The Packers are proposing to ban the Tush Push, but only the Eagles have perfected it.
The Packers are proposing to ban the Tush Push, but only the Eagles have perfected it.Chris Szagola/Associated Press
The 32 NFL owners will convene in Palm Beach, Fla., March 30-April 2 to discuss league business and vote on a handful of proposed rule changes.
This year’s proposals, released Wednesday by the NFL, can be separated into four categories: the good, the reasonable, the petty, and the self-serving.
In addition to the team proposals, the competition committee will recommend several rule changes, including an adjustment to the kickoff rules and significant changes to the onside kick. The NFL will publicize those proposals next week.
As for the team proposals, first the “good”: The Lions’ proposal to amend Rule 8, Section 4 to eliminate the automatic first down for defensive holding and illegal contact. The Lions’ rationale states it best: “Current penalty enforcement is too punitive for the defense.”
There are few plays more infuriating than when an offense is gifted a first down for a 5-yard defensive holding penalty on third and 16.
A 5-yard penalty and replay of down is sufficient, but if the owners truly want to punish the defense, make it a 10-yard penalty. The automatic first down is grossly unfair for the defense.
This is the first time a team has proposed this change, and I’m not confident that it will get the 24 votes to pass. But credit to the Lions for getting the conversation started.
Next are the “reasonable,” which applies to a few proposals.
The Eagles, who didn’t play an overtime game in 2024, want uniformity between regular-season and playoff overtime. The Eagles propose that the playoff rules be adopted for the regular season — a 15-minute period with both teams guaranteed a possession. The current regular-season OT rules call for a 10-minute period, and the game ends if the team possessing the ball first scores a touchdown.
The NFL cut overtime to 10 minutes in 2017 out of player safety concerns, citing a higher injury rate because of fatigue. But the Eagles’ proposal is sensible and equitable.
So is the proposal by seven teams (Baltimore, Cleveland, Houston, Las Vegas, Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Washington) to allow clubs to prepare kicking balls before game day, similar to the process for game balls. The reason given is “to eliminate a burdensome and unnecessary process on game day.”
Currently, teams open a fresh box of K-balls on game day, which requires a lengthy breaking-in process. The teams propose that each team gets 60 K-balls at the beginning of the season, and submits their three to the referee for pregame inspection, along with their 24 quarterback footballs. Sounds fine to me, as long as the equipment person doesn’t stop in the bathroom for 90 seconds before bringing the footballs out to the field.
The Commanders want teams that may qualify for the postseason to be able to scout potential opponents in Weeks 17 and 18. And for teams that host wild-card games to provide scouting credentials for each playoff team in the conference. Sure, why not?
And the Steelers want teams to be able to have one video or phone call with a player during the two-day free agency negotiating period, and to be able to make travel arrangements to sign a contract (currently, teams can only speak to players’ agents). Can’t see a reason for owners to vote no on this one.
Then we get to the “petty.” The Packers want to amend Rule 12, Section 1, “to prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap,” with the punishment a 10-yard penalty.
In other words, they want to ban the Tush Push, the short-yardage play that the Eagles, and only the Eagles, have perfected. The Packers faced the Eagles twice in 2024, and actually stopped the Tush Push twice in their Week 1 game in Brazil, but couldn’t stop Jalen Hurts’s only attempt in the Eagles’ wild-card win.
The competition committee has yet to advocate for eliminating the play. The Packers cite “player safety” as a reason, but NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent said in February that the league didn’t see one injury on the play during the 2024 season.
And over the last two years, the league has been wary about eliminating a play that essentially amounts to punishing just the Eagles, since they’re the only team that executes the play frequently. The Bills tried the Tush Push in the AFC Championship game, and Josh Allen got stuffed on 4 of 5 attempts.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen got stuffed by the Chiefs on 4 of 5 Tush Push attempts in the AFC Championship game.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen got stuffed by the Chiefs on 4 of 5 Tush Push attempts in the AFC Championship game.Jamie Squire/Getty
It’s possible that the Packers can find 23 other owners who agree with them, but I wouldn’t count on their crusade against the Tush Push going anywhere.
Finally is the “self-serving,” which is a bylaw proposal by the Lions to seed playoff teams by best record, regardless if they are a division winner or wild-card team.
The 15-2 Lions earned the No. 1 playoff seed and home-field advantage with their Week 18 win over the Vikings. But a loss would have dropped the Lions to the No. 5 seed and the top wild-card spot, as happened to the 14-3 Vikings. The Vikings had the third-best record in the NFC (tied with the Eagles) but were seeded fifth behind the 10-7 Buccaneers and 10-7 Rams, forcing the Vikings to play all their playoff games on the road, where they promptly got blown out by the Rams in the wild-card round.
The Vikings, seeded fifth in the NFC despite a 14-3 record, got blown out by the host Rams in the wild-card round.
The Vikings, seeded fifth in the NFC despite a 14-3 record, got blown out by the host Rams in the wild-card round.Norm Hall/Getty
The Lions cite “competitive equity” for the new seeding proposal, as it “rewards the best-performing teams from the regular season.” The Lions also argue that it “provides excitement and competition in late-season games.”
But owners have long been in favor of prioritizing division winners with home playoff games, and don’t seem inclined to change the system just because the Lions and Vikings got squeezed in 2024. Plus, a new seeding rule would have taken a lot of excitement out of that Week 18 Lions-Vikings game, if the loser still would have gotten a home playoff game the next week.
Ben Volin can be reached at ben.volin@globe.com.