The Green Bay Packers issued a proposal to the NFL not too long ago to ban the “tush push,” the variation on the old quarterback sneak play where an offensive lineman pushes a team’s quarterback forward.
While a number of teams have used the play, the Philadelphia Eagles have routinely run it in third and fourth-and-short situations over the last couple of years, and it helped them win last season’s Super Bowl championship.
One argument in favor of banning the play is that it is supposedly a dangerous play that could directly lead to serious injuries.
The vote to perhaps ban the “tush push” has been tabled for a little while, but Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie asserted that there is no proof that it is a dangerous play.
“There isn’t injury data. It’s a precision play. … It’s a play available to every other team in the league.”
#Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie on the Tush Push ban being tabled until May:
There isn’t injury data. It’s a precision play. … It’s a play available to every other team in the league. pic.twitter.com/AXOAk0t05f
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) April 1, 2025
While player safety is a major issue for the NFL, the other side of the argument as far as the “tush push” is concerned is that it would be unfair to ban something just because a team has mastered it.
When last season started, Philly was coming off a 2023 campaign during which it started 10-1 but lost five of their last six regular-season games and got slammed in the wild-card round of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
They were one of the NFL’s worst defensive teams that season, and they responded by bringing in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, and the result was one of football’s best defenses in 2024.
The Eagles also have one of the game’s best offensive lines, which has helped them run the “tush push” to near perfection.
