Jan 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; The Tampa Bay Buccaneers stop Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) at the goal line during the first half of a 2024 NFC wild card game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports
If you can't beat 'em... change the rules.
Earlier this month, the Green Bay Packers submitted a rule change proposal to the league to ban the Eagles' short-yardage "tush push" play. On Thursday, The Athletic's Diana Russini reported on the Scoop City podcast that the proposed ban is "getting more momentum than [she has] ever heard before."
Nothing is set in stone yet.
But the sense I get from around the league is that momentum around banning the tush push is growing. pic.twitter.com/AMu4ABedmo
The Packers cited "player safety" and "pace of play" as rationale for the ban. But no specific player injuries have been tied to the play, and a pace of play discussion is only relevant because of defenses jumping offsides. (See Washington's Frankie Luvu in the NFC Championship Game.) The Eagles are not responsible for other teams' penalty flags.
Here's the official rule-change proposal from Green Bay to ban the Tush Push, citing player safety and pace of play. It would take 24 of 32 votes to change the rule. pic.twitter.com/jlfFXlhINd
The true motivation behind the effort to ban the push, of course, is the league's inability to counter the Eagles' execution of the play.
We often hear that the NFL is "a copycat league," meaning teams will mimic a play that is successful for other offenses/defenses until a team produces a way to stop it. But other teams do not have the Eagles' dominant offensive line or the absurd leg strength of Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley. And for all the murmuring about an unfair play devoid of skill, teams aren't able to run their own version of the tush push.
As Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni famously stated in 2023, "If everybody could do, everybody would do it."
THE #PACKERS CANNOT SUCCESSFULLY RUN THE TUSH PUSH…
SO NOW THEY WANT THE PLAY BANNED.
😭😭😭pic.twitter.com/RfcuLFQjYN
Unable to stop the play or co-opt it, the Packers and other cowards turned to the proposed ban. It's like banning Joe Montana from throwing to Jerry Rice.
Organizations will vote on the proposal during the NFL's annual meetings, which run from March 30 to April 2. For Green Bay to succeed, they'll need the support of 24 of the league's 32 teams. The effort to ban the play seemed like a longshot when first introduced, but Russini's reporting indicates that it now has some life.
