The Philadelphia Eagles were built to play power football, with their signature play over the last few years being the "tush push," an elevated, rugby-style quarterback sneak that has been near-unstoppable with Jalen Hurts at quarterback.
The play helped the Eagles push to a Super Bowl appearance in the 2022 season, and two years later Hurts & Co. broke through to beat the Kansas City Chiefs at Super Bowl LIX. The tush push has come with controversy as a result of its impressive success rate, with many calling for it to be banned after its breakout season in '22. Philadelphia converted the play for a first-down on 29-of-32 attempts that season.
Now, days after the Eagles' Super Bowl win, one of the voices of the NFL says he'd like to see the tush push banned.
CBS Sports' Jim Nantz appeared on the What the Football podcast with Suzy Shuster and Amy Trask and argued his case.
“I’m done with the tush push,” Nantz said. “I think it needs to go away. I know that’s a big part of the arsenal for the Eagles. I think it needs to change. Now, they execute it better than anyone, so Philadelphia fans will be in outcry, saying, ‘Why are you penalizing us?’ I don’t like the play. I just don't like the play. It feels automatic."
Other teams have adopted the play to varying levels of success, including the Buffalo Bills, with their own mobile, burly quarterback Josh Allen. None have quite nailed the equation like the Eagles, however.
Nantz admits that Philly's execution is a huge reason why the play works at such a drastic rate.
“Jalen doesn’t fumble that snap. He doesn’t. I mean, he’s going to get a yard and a half every single time. ... I don’t like the play. It just doesn’t feel like football to me.”
Ultimately, the play's success hinges on the impressive personnel that the Eagles have put on the field. Hurts is likely on the shortlist for strongest lower bodies among all NFL quarterbacks, and Philadelphia has fielded one of the NFL's best offensive lines over the last few seasons.
The play is still relatively effective for other teams, with ESPN tabbing the league-wide success rate entering the '24 season at 76%, but a far cry from the 80-90% mark the Eagles have put up over the last three seasons. Calls to ban the play feel like reactionary responses to one team finding a way to best utilize its personnel.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jim Nantz Calls for Tush Push Ban in Wake of Eagles' Super Bowl Victory.
