The NFL Combine is set to begin Thursday, then comes the draft. While the players get plenty of attention, there are also teams who propose new rule changes. One of the teams to propose such change is the Green Bay Packers themselves.
There were reports of a team seeking to ban the tush push, a play made popular by the Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Tush Push is a modified quarterback sneak, propelled by pushing the quarterback forward to a first down.
When many fans think of this play, the Eagles are the team that comes to mind. They made this famous and run it the most. Many NFL teams have tried to replicate this play and have been unsuccessful. So, why would the Packers propose to ban the tush push?
Proposing a Ban is a Bad Look for the Packers
Packers President Mark Murphy has not minced words when it comes to his thoughts on the tush push. After the Packers lost the wild card game to the Eagles, he took to a fan column to make his opinion known.
“I’m not a fan of this play. There is no skill involved and is almost an automatic first down.” Murphy said of the tush push. First off, if there is no skill involved, then how come the Eagles are the only team who can do this consistently?
Second off, it is really frustrating to hear Murphy propose this when the Packers run their own version. This season, Tight End Tucker Kraft was utilized as the one getting pushed. Not only was this successful, but it gave it a new twist and was executed perfectly.
Murphy points to the NFC Championship game when Frankie Luvu drew multiple penalties while trying to stop the play. The referees threatened to gift the Eagles a touchdown due to this. While I think that was a step too far, the answer is not banning the play.
The tush push has an insane conversion rate when it is run by the Eagles, which means they have the formula to make it work. There are multiple ways to not get in a situation where the play is run.
Overall, the Packers being the only team to propose this ban doesn’t look great. The Packers have done two things with the tush push, they have been the ones to stop it, and they have been the ones to convert it. The best interest for the Packers is to keep it that way.
