GREEN BAY, Wis. – NFL teams at the spring meeting in Minneapolis on Wednesday will vote on a proposal to ban the Tush Push, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.
The Green Bay Packers are the public face of Commissioner Roger Goodell’s desire to do away with the short-yardage play run with great success by the Philadelphia Eagles, among other teams.
Here is the official language from the revised proposal submitted by the Packers.
Here is the official proposal to ban the Tush Push
Here is the official proposal to ban the Tush Push / NFL
The wording isn’t only aimed at the Tush Push. Rather, it would prohibit “an offensive player from pushing, pulling, lifting, or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.” Eliminated from the original proposal is the phrase “immediately at the snap.”
Banning the play would require a three-fourths vote – or 24 of 32 teams.
“Really wasn’t a huge part of drafting the proposal or anything like that, but I’m very much in support of it,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the NFL owners meetings on April 1.
“I think the medical professionals at the league have high concerns about putting players in positions that could lead to catastrophic injuries. I think this is something that needs to be discussed and we need to be proactive with it rather than be reactive on that.”
It’s not just a sour-grapes proposal by the Packers. The Buffalo Bills, who also are frequent users of the play, seem to favor a ban.
“I feel where I’m most concerned is, even though there is not significant data out there to this point, my biggest concern is the health and safety of the players, first and foremost,” Bills coach Scott McDermott told reporters on April 1.
“It’s two things. It’s force – added force – No. 1, and then the posture of the players, being asked to execute that type of play, that’s where my concern comes in.”
According to ESPN, the Eagles and Bills ran 163 tush-push plays the past three seasons – more than the rest of the league combined. They gained a first down or scored a touchdown 87 percent of the time.
Former NFL coach Mike Smith spoke out against the play, comparing it to the Flying Wedge of yesteryear.
“If I was alive and a fan of football back then, I wouldn’t want to watch a bunch of guys marching like an army with the football back and forth,” he told Betway. “So, I’m not a fan of the look of the tush push. I’ve always asked myself why is this legal?
“It doesn’t make sense to me that you can grab a runner and just push them over the line. It’s a successful play but it’s not a great play.”
The impetus behind outlawing the Tush Push – player safety – is what was on Smith’s mind.
“It’s also an ugly play,” he added, “and I’m not just saying that because I have a defensive background.”
Also on Wednesday, teams are expected to vote on a proposal that would seed playoff teams based on record. No longer would teams like the Packers, who finished 11-6 last season but in third place in the NFC North, be seeded behind division-winning teams with fewer wins.
This is how last year’s playoffs would have been seeded (with their actual seeding in parentheses).
No. 1 (was No. 1): Detroit Lions (NFC North champion): 15-2
No. 2 (was No. 2): Philadelphia Eagles (NFC East champion): 14-3
No. 3 (was No. 5): Minnesota Vikings (NFC North No. 2): 14-3
No. 4 (was No. 6): Washington Commanders (NFC East No. 2): 12-5
No. 5 (was No. 7): Green Bay Packers (NFC North No. 3): 11-6
No. 6 (was No. 3): Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC South champion): 10-7
No. 7 (was No. 4): Los Angeles Rams (NFC West champion): 10-7
So, instead of seventh-seeded Green Bay at Philadelphia, it would have been fifth-seeded Green Bay at fourth-seeded Washington.
The goal is to increase “excitement and competition in late-season games.”
As is the case under the current format, the No. 1 seed would get a first-round bye, No. 2 would host No. 7, No. 3 would host No. 6 and No. 4 would host No. 5. In the divisional round, the No. 1 seed would host the lowest remaining seed.