Aside from a rough finish to the 2023 season, the Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the top two teams in the NFL. Their standout move during this stretch, capped off by a dominant victory in Super Bowl LIX, is the “tush push.”
This version of the quarterback sneak has been highly successful since the Eagles introduced it a few seasons ago. However, there is growing momentum across the league to have the play banned, with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie voicing his opposition to the proposal.
A push to ban the play, led by the Green Bay Packers and team executive Mark Murphy, has gained traction recently and was even voted on during the league’s meetings this week. The vote split evenly, with half of the league in favor and the other half opposed. ESPN shared details on the vote.
NFL owners have decided to delay the vote on the Eagles’ short-yardage “tush push” after discussing the proposed ban during the meetings, league officials confirmed. The Packers introduced the proposal, which received backing from 16 NFL teams, but still fell short of the required 24 votes needed for approval. The issue will likely be revisited at the owners’ spring meeting in May 2025 in Eagan, Minnesota.
The discussions dominated much of the week’s annual meetings, primarily because the proposal seemed to target the Super Bowl LIX champions for a play that has proven nearly unstoppable over the last few seasons. The Packers’ proposal was specifically aimed at banning the play, unlike most rule suggestions, and would prevent an offensive player from immediately pushing a teammate positioned behind the center to receive the snap.
Lurie, who has owned the Eagles since 1994 and overseen the team’s most successful eras, is firmly against banning the play.
Lurie has made strong arguments in defense of the move. If studies show that the play doesn’t lead to more injuries, what grounds do proponents of the ban have to stand on?
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