Nick Sirianni: Gannon, Steichen, Moore in head coaching positions because of tush push

Philly Sports and Culture Writer

Sunday, March 30, 2025

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Amid reports that an effort to ban the tush push is gaining momentum, Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni believes he can count on certain votes against the ban.

Sirianni told the NFL Network's Mike Garafolo that three former Eagles coordinators, each now a head coach, "better vote" against banning the play. "They are in the [head coach] position right now because of that play," Sirianni said.

Spoke to Nick Sirianni today on the tush-push vote. With a grin, he said: "We’ll see how it goes. All I will say about it is (Jonathan) Gannon, (Shane) Steichen and (Kellen) Moore better vote for it. They are in the (head coach) position right now because of that play. So all… pic.twitter.com/aZBV4KHzPq
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 30, 2025

Garafolo notes that Sirianni made his comments about the Cardinals' Jonathan Gannon, the Colts' Shane Steichen, and the Saints' Kellen Moore "with a grin," so there's probably no serious beef here.

But there's a bit of truth in every joke, and the three ex-Birds coaches certainly benefited from the tush push during their time in Philadelphia. Supporting a ban on the push would be somewhat disloyal, especially given the weak case presented by the Packers organization to ban the play because of "player safety" and "pace of play" concerns.

The NFL's internal data shows that the tush-push play in 2024 led to zero injuries. Banning the play would make no sense.

If it's being banned, it's simply because the #Eagles are too good at it—and that's not a valid reason. pic.twitter.com/4074tbZDJk
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) March 20, 2025

NFL team owners, not their head coaches, will vote on the tush push ban and other proposals during the Annual League Meeting in Florida this week. It's unclear whether the three ex-Eagles coaches could influence votes from their organizations, even assuming they wish to do so.

The Packers' proposal to ban the tush push needs to garner 24 of 32 votes to succeed.

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John Foley

Before joining OnPattison.com, John Foley was a Phillies beat writer for PHLY Sports and the founder of a popular independent Phillies newsletter. He has provided nontraditional local sports coverage since 2013. Foley grew up in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. He's a proud product of the Philadelphia public school system, a Penn State grad, and a Georgetown Law alum. A licensed attorney, he sits on the board of the Papermill Food Hub, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to helping families in need throughout the city. Find him on your favorite social media: @2008philz.