PALM BEACH, Florida – Break up the champs.
Or at least burn a page in the Philadelphia Eagles playbook.
That possibility sums up the hottest topic of debate during an otherwise mellow round of meetings this week for NFL owners, with passion flowing all across the swanky resort.
Sure, you may have thought the question of whether Philadelphia’s signature “tush push” short-yardage play should be allowed was vetted a couple of years ago. It was. Yet with a proposal by the Green Bay Packers to ban the play apparently gaining steam, NFL owners are expected to vote Tuesday on whether or not the play stands.
Memo to NFL owners: Don’t ban it. Just beat it.
It will take 24 votes to scrap the play where teammates push Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts from behind in a rugby-style mashup that has become pretty automatic for securing first downs or touchdowns for the defending Super Bowl champs.
It’s tough to predict how the votes will fall, especially with the Packers’ proposal gaining some support among competition committee members, according to ESPN.com.
Yet it’s easier to gauge certain sentiments among some coaches.
“There’s a lot of different plays that you have to defend that the offense does well, and that particular play you have to defend it,” New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said during his media breakfast session on Monday.
“It’s also tough to defend Lamar Jackson when he runs the ball. So, I’m all in favor of getting rid of those plays that are tough to defend,” Vrabel added with his tongue in cheek.
Although other teams have tried variations of the play, the Eagles and Buffalo Bills are the only two teams that used it for more than five plays last season. And the Eagles used it a lot more – converting for first downs or touchdowns on 39 of the 48 plays (81.3%) they ran last season.
So, it’s undoubtedly an anti-Philly proposal…which can make you wonder if it’s boosted by some old-fashioned jealousy.
The Packers (whose season ended in January with a loss at Philadelphia in the NFC divisional playoffs) and other proponents of banning the play point to health and safety concerns. That’s always a good way to move the needle when it comes to changing a rule in the NFL.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is more than happy to wait for quarterback Aaron Rodgers
Yet in this case, the data just doesn’t support that the “tush push” presents an excessive injury risk. There were zero injuries sustained last season – as in none or nada – on “tush push” plays. Of course, the play looks awkward, with linemen often pushing from prone positions that expose the backs of their necks. And defenders have tried to stop it by jumping over the pile, sometimes landing on their head.
“It’s two things,” Bills coach Sean McDermott maintained on Monday as he doubled down on previously expressed concerns that puts him on the side of banning the play. “It’s added force, number one. And the posture of the players being asked to execute the play. That’s where my concern comes in.”
That McDermott has been such a vocal supporter of the proposal is striking when considering his team has used the play more than any team besides the Eagles over the past three years. McDermott, though, realizes that the Bills use other short-yardage plays that utilize his strapping quarterback, Josh Allen, as a power runner.
Yet still: Zero “tush push” injuries. Doesn’t that key stat diffuse the argument?
“It’s just not a large enough sample size in terms of the number of plays executed, whether it’s in 2024 or just in general,” Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said.
In other words, with the “tush push” used for such a small percentage of plays — 101 of the 35,414 plays league-wide in 2024, according to ESPN research – it is difficult to draw conclusions.
Tomlin, like McDermott, is a member of the league’s competition committee with a deeper perspective than most on matters involving rules. Tomlin said Monday that he is still “open-minded,” but pointed out that similar techniques on field goal attempts have been banned.
“The first time I saw it, I couldn’t believe it was legal,” Tomlin said of the play the Eagles installed in 2022. “You know, you hate to be against it because people are innovative. You want to respect that. And so there’s certainly been some teams that have been more innovative than the rest of us…and you hate to penalize them for that.”
That point resonates with a number of coaches. Although it’s the owners who will actually vote on the proposal, some will be heavily influenced by their coaches and GMs.
Count Aaron Glenn, the new New York Jets coach, in the camp that doesn’t favor the proposed ban.
“They’ve done a good job creating a play that’s unstoppable,” Glenn, previously the Detroit Lions defensive coordinator, told reporters. “In my defensive coaching mentality, my job is to stop that play. Our job is to stop that play.”
Conversely, Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris was adamant during the NFL combine a few weeks ago with his belief that the play should be outlawed with a not-so-brotherly shove.
The votes will be counted soon enough.
“We’ll see where it goes,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said, at least partially joking during an NFL Network on Sunday as he pondered the influence of three former coordinators. “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 three, I better have those three votes right there and the Eagles’ vote. I at least know we have four.”
With a debate that will probably rage on regardless of the vote.
Follow Jarrett Bell on social media: @JarrettBell