admin
The Philadelphia Eagles set off one of the biggest on-field controversies of the decade by throwing the game of football back to its roots. The Tush Push — or Brotherly Shove, whatever — was a rugby scrum-esque addition that took advantage of the team’s strength in the trenches and a backfield capable of squatting a combined 2,000 pounds. It guided the Eagles to a 72 percent conversion rate on fourth down and, vitally, a Super Bowl win last February.
Like any meteoric rise, the play had its detractors. Pushing an offensive ballcarrier forward from behind had previously been illegal in the league, but that rule was changed nearly two decades ago. The Eagles’ success brought that debate back up — ostensibly from a health standpoint, but also from a fairness one. After all, the other 31 teams could run the same play, but few could do it as well as Philly.
The blowback boiled to a head this offseason. The Green Bay Packers, losers to the Eagles twice in 2024, brought forth a proposal to ban the play. The language was vague and the reasoning murky. But it gained enough traction to be debated at Wednesday’s owners meeting, which included a half hour speech from Philadelphia owner Jeffery Lurie and testimony from former Eagle center Jason Kelce.
The league needed 24 votes to ban the play in 2025. In the end, it got 22. For at least one more season, Jalen Hurts will be able to surf over Cam Juergens with Saquon Barkley providing the wave behind him.
22 votes in favor suggest the issue isn’t settled yet. Another year of easy Eagles conversions or a serious injury on the play could lead to another vote next spring. A revised rule change with clearer language could turn two of those 10 “no” votes into yesses. But for now, Hurts can line up under center on third or fourth-and-short knowing he’s still got his full playbook available.
The rest of the league? They’ll have to find another way to stop it.
#Tush #Push #persisted
