As the NFL Spring League Meeting approaches, debate over the Philadelphia Eagles’ controversial “tush push” play has intensified. With a vote on a revised rule proposal expected this week, one NFL analyst, Kyle Brandt, has passionately defended the play, warning that banning it may only fuel the Eagles’ dominance, not stop it.
Kyle Brandt Speaks Up on Eagles’ Tush Push Play Getting Banned
In a recent segment of “Good Morning Football,” Brandt dissected the three primary objections to the tush push: fairness, tradition, and safety, and categorically rejected each one.
Final argument before the Tush Push vote pic.twitter.com/XKHeO8VhSb
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt)
On the first point, the widely cited “player safety” concern, he said, “I don’t buy it. I’ve never bought it. I think that screaming safety into a crowded theater in 2025 and hoping it works, I don’t think this is a collision play. I think a standard inside handoff is more of a safety concern than the tush push.”
Critics also argue that the play isn’t real football. He quickly rejected that notion: “It’s exactly football. Your side pushes, our side pushes. Who can push harder? This is Princeton Rutgers in 1869. This is the roots of football.” He added that fans who complain about the loss of physicality in football shouldn’t turn around and “start whining when you get a 22-man Royal Rumble at the goal line.”
As for the claim that the play is unstoppable, the analyst noted the Eagles’ success is due to execution, not unfairness. “It can be stopped. It just can’t be stopped by your team,” he said, referencing how the Buffalo Bills failed twice in the AFC title game despite having a bigger quarterback in Josh Allen.
Brandt then issued a bold prediction if the tush push is banned: “Saquon’s going to have 40 touchdowns next year.” With players like Saquon Barkley and A.J. Dillon behind the Eagles’ elite offensive line, he believes the team will still dominate short-yardage situations. And they’ll do it with added motivation.
“If you make the tush push a martyr, it’s like saying when you strike me down, I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine,” he said, warning the league that banning the play could create a stronger identity and cause for the Eagles.
According to the NFL’s Monday announcement, the revised proposal introduced by the Green Bay Packers seeks to ban all forms of assisting a runner, including pushing, pulling, or lifting in any direction. If passed, this rule change would effectively end the Eagles’ signature “Brotherly Shove” formation.
Still, he concluded defiantly, “Either way, I think the Eagles win this one.”