Call it the Tush Push, the Brotherly Shove, or just an unbreakable wall—Jalen Hurts doesn’t really care. “I don’t call it that,” he said ahead of Super Bowl LIX. “You call it that. I call it the quarterback sneak.” Whatever you want to name it, it won’t be for long, as the NFL is this close to sending it to the graveyard of banned plays. And some folks are thrilled about it. Others? Not so much.

It all started when the Packers officially proposed a rule change that would ban the Eagles’ signature short-yardage weapon. The league’s competition committee is set to discuss the motion at next week’s league meeting in West Palm Beach. But if you think, it’s just a lot of talk. Well, no.

The Athletic’s Dianna Russini gave some inside scoop on the latest episode of Scoop City with the ex-NFLer Chase Daniels. She said that opposition to the Tush Push is gaining serious momentum. “I feel like it’s getting more momentum in terms of those opposed to it than I’ve ever heard before,” she said. The key argument? It’s too automatic, too boring, and maybe a little dangerous. But here’s the real question: does the league want to ban it because it’s unfair? Or because nobody else can do it quite like the Eagles?

Because let’s be honest, if this play were so easy, every team would be running it flawlessly. But they’re not. The Bills tried it four times in the AFC Championship against the Chiefs and got stuffed. The Packers ran their own version in the playoffs—and it worked. Yet, somehow, they’re the ones leading the charge to ban it. Make it make sense.

Now, of course, the injury debate has entered the chat. Former Eagles center Jason Kelce has spoken about how “grueling” the play is on the body, as he said, “You can get hurt on any play.” However, the NFL itself confirmed ‘there were no reported injuries from the Tush Push last season.’ So, what’s the issue? Let’s act like this is some reckless, career-ending maneuver. I mean, there’s a risk involved, not denying it. But the Philly argument? Don’t all the plays involve a certain level of risk the moment you step on the gridiron?

But at the same time, Bleeding Green for life comes with a certain bias. And Jason had his own as he defended the play by saying, “I think people just think it’s an unfair play for the offense that they can push. My argument to that is you guys can push too. It’s not like you’re just pushing on the offensive side. Like you guys can hunker down in there and push.” Fair enough.

The league has changed rules before. MLB banned the infield shift. The NBA got rid of hand-checking. The NFL itself moved back extra points because they were too easy. But is the Tush Push really a problem, or are people just salty that the Eagles turned it into an art form?

For now, the ban isn’t a done deal. It needs 24 of 32 owners to vote yes. But if this passes, the Eagles will have to adjust. Nick Sirianni and Co. would have to devise a new sneak play for Jalen Hurts to penetrate. And pronto. Because the Super Bowl MVP is already on franchises’ radars.

The teams will make sure Jalen Hurts doesn’t go out of sight and out of mind

Jalen Hurts had himself a 2024 season. The kind that cements legacies and keeps defensive coordinators up at night. In 15 games, he torched defenses for 2,903 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, and just five interceptions. Oh, and let’s not forget the 630 rushing yards and 14 more scores on the ground.

When the dust settled, the Eagles were 14-3, Hurts had his first Super Bowl MVP, and the rest of the NFL had a massive headache. The man was unstoppable—until he wasn’t. A concussion sidelined him for the last two regular-season games, and suddenly, Eagles fans were sweating. But Hurts came back just in time, leading Philly to a 40-22 beatdown in Super Bowl LIX. Crisis averted.

Now, the Eagles aren’t just trying to run it back—they’re making sure the whole league knows they aren’t going anywhere. Sure, they couldn’t keep every free agent, but they made the right moves. Kenneth Gainwell out? No problem. Josh Sweat in. Mekhi Becton gone? Enter Kenyon Green. Add in signings like Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari, and suddenly, the Eagles’ defense looks just as lethal as their offense. The NFC is watching, and the competition is already bracing for impact.

Take Lavonte David, for example. The Buccaneers linebacker has faced Hurts enough times to know the struggle is real. On The Rich Eisen Show, he didn’t sugarcoat it: “Jalen Hurts, they basically brought their whole core back, so they going to be a problem again. ” Now, Tampa Bay handled Philly in Week 4, with Baker Mayfield dropping 347 yards on them in a 33-16 win. But David isn’t pretending that means much going forward. “They’re a great football team, man, and Jalen Hurts is leading them the proper way… doing it his way.”

And just when NFC teams thought stopping Hurts was hard enough, Philly went and added Saquon Barkley. David summed it up perfectly: “It’s kind of like a cheat code, you know, they added him to the team.” A dominant offensive line, a quarterback who squats 600 pounds, and now a bruising backfield? Defensive coordinators might start considering career changes.

David knows what’s coming: “It’s definitely going to be a challenge, you know, every year as long as they got those guys.” But he’s locked in, and expects the fellow NFC team, the Commanders, to be wary of the high-flying Eagles. “Teams like us (Bucs) and Washington going to be trying to knock them knock them off. So I’m sure they not expecting nothing less,” he said.

I mean, if your memory serves you well, then you’d remember Washington’s rookie Jayden Daniels after adding five touchdowns to his name against the Eagles in week 16, already had his sights set on dethroning Hurts. “They added him to the team? Slay the dragon, I guess,” Daniels quipped after the game. The thing is, Philly is the dragon, and for now, they’re still breathing fire. The rest of the NFC? They’re just trying to survive.