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The Philadelphia Eagles’ reaction to the Tush Push surviving is exactly why the NFL will be able to kill the play in the near future. Instead of breathing a sigh of relief and moving on after a proposal to ban the play barely failed, the Eagles took a victory lap. The result will be the league and its owners regrouping and eliminating the play as soon as they can.
After the vote to kill the Tush Push fell just two votes short (22-10) of the required 75%, Philadelphia’s social team released a video on YouTube featuring 26 minutes of Tush Push plays, and a Nike-style victory ad on X with the caption “Push On.” That would be an understandable reaction from a group of fans. For a team to OK those posts is declaring war on the NFL.
The Eagles have made this debate personal. The only goal should be to keep the play alive. Not to rub it in the rest of the league’s face. What end does bragging serve? A cold, calculated reaction would have been more effective because the Tush Push is still very much in peril.
The NFL isn’t trying to hide its contempt for the rugby-style play. Competition Committee chair Rich McKay raised concerns about the “aesthetics of the play.” There’s widespread speculation that the league was able to force the Packers to propose the rule change because Green Bay doesn’t have a traditional owner. If that’s how this went down, there’s nothing to stop commissioner Roger Goodell from finding another team to come after the play next offseason. Simple proposal: Go after the Tush Push at the next league meeting and we’ll give you the NFL Draft in a couple of years.
The league was overconfident and sloppy in its approach this offseason. Green Bay’s original proposal attempted to outlaw a play with an “immediate push” after the snap. That language specifically targeted the Eagles in a way that felt unfair. The Packers revised their proposal to stop pushing the runner at any point of the play... complying to the rule that existed before 2005. If they had started at that point, the proposal would have had a chance to build momentum and pass. Expect the NFL to start its efforts next offseason with the total ban of pushing or pulling.
While the Eagles benefit from the Tush Push, other teams have become proficient at pushing their running backs forward when they’re in a scrum. Those plays are unfair to the defense because it’s never clear when the officials call them dead. If a defender takes a shot at the running back who’s being held up, he risks drawing a flag. The NFL would probably be just fine with all of it going away.
The Tush Push already got a lot of attention last season. It will be under a microscope from Week 1 this year. If a player so much as breaks a fingernail, the league’s medical officers will rush onto the field to document it. The NFL has no fear of going overboard when it has an agenda. For more than a decade, it went after the New England Patriots for anything it could find. Remember when the league commissioned the “Wells Report” because Tom Brady may have deflated a few footballs? They published a 243-page manifesto on a little bit of air pressure.
Igniting a feud with the NFL might sound like fun, and the Patriots still won Super Bowls. But it seems like an unnecessary fight for an Eagles team that is in great shape with or without the Tush Push. Goodell will commission a massive team of lawyers and doctors to build a better case down the road. The Eagles are going have to use real resources to fight back and ultimately lose to a league that doesn’t let go of grudges.
In addition to protecting the play, the Eagles seemed to have an alternative agenda at the league meeting. They’re creating an us-vs.-the rest of the NFL narrative to use as fuel next season. That explains trolling the Packers and releasing the Tush Push highlight video. While that might work in the short term... isn’t protecting the play more important than creating bulletin board material? They’re the Eagles — most people outside Philly don’t like the team anyway.
The Eagles won’t do it, but mixing in a running back carry or a traditional sneak could be wise to lower the temperature in the room. It would also help people who have Saquon Barkley on their fantasy team. They have the best roster in the league. They don’t need the Tush Push to win most of their games. If they reduced the frequency, the NFL would have less of a case to come after it next offseason.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie and the rest of the team are letting pride get in the way of efficiency. They should have taken the victory and moved on. They won the battle but they’re going to lose this war and the Tush Push will fade into NFL history as a strange anomaly that helped Philadelphia become the best team in the NFL.
(Here’s the 26 minutes of tush push if you want)
Tush Push Lives ... but the Eagles Aren’t Doing Themselves Any Favors first appeared on Athlon Sports on May 22, 2025
Continue reading...
After the vote to kill the Tush Push fell just two votes short (22-10) of the required 75%, Philadelphia’s social team released a video on YouTube featuring 26 minutes of Tush Push plays, and a Nike-style victory ad on X with the caption “Push On.” That would be an understandable reaction from a group of fans. For a team to OK those posts is declaring war on the NFL.
The Eagles have made this debate personal. The only goal should be to keep the play alive. Not to rub it in the rest of the league’s face. What end does bragging serve? A cold, calculated reaction would have been more effective because the Tush Push is still very much in peril.
The NFL isn’t trying to hide its contempt for the rugby-style play. Competition Committee chair Rich McKay raised concerns about the “aesthetics of the play.” There’s widespread speculation that the league was able to force the Packers to propose the rule change because Green Bay doesn’t have a traditional owner. If that’s how this went down, there’s nothing to stop commissioner Roger Goodell from finding another team to come after the play next offseason. Simple proposal: Go after the Tush Push at the next league meeting and we’ll give you the NFL Draft in a couple of years.
The league was overconfident and sloppy in its approach this offseason. Green Bay’s original proposal attempted to outlaw a play with an “immediate push” after the snap. That language specifically targeted the Eagles in a way that felt unfair. The Packers revised their proposal to stop pushing the runner at any point of the play... complying to the rule that existed before 2005. If they had started at that point, the proposal would have had a chance to build momentum and pass. Expect the NFL to start its efforts next offseason with the total ban of pushing or pulling.
While the Eagles benefit from the Tush Push, other teams have become proficient at pushing their running backs forward when they’re in a scrum. Those plays are unfair to the defense because it’s never clear when the officials call them dead. If a defender takes a shot at the running back who’s being held up, he risks drawing a flag. The NFL would probably be just fine with all of it going away.
The Tush Push already got a lot of attention last season. It will be under a microscope from Week 1 this year. If a player so much as breaks a fingernail, the league’s medical officers will rush onto the field to document it. The NFL has no fear of going overboard when it has an agenda. For more than a decade, it went after the New England Patriots for anything it could find. Remember when the league commissioned the “Wells Report” because Tom Brady may have deflated a few footballs? They published a 243-page manifesto on a little bit of air pressure.
Igniting a feud with the NFL might sound like fun, and the Patriots still won Super Bowls. But it seems like an unnecessary fight for an Eagles team that is in great shape with or without the Tush Push. Goodell will commission a massive team of lawyers and doctors to build a better case down the road. The Eagles are going have to use real resources to fight back and ultimately lose to a league that doesn’t let go of grudges.
In addition to protecting the play, the Eagles seemed to have an alternative agenda at the league meeting. They’re creating an us-vs.-the rest of the NFL narrative to use as fuel next season. That explains trolling the Packers and releasing the Tush Push highlight video. While that might work in the short term... isn’t protecting the play more important than creating bulletin board material? They’re the Eagles — most people outside Philly don’t like the team anyway.
The Eagles won’t do it, but mixing in a running back carry or a traditional sneak could be wise to lower the temperature in the room. It would also help people who have Saquon Barkley on their fantasy team. They have the best roster in the league. They don’t need the Tush Push to win most of their games. If they reduced the frequency, the NFL would have less of a case to come after it next offseason.
Owner Jeffrey Lurie and the rest of the team are letting pride get in the way of efficiency. They should have taken the victory and moved on. They won the battle but they’re going to lose this war and the Tush Push will fade into NFL history as a strange anomaly that helped Philadelphia become the best team in the NFL.
(Here’s the 26 minutes of tush push if you want)
Related: The One Play That Could Determine the Future of the Tush Push
Related: 5 Reasons the Chiefs Will Never Overtake the Cowboys As ‘America’s Team’
Related: 5 Reasons the Chiefs Will Never Overtake the Cowboys As ‘America’s Team’
Tush Push Lives ... but the Eagles Aren’t Doing Themselves Any Favors first appeared on Athlon Sports on May 22, 2025
Continue reading...
