There are hundreds of plays and strategies that teams make use of throughout their games, with most of them playing into the strengths of the players. Many plays have been scrutinized in the past and even have gotten banned, which is the current debate NFL is having over the Philadelphia Eagles’ signature move: the “tush push”. Although there are many people keen on seeing this play being removed from future games, I think that would be a mistake.
The “tush push” is a strategy implemented by the Eagles that revolves around the quarterback snapping the ball. Once they do, the running back and tight end line up behind the quarterback and push him forward. This technique has been used to cross a few yards to get the touchdown, but it has been criticized for being a cheap move that puts players’ safety at risk.
While these concerns are legitimate, banning the play seems far-fetched. Conceptually, the tush push is a clever play, using momentum from your own team to break through defensive lines. While it could be a safety concern, it isn’t like other plays aren’t dangerous as well. Until there is a drastic report of injuries being caused by the move, it should be allowed to exist.
It seems to me the only reason why a ban is being considered is because of the move’s high success rate, even though the move is far from unstoppable. If anything, it should inspire other teams to come up with a counter to this play and convince the Eagles to use the move more sparingly. That would be far more interesting to see than just removing the play for being too hard to stop. Overall, I think the NFL should let the tush push stay and let the other teams innovate to break through this strategy.
