The Eagles’ ability to use the “Tush Push” in short-yardage plays will remain intact for now after NFL owners at the annual league meeting tabled the Green Bay Packers’ proposal to ban the play over player safety concerns. Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reported that 16 teams—half the league—would have voted in favor of banning the play, eight shy of the 24 needed to approve the measure.
Though the proposal could be revisited at the spring league meeting, which begins May 20, one NFL analyst believes the play should remain in the game and that teams pushing for a ban should reconsider their stance.
On Tuesday’s episode of NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football,” analyst Kyle Brandt said teams should stop making excuses, arguing that banning the play could lead to more injuries.
“You gotta stop with these flimsy, wispy injury concerns,” Brandt said. “The NFL, more than at any time in its history, is all over the injury front. I will say this again, and I want you guys to listen—by ‘you guys,’ I mean anyone looking to ban this. Don’t show up to the Tush Push gunfight with the pocketknife of injury concerns. Because if you do ban the Tush Push, instead of Jalen Hurts pushing his way into the end zone, he’s going to turn and hand it to Saquon (Barkley), who’s going to run a conventional play with a head start, more impact, and more collision. The old-fashioned running play at the goal line has a higher injury risk than the Tush Push.”
Brandt added that teams likely want to ban the play because they have to face the Eagles and don’t want to attempt to stop it.
“If there’s some other reason beyond this nonsense—‘It doesn’t look like football to me’—it’s because it’s kicking your (bleep) in football,” Brandt said. “That’s why you don’t like it. All I hear is ‘injury concern.’ It’s nonsense. ‘It doesn’t look like football.’ It’s stupid, desperate, and reaching. What else is there? Until I hear something better, you better not vote against this thing. And if you do, you’re only doing it because you know you have to go through the Eagles, and they do it better than anyone.”
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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.