At their spring meetings, NFL owners postponed a vote on banning the tush push to a later date, presumably in May.
The Eagles began using the now-controversial play in 2022.
In 2023, they were successful on 88% of their tush push attempts.
Many around the NFL questioned if the Eagles would still have the same level of success in 2024 without future Hall of Fame Center Jason Kelce.
Though the efficiency was only modestly reduced, the Eagles still converted 81% of their attempts (39 of 48) and won the Super Bowl in February.
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That was enough to get Packers CEO and team president Mark Murphy to say the play was “bad for the game” due to its near automatic success rate.
In February, Murphy specifically wrote: “There is no skill involved, and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less…I would like to see the league prohibit pushing or aiding the runner (QB) on this play.”
Several weeks later, an actual rule change proposal was created to ban the play, with medical professionals getting behind the movement.
The theory was twofold.
First, the body alignment of the players involved, coupled with the force generated by the scrum of players pushing forward, is dangerous to the health and safety of players.
Second, defensive players are not allowed to push one another, so offensive players should not be allowed to do it, either.
It is quite difficult to stop the play because the only means to offset the force offensive players generate by pushing one another would be for the defensive players to attempt to generate similar force by pushing one another, but current rules prohibit defensive players from pushing one another.
With all the focus on the tush push itself, it’s almost comical how some teams are so against the tush push but overlook the easiest way to convert in short yardage situations themselves.