Eagles' Nick Sirianni insulted by critics of 'Tush Push' and those who call the play automatic
The NFL will be looking into outlawing the "Tush Push" once again after the Green Bay Packers proposed to the competition committee to ban the play. This will be reviewed at the owners meetings next month.
The Philadelphia Eagles run the "Tush Push" essentially better than anyone, and run this version of the quarterback sneak the most in the league. The reason they run it so well isn't because it's automatic, which is why head coach Nick Sirianni defended the play on Tuesday amidst its detractors.
"I almost feel a little insulted because we work so hard at that play," Sirianni said at the NFL Scouting Combine, per a team transcript. "The amount of things that we've looked into to coach that play. It comes down to how you teach the fundamentals and how the player go through it and do the fundamentals.
"It's not an easy play to practice. The fact that it's an automatic, we work really, really hard at it and our guys are talented at this play. It's a little insulting to say just because we're good at it, so it's automatic. We work really hard at it."
The Eagles have an incredible percentage at executing the play. Philadelphia was 39 of 48 converting the "Tush Push" into a first down or touchdown this season (including playoffs). Of the nine times they failed, the Eagles followed with a first down or touchdown on the next play using a "Tush Push "eight times (including two via defensive offside on a "Tush Push" formation).
The only time the "Tush Push" was truly stopped was after an aborted snap in Week 1 where they kicked a field goal on the next play. That was Cam Jurgens' first start at center in the NFL after Jason Kelce retired.
The Eagles aren't the only team that's had success converting quarterback sneaks in 2024. The Buffalo Bills were 29 of 37 on quarterback sneaks (78.4%), including the playoffs. Buffalo ran the sneak 37 times, second behind Philadelphia.
Buffalo did run the "Tush Push" on a fourth-down play late in the Bills' AFC Championship game loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Sirianni was quick to point that out then describing why that play isn't "automatic."
"You see it throughout the league. You see it in the championship games. A team failed at it and lost the game because of it," Sirianni said. "I watch every first-and-goal red zone fail -- every single time. Teams are not able to get in because they are not able to do that.
"The fact that its a successful play for the Eagles and they want to take that away is a little unfair."
What is the Packers reasoning to get the "Tush Bush" banned?
"We're not very successful against it, I know that, but to be honest with you I haven't put much thought into it," Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the combine. "It's been around for a while, we've used it in different fashions with our tight end, so again, I think there will be a lot of discussions about it.
"I've got to look at some of the information as far as injury rates, things like that, to see. But we'll see."
If the league is looking to ban the "Tush Push," 24 out of 32 teams will have to vote "yes" on getting the play banned. There's more to just the quarterback sneak.
"The guys work hard at it," Sirianni said. "It wasn't 100% for us this year. Just because it wa sa successful play for us doesn't mean it should go away."
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