The status of the Tush Push has made headlines in the past 24 hours, as reports came out that a surprise team, which ended up being the Green Bay Packers, voted to abolish the play.
Then, one day later at the NFL combine, coaches and execs were asked about the play, and the Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris ripped the play, quickly becoming one of the staunchest supporters in banning the play.
Raheem Morris Rips Tush Push
It will not be for a couple of months when teams can vote, but count Morris and the Falcons as one of the teams that will vote to ban the Tush Push. He had this to say when asked about the Philadelphia Eagles’ signature play:
“It should’ve been illegal three years ago… I’ve never been a big fan. There’s no other play in our game where you can absolutely get behind somebody and push them, pull them off, do anything.”
As mentioned earlier, the Packers were the surprise team that officially requested to have it be put to a vote to have the play banned. In order for the vote to pass, 24 teams need to vote in favor of banning the play.
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst confirmed that they were the team that proposed the Tush Push ban, but he did not quite provide the same colorful detail when asked about it. All he had to say was that the Packers “haven’t been very successful against it.”
One argument that the Packers and Falcons will not likely have in their favor is that the Tush Push causes more injuries than a typical play. Per Judy Battista of NFL.com, the Tush Push is “run so infrequently that there isn’t enough injury data for the league to push for a ban based on injuries alone.”
NFL players have long been unable to pick the runner up and carry them, of course, but there are not currently any rules about the runner being unable to be pushed from behind.
If the Tush Push does get banned, the question becomes if the play can be modified so that the QB sneak itself is still legal, just that players will be unable to “push” the “tush” of the QB.
One situation that does occur from time to time is plays where the runner with the ball, whether it is a WR, RB, or QB, runs into a wall of defenders, and ends up being pushed forward from the offensive line to gain extra yards.
So, if the NFL does end up banning the Tush Push, it will be curious to see how they address these situations as well.