That’s the defeatist attitude the Packers took when proposing that the NFL forbid teams from running the “tush push,” the short-yardage QB-keeper that the Eagles have turned into the league’s most un-guardable plays.
On Monday, several media outlets reported that an unspecified team had submitted a proposal asking the competition committee to ban the play. The Athletic’s NFL insider Dianna Russini confirmed that Green Bay, which lost twice to Philadelphia last season, including the playoffs, was behind the pathetic idea.
The Eagles converted a tush push against the Packers in their 22-10 wild-card win on 4th-and-1 near midfield in a six-point game early in the fourth quarter.
Funnily enough, Green Bay was one of the more successful teams defending the play this season.
The Packers successfully stopped the play twice — once on a 3rd-and-1 seven seconds into the second quarter of their Week 1 game in Brazil, only for defensive tackle T.J. Slaton to be flagged for encroachment on the next play, giving the Eagles a fresh set of downs.
The other came late in the fourth quarter of the opener when Hurts fumbled the snap on a third down from Green Bay’s 1-yard line, forcing the Eagles to settle for a field goal.
The Packers had more success than most others, but even they know the best defense against “The Brotherly Shove” is to ban it from playbooks altogether.
That doesn’t mean the NFL should entertain the ludicrous proposal. Instead, the league should compliment Green Bay on a hilarious joke and call it a day.
No team should seriously want a play banned simply because one franchise is better at it than others. That goes against the spirit of competition entirely.
Instead of using a cheap tactic to try to get on Philadelphia’s level, Green Bay should try harder to win on the field. Isn’t that the whole point of sports, anyway?