Oct 9, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a Philadelphia Eagles helmet at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
The Philadelphia Eagles’ tush push continues to divide league opinion, and one of their rivals has come out firmly against it.
Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy said in a Q&A on the team’s official website that he believes the rules should be changed to ban the so-called “Brotherly Shove,” as it requires little skill and is almost impossible to stop.
“I am not a fan of this play. There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less,” Murphy wrote. “The series of plays with the Commanders jumping offsides in the NFC Championship Game to try to stop the play was ridiculous. The referee even threatened to give the Eagles an automatic touchdown if the Commanders did not stop it.
“I would like to see the league prohibit pushing or aiding the runner (QB) on this play. There used to be a rule prohibiting this, but it is no longer enforced because I believe it was thought to be too hard for the officials to see. The play is bad for the game, 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.”
Notably, the Eagles just beat the Packers in the playoffs last month, though the tush push did not feature prominently in that victory. It got more attention in Philadelphia’s subsequent NFC Championship win, where as Murphy alluded to, the Commanders’ desperation to try to stop it led to a truly ridiculous goal line sequence. Murphy’s criticisms are common ones, as many argue it is virtually unstoppable and requires no real skill or athletic ability to execute.
The NFL has at least discussed a potential ban of the play in the past, but they have never come close to taking that step. The Packers, at the very least, might try to bring it up again in the offseason.