THE 'TUSH PUSH' NEEDS TO STAY, AND HERE'S WHY

Brian Baldinger - On the Eagles

The Tush Push has garnered national attention for 2 years. Should it stay or should it go? I like it and I think it should stay.

I understand that it has been increasingly difficult to officiate and I am not entirely sure why.

I asked the director of officiating at a league meeting a few summers back about how they view the play and when they should blow the whistle.

He simply stated that when forward momentum stops they were instructed to blow the whistle and stop the play. That also meant that as soon as the ball carrier started turning sideways that forward momentum should stop. It seemed clear to me.

It has been anything but clear this season. We have see camera angles where players line up in the neutral zone, where players begin to move before the snap, where defensive players almost purposely jump off sides knowing that the offense might only gain a few extra inches.

That occurred against the Commanders in the NFC Championship game multiple times in a row. Recently, we witnessed Kayvon Thibodeaux rip the ball out of Jalen Hurts hands as he was moving forward and attempted to reach the ball over the goal line.

After review it was ruled that Hurts' momentum had stopped when it clearly didn't. Perhaps the whistle inadvertently was blown early but I thought the Giants forced and recovered a fumble.

Many similar instances have occurred including spotting a ball that gets very difficult to define..We saw Josh Allen against the Chiefs in a playoff game look like he had enough for a first down but was ruled short and the Chiefs took possession and won the game.

How did we get here with the controversy over a basic play that has morphed into something from another sport?

Eagles used the "Tush Push" to help them win a Super Bowl. Photo by Andy Lewis

I asked Eagles ace offensive line coach about the play a few years back and just like Jeff Stoutland would predictably answer, he said..."You know Baldy...when Carson Wentz was here we went 32-36 on basic QB Sneaks!" Then he asked me.."is there a common denominator? I replied, 'Jason Kelce!'

He smiled and walked away. Kelce of course is a Hall of Fame-caliber center that played with great leverage and with great power.

But I went back after that and tried to find when the Eagles first tried it. For Nick Sirianni I never saw the Birds attempt it in his inaugural year of 2021.

But in 2022 I saw Hurts score from the one-yard line with Dallas Goedert pushing Jalen Hurts from behind for a score against the Cardinals. With that success the play took on a life of its own.

It's nothing more than an old fashioned QB SNEAK with help from behind to keep Jalen's momentum going. From that standpoint it shouldn't be difficult to officiate.

But one reason why I am in favor of keeping the play is that I know how serious the Eagles are about constantly trying to make it more efficient and more productive. 

Other teams have copied it but without the success of the Eagles and it is an integral reason for their continued success.

HERE'S HOW IT WORKS

Here are a couple of reasons why the Birds have a success rate better than other teams. It almost always is run left behind Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata.

Few teams can match the size and power that those two players possess. Jalen is not just a weight lifter, he is a power lifter. He can deadlift well in excess of 600 pounds. He can generate more power than most QB's with his legs.

It involves some basic physics. If one looks closely no one's body is on the ground. The feet are in the ground that are connected to the movement where the inertia isn't allowed to stop.

No one is just diving at the legs of the defenders. AS soon as you leave your feet you lose your power.

The "Tush Push" has stirred national interest from fans and disdain by opponents and many critics. Photo by Andy Lewis.

So in 2021 when Nick Sirianni came and inserted Jalen as the starting QB, they would routinely go QB sneak on 3-and-1; 4-and-1; goal line plays with very good success.

And then one day they added a tight end to push Jalen and they had more success. And then they created formations where 2 or 3 pushers helped Jalen move along. The more success they had the more bold they became.

For example if it was 3-and-4 from their own 35-yard line, analytics would say to throw for the first down. But the Birds would have no problem running for two or three, knowing that they could Tush Push for a long yard if they had to.

Through eight games thus far the Birds are 11-of-14 on fourth downs...A very high percentage and most of those conversions have come on the Tush Push; the same goes for their goal-line TD runs.

One argument that was made during this off season was that the play is dangerous. Except that there have been no reported injuries in almost four years of this play being run. That argument doesn't fly.

Just because the Eagles have the personnel to make a high percentage of short yardage conversions isn't a reason to abandon the play. What I see now is a wide variety of variations.

The Ravens motion Mark ANdrews in and he takes the snap and is pushed forward. And then there are many teams who lose games each year because they can't gain a yard when they need a yard.

I like to think that it is nothing more than a QB sneak with a little help from some friends. if they disbar the play where do you draw the line?

For Example, if Saquon catches a screen over the middle for eight yards but needs ten for a key first down and the offensive line hustles down the field to push the pile....is that going to be illegal if they take the Tush Push out?

Many questions will be raised this off season and the debate will not go away. Regardless I stand my ground..I like they play and am completely in favor of retaining the play going forward. *