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As its dominance fades and scrutiny grows, the future of the Eagles’ most polarizing play is suddenly less certain.
The tush push, a play beloved by Philadelphia Eagles fans and hated by most everyone else, has been more than 90% successful in fourth-and-1 scenarios, according to ESPN.
That’s one reason why NFL team owners tried to ban it after last season. The play survived, but complaints continue to abound, particularly relating to officiating, safety and optics.
Also called the “Brotherly Shove,” it’s a modified quarterback sneak, in which Jalen Hurts takes the snap and the offensive line plunges forward with two players pushing him from behind to make a touchdown or a small but critical gain.
Even physicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has called the play unstoppable, once saying, “I’m happy to chalk this up as another inevitable consequence of the laws of physics manifest in this universe.”
This year, the Birds have not been as successful with the play as in previous seasons, dropping from an around 80% success rate on all attempts to below 70%. Sports Illustrated is even saying the tush push “might be dead.” But the team is still running it and iterating on it, with running back Saquon Barkley recently scoring on a fake tush push.
While we wait to see if another vote to ban will take place after this season, let’s examine the history of the tush push and what may lie ahead for the infamous play.
How the Eagles imported the tush push
College and professional football teams have attempted versions of the play in the past, and some have incorporated it into their playbooks, but none have done so as wholeheartedly as the Eagles — as evidenced by this Eagles fan-created tush push tracker.
Its Philly connection traces back to 2020, when Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni ran the play with quarterback Jacoby Brissett.
After Sirianni became the Eagles head coach, they began solidifying it in the team playbook in 2022. Richie Gray, a former rugby player and coach from Scotland, helped advise the team on how to perfect the play.
After last season, the Green Bay Packers spearheaded an attempt to ban the tush push. Twenty-two team owners voted in favor of the ban, but according to league rules, 24 are needed. So, the Brotherly Shove lives on.
But that doesn’t mean NFL fans are happy with the decision. In a recent poll from The Athletic, a little more than half of respondents said they wanted the play banned.