Successful football teams often have an unstoppable weapon. Like for Army football, it’s the triple option. For the Tom Brady New England Patriots, it’s the two minute drill. For the current Philadelphia Eagles, it’s the tush push. For those who don’t know what that is, the tush push is basically when you line someone up right behind the ball carrier in short yard situations who then shoves them from behind to pick up the yard or so for a first down or touchdown. And at least for the Eagles, and the Buffalo Bills to a slightly lesser extent, it’s basically unstoppable.
That is, unless the NFL stops it. That is entirely possible, as the owners are considering banning this signature move as one of a few rule changes for next season, something they do fairly regularly to keep the game contemporary and commercial. They delayed the vote to the owners meeting in May, but as of now, 16 owners are on board. They need eight more to make it a law. Which would mean that Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts would need to find another way to cover the last yard en route to victory.
Oddly, this rule does primarily impact only two teams in the league – at least on the offensive side of the field. Of the 101 tush push calls last year, 65 were from the Eagles and the Bills. The Eagles alone scored 11 touchdowns and 32 first downs last year in route to a Super Bowl title. And the majority of Hurts’ career rushing touchdowns have come with an assist from behind. So make no mistake, taking this out of the playbook will change how and if Philly can win close games. Because running a ball in on your own or trying to pass for short yardage is way harder than the battering ram approach, which is successful upwards of 90% of the time for the Eagles. At the very least, fourth and one becomes a lot more interesting.
Now Eagles fans and coaches will tell you two things. One, there’s nothing inherently wrong with the play, even though doctors have suggested this is basically a catastrophic injury waiting to happen. And second, if it’s such an easy play, why doesn’t everyone do it. Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said their success comes through strategy and the unnatural length strength of their QB. So other teams are more than welcome to model that success, just like they can recruit a kicker with more range or a defensive back with faster wheels. The reality is, while some teams have run the play, few can execute like Philly. So banning a play feels like a punishment to two teams who admittedly have won a ton of games the past few years.
There’s a few things to consider here, all of which can be confounded if you’re either a) a fan of the Eagles or maybe the Bills, or b) if you hate either the Eagles or maybe the Bills. First, this problem only came to be because of a rule change in 2005 that let you push offensive players. Before that, this whole thing, and other plays like it were against the rules. Which should serve as a reminder that there are always unintended consequences, one reason rule changes should be made with caution and foresight. Second, let’s not pretend that the tush push isn’t an awful play that largely takes the sport back 50 years. There is little less exciting than tuning in to see some of the most gifted athletes in the world only to watch what looks like a slow motion train wreck. So regardless of what side you’re on, at least acknowledge it’s not fun to watch.
And perhaps that’s the answer here. The goal of the NFL and professional football isn’t just to create a fair product. It’s foster an entertaining one where games are close and endings are undetermined. The tush push fails on both counts, robbing us of both the athleticism of a goal line pass option and the anxiety of wondering if they’ll score and who might win. So the owners considering banning the best named play since the fumbleroosky aren’t punishing two teams, even if that might be an after effect. They’re protecting the game, which is both their purgative and imperative, at least financially.
Which means that the Bills and the Eagles might soon need to look for a new weapon.
Keith Strudler is the Dean of the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University. You can follow him at @KeithStrudler.
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