After losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round and Week 1 of the 2024 NFL regular season, the Green Bay Packers are sick of the tush push. In fact, they were so bothered by the tush push, that they pitched to get the play banned in the NFL, per Dianna Russini on X.
“The Green Bay Packers are the team that submitted a proposal to the NFL’s competition committee to ban the tush push, per sources,” Russini wrote.
For those unaware of what the tush push is — if there are any of you out there — it’s essentially a play the Eagles have popularized for short-yardage situations. The play has been pushed to be banned by a small group of teams, though it’s still legal.
Jalen Hurts — a quarterback who can squat 600 pounds — starts under center, with multiple players behind him.
Once the ball is hiked, the Eagles’ offensive line — also one of the best in the NFL — makes a pathway of destruction, allowing Hurts to lunge forward to gain the yardage necessary.
If Hurts can’t get in on his own, the players behind him push his tush, giving him extra assistance from the back.
And while teams — like the Packers — might say it’s an overpowered play, the Buffalo Bills proved that’s not the case, when they went 0-for-4 on tush push attempts with Josh Allen against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
For those unaware of the size comparison of Hurts and Allen, here you go:
- Jalen Hurts: 6-foot-1, 223 pounds
- Josh Allen: 6-foot-5, 237 pounds
So, when looking at their size, the idea that Allen struggled with it should show there’s more to it than being a big quarterback.
The Eagles just have a quarterback who can squat 600 pounds being pushed by Saquon Barkley — who can also squat around 600 pounds — in front of arguably the best offensive line in the NFL.
It’s not that the play is overpowered. The Eagles are the perfect team to run the tush push efficiently.
Clearly, the Packers have a strong reason for wanting the tush push banned, right?
Well…
Why do the Packers want to ban the tush push?
After the 2024 season concluded, Packers president Mark Murphy got asked about his thoughts on the tush push, and he didn’t hold back.
“I am not a fan of this play,” Murphy said. “There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less. The series of plays with the Commanders jumping offsides in the NFC Championship Game to try to stop the play was ridiculous. The referee even threatened to give the Eagles an automatic touchdown if the Commanders did not stop it. I would like to see the league prohibit pushing or aiding the runner (QB) on this play.
“There used to be a rule prohibiting this, but it is no longer enforced because I believe it was thought to be too hard for the officials to see. The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak. That worked pretty well for Bart Starr and the Packers in the Ice Bowl.”
So, in a nutshell, Murphy thinks it’s an overpowered play that favors just the team performing it, giving no chance to the team defending it.
And if this was just a gripe about the Eagles doing it, sure. That’s a fair criticism. They’ve perfected the tush push, and teams have tried replicating it.
Even the Packers.
But if it’s as skillless and easy as Murphy made it out to be, why couldn’t the Packers succeed using it?
Interesting.
Maybe instead of trying to get the NFL to ban the tush push, the Packers should stick to figuring out a way to stop it.
Or, if they can’t stop it, learn to make it work for their offense. That’s how the NFL is; it’s a copycat league. When something works, other teams want to try it, not ban it.
But, it’s just a thought.
