To 'push' or not to 'push'... That, ladies and gentlemen, is the question. The annual league meeting came. There was a proverbial stalemate in the war vs. the Philadelphia Eagles and their famous play. We heard their was a deadlock with 16 votes on each side.
So, we placed a pin in the discussion. We promised we would revisit this later. We just didn't know this would come up again so soon. Why is the commissioner discussing this ahead of the second night of the NFL Draft of all places?
Roger Goodell's recent statement brings the Eagles' Tush Push back into question
Roger Goodell guested on The Pat McAfee Show. Guess what entered the discussion. So, this is what we're doing, huh? The NFL's Commissioner turned up the pressure cooker on one of pro football's most famous plays even though that seemingly isn't what he wa trying to do.
“Is that a football play is the question? A lot of coaches would tell you that’s not part of football. Maybe it’s rugby but it’s not us”
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) April 25, 2025
— Roger Goodell on the Tush Push
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32 picks of the 2025 NFL Draft have been made. Rounds 2 and 3 come on Friday. It seems like there would be so many other things to discuss, but our beloved 'Brotherly Shove' was front and center (again). Oh well... We might as well get into what was said.
First things first. The tush push is a quarterback sneak where teammates of the offensive signal-caller are allowed to push. We didn't make the changes to the rule. We certainly didn't invent quarterback sneaks, but that's absolutely a football play.
It has been a part of offensive playbooks for as long as we can remember. As a matter of fact, didn't Bart Starr run a damn QB sneak to win The Ice Bowl?
We get the safety portion. If guys are getting hurt, make an adjustment. Eliminate the ability to 'push', but to outlaw a play because one team executes it too well might be as ridiculous a move as one can be.
What's next? Do we ban A.J. Brown's slant route because he runs it too well? Do we outlaw an athletic QB's ability to scramble because every offensive signal-caller doesn't run a 4.4-second 40-yard dash?
Seriously, make it make sense as the kids always say. Further discussions about this dilemma are sure to follow. Maybe we're biased, but you can see which side we rest on.