For years, the “Tush Push” has been a staple of the Eagles’ offense, a play the team has come to rely on in goal-line situations including Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII in Arizona, which saw quarterback Jalen Hurts rush for three touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Unfortunately, the NFL is looking to eliminate this practice, with former referee Dean Blandino expressing his belief the league will ultimately move to outlaw such plays when the Competition Committee convenes this offseason.
“I’d be shocked if they don’t make a change,” Blandino told Paul Domowitch of 33rd Team. “It amounts to a rugby scrum. The NFL wants to showcase the athleticism and skill of our athletes. This is just not a skillful play. This is just a tactic that is not an aesthetically pleasing play, and I think the competition committee is going to take a look at it.”
Prior to 2005, the NFL prohibited blockers from pushing ball-carriers forward, though the league eventually amended its stance after finding that referees weren't enforcing it. One potential compromise would ban pushing only on quarterback sneaks. However, the more likely scenario, at least in Blandino’s estimation, is that the NFL scraps it altogether, retiring the “Tush Push” once and for all.
"I was talking to Sean Payton during Sunday’s game, and he said we’re going to do this every time next season if they don’t take it out," said Blandino, who has served as Fox’s chief “rules analyst” since 2017. “[Outlawing it] on sneaks is easy, The downfield stuff, you just put the tape together, show it to the officials and you just start calling it. That’s the key. To desensitize it, you’ve got to throw flags. I don’t think it will be a major issue."
Comprised of owners (John Mara), executives (Stephen Jones, Chris Grier, Rich McKay, Katie Blackburn and Ozzie Newsome) and coaches (Frank Reich, Ron Rivera, Mike Tomlin and Mike Vrabel), the Competition Committee meets each year to propose rule changes, which are then submitted to the league’s owners for approval, needing a 75-percent majority (24 of 32 votes) to pass.
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