Philadelphia Eagles Tush Push At Risk Of Being Banned Despite, Weak, Illogical Arguments Against It

PALM BEACH – Sean McDermott, the excellent head coach of the Buffalo Bills and perhaps one of the brightest football minds in the game when it comes to maximizing talent, is the face of the Tush Push villainy now.

He's the bad guy.

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 08: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills attempts a quarterback sneak in front of Omar Speights #48 of the Los Angeles Rams during a 44-42 Rams win at SoFi Stadium on December 08, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

McDermott Cites Health And Safety

Although the Green Bay Packers are the ball club that has proposed banning the play the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles turned into an innovative and nearly unstoppable staple of their offense, it is McDermott who is making the most vocal argument against the play as a member of the competition committee.

The league will take up the argument on whether to keep or ban the Tush Push on Tuesday.

"I looked deeper at more of the data on it and just thought more about it as well and my position hasn't really changed at all," McDermott said Monday morning. "I just feel where I'm most concerned is, even though there's not significant data out there to this point, my concern is the health and safety of the players first and foremost."

McDermott is correct, saying there is very little data that suggests the Tush Push is a "health and safety concern" for players.

Tomlin: No Significant Data

"There's not a big enough sample size to point to the statistics," Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. "I and everyone else are just listening to the perspective of the medical experts as opposed to the statistics. Because there's just not a large enough sample size in terms of the number of times the play has been executed, whether it's 2024 or in general.

"A lot of other plays we've got much more volume to choose from – there are [35,415] plays a year in football [for 2024] and I think there were 170 or so Tush Pushes to put perspective on it."

So, if no statistical data exists that clearly makes the case the play is an injury risk, what's the problem?

"It's two things," McDermott said. "Added force, No. 1. And then the posture of the players, being asked to execute that type of play. That's where my concern comes in."

That all, by the way, is some twisting of logic. People citing the play is a health and safety concern have no actual numbers to prove that point. Not one injury occurred during the play in 2024, according to a league source.

And this: If the Tush Push remains – 24 clubs must agree to ban it -- will McDermott continue to run it?

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 16: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills runs for a first down on a quarterback sneak on fourth down in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on October 16, 2022 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)

Bills Run Play They Want To Ban

Because the Bills run a Tush Push type of play with quarterback Josh Allen on short yardage more than any other team in the NFL except the Eagles.

"A form of it," McDermott admitted. "It's a loose term as to what defines a Tush Push. There's different forms of it out there. I know we are one of the teams that people identified that run it. That's fair. There's other teams as well. Look, we're always going act in way that's best for the health and safety of the players. And I think that's the responsible way to go.

"Being responsible and proactive is the best way to go."

Did anyone hear McDermott say the Bills would abandon their Tush Push if it's not banned? He didn't.

And that is another chink in the armor of the movement to ban the play.

Packers president Mark Murphy hates the play for whatever personal reasons he has.

LANDOVER, MARYLAND - OCTOBER 23: President Mark Murphy of the Green Bay Packers looks on during warmups before the game against the Washington Commanders at FedExField on October 23, 2022 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

 Packers Claim No Skill Involved

"There is no skill involved, and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less," Murphy wrote recently on the team's website. 

Amazingly, the play that requires no skill failed at least twice for the Packers when they attempted it.

"The play is bad for the game," Murphy continued. "and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak. That worked pretty well for Bart Starr and the Packers in the Ice Bowl." 

The Eagles, authors of the play, are vehemently trying to defend the play's existence. Opponents have been trying to get the league to take up the question of a ban for three years and finally succeeded this year.

All the Eagles need is seven other teams to stand with them to keep the play from being banned.

The Colts will side with the Eagles. So will Texans, Browns, Buccaneers, and probably the Jets and Cardinals. 

Houston Texans Head Coach DeMeco Ryans watches his team warm up during day 1 of the Texans Training Camp at Houston Methodist Training Center on July 26, 2023, in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Texans Will Vote To Keep Tush Push

So the vote should be close.

"It's tough to punish a team for being really good at something," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said on Monday. 

The Packers and McDermott, a member of the competition committee, are advocating sending it off into history like the head slap and the helmet-to-helmet tackle.

But, again, their arguments are weak and Illogical.

How else to define their stance when McDermott says it is wrong but his team has run it more than any other team except for the Eagles? How else to claim it is a health and safety concern, as the Packers have privately, but have no actual numbers that prove the claim?

"Yes, we do run a form of this play and do it very well. I belieeve us and Philadelphia, who both run a form of this play and do it really well, I believe both teams can be just as good in a traditional form and be just as good and they've shown that over the years … and that's partly why I believe what I believe."