Tush … Push It Real Good … or Bad?
The NFL is full of rules. Some have been there since the dawn of the game, while others have changed over the years.
Tush … Push It Real Good … or Bad?
In some cases, they have changed for the better of the game to make it more enjoyable, and in others, they have been changed for the safety of the players. If you’re old enough, you can remember when offensive linemen couldn’t use their hands to block the defense and had to lean on them with their forearms.
They would literally have to make fists and put their hands together, knuckle to knuckle, with their elbows sticking out wide. When I was coming up in middle school, we still had to block this way, but it changed in my 8th grade year. Why did this change come about? Because passing became more prevalent in the game, offensive linemen couldn’t block significantly enough to hold off defenders, and scoring was affected.
The NFL changed blocking rules to make the game more fun. Just like they changed pass interference rules. Back in the day, defensive backs and receivers could fight each other for the ball. Now, in some games, it feels like the flags fly if a cornerback brushes a wide receiver as they pass. Are the rules only favoring offenses?
Now, the defense has gotten some breaks with offensive pass interference being implemented and with moving the goalposts to the back of the end zone. The latter was more for the safety of players running routes near the posts or getting pushed into them by defenders. Low blocks and high/low blocks by the offensive line were also made into penalties to protect players’ health. No longer allowing crack back blocks and clotheslines has grown into not allowing horse collar tackles and WWE-style slams to the ground. Those were for safety.
Recently, a certain play has been scrutinized due to its success: The Tush Push. The play is similar to a quarterback sneak where the offensive line tries to get as low as possible on their blocks on a short-yardage play, and the quarterback goes through the pile while they get pushed from behind by other players. It seems pretty normal, and the Philadelphia Eagles have mastered the Tush Push to the highest level.
Although some feel the play isn’t fair, and I have to say that I agree, but not for the reasons most in the NFL circles are pounding the table on.
Critics of the play are saying there are safety issues with the Tush Push, even though there has not been overwhelming evidence to support this excuse yet.
While there may be videos supporting this concern, there haven’t been widespread injuries in games during the play. I have nothing wrong with getting ahead of a safety issue, and the league, its coaches, and its players should always advocate for it.
My issue with it is that it breaks the rules already in place. In every level of football, you can’t push a player directly to gain yardage. You can push a pile of linemen and tacklers that are engaged in each other, but you can’t run up behind a running back and push him through the line or past a blocker. You can’t even block a player off a moving pile to help the runner!
To take it further, you can’t use another player as leverage to block kicks or hurdle the line on defense. Heck, you can’t even touch the long snapper anymore trying to get penetration because their head is so far down that an injury could occur. On a punt formation, the defense can’t push another defensive player into the offensive lineman to help with penetration.
It’s in Article 3 of the NFL rule book. Article 2 says that a ball carrier can push on the back of another teammate but can’t grab on to be “pulled” by that teammate. Article 4 says you can’t pull a runner “in any direction” to help them and goes on to state that an offensive player cannot “push or throw his body against a teammate to aid him in an attempt to obstruct an opponent”.
So, in my opinion, it shouldn’t be allowed because they frankly already have rules against pushing or pulling a ball carrier in almost any manner. So why would it go away with short-yardage downs? It seems to me this is another moment in the NFL where they have let something go too far because it got them “likes and clicks”.
Fans will be polarized by any decision they make on it, depending on which side of the 1st down marker their team is on.
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