The Eagles and their use of the “tush push” has been a main headline for most of the annual league meeting in West Palm Beach, Florida. Owners, general managers and coaches are debating whether to adopt a proposal submitted by the Green Bay Packers that would eliminate pushing a player forward, effectively banning the play. According to an ESPN reporter, some believe the proposal is a way to target the Eagles.
On Monday’s edition of NFL Live, ESPN NFL reporter Kalyn Kahler said she spoke to several NFL executives and coaches, and one believed the proposal was made out of spite.
“A general manager told me today that he feels like it is sour grapes,” Kahler said. “They are hiding behind player safety because there is no actual injury data. Another club executive said the proposal is weak and reeks of jealousy because it punishes one team, the Eagles, for being excellent at this play.”
Kahler added that in a Sunday discussion about the rule, which included general managers and coaches, the league office presented injury risks using modeling. They told the group that a serious neck injury could happen. Kahler said a few unidentified sources told her there could be another reason besides player safety for the proposal’s creation.
“I’ve talked to several sources who’ve told me that they don’t think player safety is the real reason,” Kahler said. “Multiple sources have said there isn’t any injury data to support the claim, and the league has said there is too small of a sample size of tush-push plays to make a definitive statement.”
For the proposal to pass, 24 of 32 owners would have to vote yes. The Eagles are one team that will vote no, but they could have some allies. During his availability at the league meeting Monday, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said he did not see a problem with the play being run. Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles shared the same sentiment during this year’s NFL combine.
If Sirianni’s former coordinators—Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints head coach), Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts head coach) and Jonathan Gannon (Arizona Cardinals head coach)—persuade their organizations to vote down the proposal, the Eagles would only need two more teams to vote no in order to run the play next season. It will be interesting to see how the Jets, Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans vote. Based on how their coaches spoke about the play Monday, the Eagles may have some allies on their side.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.