Should the Tush Push be banned?
It’s the biggest question in the NFL this season, as the Philadelphia Eagles continue to successfully run the physically imposing short-yardage play that sees quarterback Jalen Hurts push forward with assistance from those behind him, for a grueling pickup on the ground to move the sticks or get the Eagles into the end zone.
The FOX NFL crews offered their respective takes on whether the play should be banned.
“The Tush Push should not be banned just because the Eagles do it better than everybody else,” “FOX NFL Kickoff” Analyst Charles Woodson said. “It can be stopped. It has been stopped, but nobody can stop them, though, so the Tush Push [is] here to stay.”
NFL owners came two votes short of enacting a ban on the Tush Push in May, with 22 teams voting in favor of eliminating the play; at least 24 out of 32 teams have to vote in favor of a change for it to go through.
“I think it will be banned,” “FOX NFL Sunday” Analyst Howie Long said. “It’s been poorly officiated. The center’s lining up with his head over the ball, which is illegal. They say ‘well, there’s no real proof that it’s physically damaging,’ but when you’re spearing your head into another 350-pound or 340-pound offensive lineman, down the road, you’re going to feel it. Trust me, at my age, I know.”
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Of course, the Hall of Fame defensive lineman would’ve been defending the Tush Push had Long’s Raiders faced it in the 1980s.
Last week, FOX NFL and College Football Rules Analyst Dean Blandino asserted that there’s a “50-50” chance the play survives past this season. Moreover, Blandino expressed during the FOX broadcast of the Eagles’ Week 2 win over the Kansas City Chiefs that he’s “done with the tush push” because “it’s a hard play to officiate.”
“FOX NFL Sunday” Host Curt Menefee added: “I think it’s just an ugly play. It’s a non-football play. Hopefully, nobody gets hurt doing it. I don’t like it in a game. I think it doesn’t really serve a purpose, but as long as it’s legal, you can’t blame the Eagles or anybody for using it.”
On that note, the defending Super Bowl champions are out to a 3-0 start this season. Hurts and the Eagles face another unbeaten team in Week 4, as they have a road matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday (1 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
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