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The future of the tush push won’t be decided in the immediate future. NFL team owners had been set to vote on Green Bay’s proposal to ban the play that has helped the Philadelphia Eagles win one Super Bowl and reach another, but the motion was tabled until May. ESPN reported that 16 teams currently support a ban on the rush push. The NFL requires the approval of 24 teams to pass a change in rules.
Also on Tuesday, team owners approved modifying the kickoff rule, expanding replay assist and revising overtime rules.
Postponing the tush push vote means the debate will continue while teams gather more information. Proponents of the play and those who oppose it presented strong arguments while the league’s medical experts expressed safety concerns.
NFL Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay stressed the issues surrounding the play extend beyond safety because there’s not enough data to indicate the tush push is dangerous. The league already has said no injuries have been reported on a tush push.
“There are definitely some people that have health and safety concerns, but there’s just as many people that have football concerns,” McKay said. “So I wouldn’t say it was because of one particular health and safety video or discussion. It was much more about the play, the aesthetics of the play, is it part of what football has been traditionally, or is it more of a rugby play? All those types of discussions. Health and safety is still there because of potential but I wouldn’t go beyond that.”
The league prohibited pushing or pulling a player before a rule change in 2004. McKay said the Packers asked to pull the proposal so they could reintroduce the previous language, study it, and bring it up for discussion for a vote at the May meetings.
“It went to many different directions beyond health and safety,” McKay said of the 30 to 40-minute conversation. “Just the traditional-ness of the play, the idea that you could push another player, the idea that we prohibit pushing on the defense but we don’t prohibit it on the offense. It went in all those directions.”
As for changes that did pass, regular-season overtime rules will now match those in the playoffs and both teams will have a chance to get a possession even if the offense scores a touchdown on the opening drive. The proposal was amended to make overtime 10 minutes rather than 15 minutes.
Owners also approved a proposal from the NFL Competition Committee to allow replay assist to consult on-field officials to overrule objective calls such as facemask penalties, whether there was forcible contact to the head or neck area, horse-collar tackles or tripping if there was “clear and obvious” evidence that a foul didn’t occur. Replay also would be able to overturn a roughing-the-kicker or running-into-the-kicker penalty if video showed the defender made contact with the ball.
Replay assist could wipe out a foul only if it was incorrectly called, but it will not be used to throw a flag if a penalty wasn’t given. The dynamic kickoff rule becomes permanent, with touchbacks moving to the 35-yard line instead of the 30.
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Even though the league has said there haven’t been any injuries reported as a result of the tush push, the potential risk involved in Philadelphia’s version of the quarterback sneak has sparked intense discussions.
The Packers, who lost to the Eagles in a wildcard playoff game, also cited pace of play as a reason to consider eliminating the play. Rams coach Sean McVay is against the tush push but said on Tuesday morning he’d be surprised if it gets banned this week. Los Angeles also lost to Philadelphia in the playoffs.
Bills coach Sean McDermott is leading the push to get rid of the play, even though Buffalo used it more than any team other than the Eagles.
The Eagles began using the play in short-yardage situations in 2022. Two or three players line up behind quarterback Jalen Hurts and push him forward. Several other teams including the Bills began using it, but no team has matched Philadelphia’s success rate.
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