.
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Stefanski said “the injury data’s not there. So I would be in favor of keeping the rules as they are.”
“I’m not in favor of taking it out. I think it’s good for the game,” said Steichen, who was Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator under Sirianni from 2021-22. “What (the Eagles) do, they do it better than anyone. Other teams are doing it. Buffalo’s doing it. I think it’s been around for a long time, to be completely honest, because when you’re on the half-yard line and backed up, you gotta run a QB sneak. People (are) usually back there pushing. They just brought (the tush push) to the field of play a couple of years ago. I’m in favor of keeping it.”
Several rule proposals were passed at the annual league meetings, according to a league source. Both teams will now be allowed to possess the ball in overtime during the regular season and the overtime period will remain 10 minutes. The use of expanded replay assist “to advise on-field officials on specific, objective aspects of a play and/or to address game administration issues when clear and obvious video evidence is present” was approved. Touchbacks on kickoffs will now bring the ball out to the 35-yard line.
The NFL’s onside kick amendment, which would allow teams to declare an onside kick “at any time during the game if trailing its opponent,” will be adjusted and voted on in May, according to a league source.
The Athletic’s Jayna Bardahl contributed to this story.
(Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)
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