Let’s refresh our minds to the 4th quarter of the NFL Championship game between the Eagles and the Commanders. The Eagles were ahead by 34-23. It was 2nd & goal, but their rivals were so fearful of the tush push that their linebacker Frankie Luvu encroached thrice. Referees had to warn him of giving a touchdown if he did it the 4th time.

Clearly, they were without a plan in that close-range battle. But as we prepare to enter the new season, the league wants to ban the move. And the NFL legend Ryan Clark mocked the teams.

The game is physical. That’s the bottom line difference. Clark appeared on the February 24 episode of ESPN’s NFL Live and mocked the league for becoming soft and said, “How soft do you have to be? ‘Oh, we can’t stop it. Our defensive tackles aren’t tough enough. Our linebackers get hurt. Shut the hell up and bow your neck. Somebody get physical and stop the play.”

The calls for the ban of tush push have irked the league with hardcore fans questioning the decision. The game’s all about physical and getting under one’s skin. What’s the NFL going to do if the game gets soft? Fans would leave the arenas like hot lava.

Clark continued, “And as [Mina Kimes] says, it’s like everything else in sports: If you don’t have the personnel to do it, you actually don’t do it.”

That’s the point!

The Chiefs have shown that if your players have the resolve, they can definitely stop it. It happened in the AFC Championship against the Bills. While it turned controversial, they did win the challenge and later the game. Ryan Clark pointed out the Chiefs failed to repeat it in the Super Bowl LIX, against the Eagles. But that’s part of the game. And the Eagles have put their players more in danger while practicing it.

However, he also blamed the coaching staff. Claiming they didn’t want to make their players tough, he added, “To go in there and be like, ‘Ahhhhh,’ instead of actually coaching, to run away from coaching and try to outlaw this play is dumb.” Over the years, the Eagles have perfected the art of converting their 4th downs into touchdowns with the tush push.

It all came down to the fact that the brotherly shove originated in Philadelphia. The NFL tried to hide who proposed the ban, but the NFL insiders reported it.

Revealed: NFL franchise that proposed the Tush Push ban

February 24 was a day that shocked the NFL fans as the NFL EVP of football operations, Troy Vincent, told NFL reporter Judy Battista that they received a ban proposal from an NFL team. To keep the discussion limited, he didn’t name the franchise. But the NFL insider Tom Pelissero revealed it – Jordan Love’s Packers!

They proposed the ban, claiming it often resulted in injuries. But, just like Ryan Clark, many others don’t believe the same. Even Battista argued that the injury data is so skewed it’s hard to find exact injuries from the same move. But Vincent revealed some history.

He claimed that the banned hip-drop tackle and the tush push were in the talks 3 years ago. However, the committee had then dropped the latter from their list of agenda. Now, it has come back in discussions and they will definitely talk about it in March. They will propose it to a broader group next month.

It would be interesting to see how Nick Sirianni responds to this report. He finally won the Super Bowl LIX. But such bans will harm their strategy. Hopefully, we get a quick solution and nip it in the bud.