Eagles’ 3-Time Pro Bowl OL Boldly Challenges NFL To ‘Get Rid Of’ Tush Push Play Amid Recent Controversy

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Of all the plays in the NFL that would lead to controversy, the Tush Push harkens back to the roots of football. Philadelphia Eagles fans celebrate it, while some executives and coaches across the NFL decry it as a bastardization of football because it’s “not really a football play,” and others derisively call it a scrum.

The other point of contention is that there’s a belief that the play opens players on both sides of the ball up to undue risk. Ever since the Eagles started running the play regularly, debates have raged across the league about whether it should be banned. Regardless, the Eagles have proven they can successfully run the play.

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The Eagles Shrug At Concerns About the Tush Pish

For the Eagles, at least one of the key players in the play, three-time Pro Bowl center Landon Dickerson, seems less than concerned about perceptions around the league.

Zach Berman of The Athletic quoted Landon Dickerson on the Tush Push conversation: “I don’t really care too much. If you don’t like the play, get rid of it if you’re the league. I mean, run the play, everybody can run it. It’s not that hard. It seems unnecessary. Kind of old. Make a decision. Figure it out. But we’ll run it for the time.”

Dickerson’s point about every team being able to run it is true; however, the Eagles’ approach is slightly different from the average quarterback sneak. The Eagles also have the advantage of having a quarterback who can squat 600 pounds and a running back behind him who can also squat 600 pounds.

Read More: Eagles’ All-Pro Sends Clear Message About Tush Push After NFL’s Major Decision

However, there are also accusations that the Eagles are allowed to run the play by illegally lining their players up at the line of scrimmage. One fan points out that the Eagles seem to get very favorable opportunities in terms of how they are allowed to line up before the snap.

Another fan points out: “Eagles are allowed to line up incorrectly and false start on the play every time, other teams are not even allowed to lineup the same way.”

Whether the Tush Push is a real football play is a point of contention. It does resemble a rugby scrum, which ruffles the feathers of football purists who seem to want to ignore that American football’s roots lie in rugby.

However, the play’s effectiveness is not questioned, just its viability as a legal play in the NFL over the next few years.

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