“Now It’s Ok Because It Benefits the Offense?” – Richard Sherman Weighs in on the Eagles ‘Tush Push’ Controversy, Backs the Call for the Play to Be Banned as It Benefits the Offense

The 3-0 Philadelphia Eagles are on their way to becoming the second-time NFL East division champions. This would be happening for the first time in the last 19 years. But the road to this success isn’t being much appreciated among the NFL pundits as well as the fans. In the recent uproar, the Eagles are being heavily criticized for their ‘Tush Push’ play. Even though it has served them success in all their three games of this season.

The Eagles have almost patented the play as it comes naturally to them. Whenever they need a yard, their special moves come into play. This takes a heavy toll on their opponents’ defensive lineup, so much so that a lot of players are prone to serious injuries due to this. For that reason, many experts are not in favor of this play and called for its ban. Even the former NFL cornerback, Richard Sherman, spoke out his thoughts on the ‘Tush Push’.

Richard Sherman asks a fair question regarding the play’s legality

The play has been used by the other teams as well, namely, the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and Jacksonville Jaguars. All of these teams used it in their first-week games. However, the Eagles were the only ones who could execute it perfectly every time. But this play has implored major consequences for the defensive lineups in the past. The Washington Commanders Center, Will Montgomery shares an anecdote about the play to explain how dangerous it really is.

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He recalled his back with the Cincinnati Bengals and during this play; he was stuck in a four-on-one situation and pulled his hamstring as a result. He said, “Like it’s literally impossible to hold up that much force.” This was shared by the former NFL cornerback and now media personality, Richard Sherman, on the X. Furthermore, he called out the management for still keeping the play in the game.

He wrote, “My problem with the tush push is the NFL literally banned defensive players from pushing other players into the offensive formation on FG and PATs because it was a “Health and safety issue” but now it’s ok because it benefits the offense?” In the past, there have been discussions about banning the play, but in the end, they decided to keep it. Even the former quarterback, Chris Simms, had a controversial take on this play.

Chris Simms’s outlook on the Tush Push Play

There’s no doubt that the league has banned a lot of plays before to protect their offensive player and the quarterback, but now the Tush Push is becoming a hassle for the defensive lineup. This play lets the offensive lineup get low to the ground and dive to the opponent team’s player legs which results in a lot of injuries among the defensive players.

So, amid all this controversy, during PFT Live, Chris Simms made a figurative statement, showcasing his distaste for such kind of play he said, “If I was a Defensive Coach, I’d be going — go headhunting on the quarterback here, go ahead, dive over, go crazy, try to kill the quarterback.” However, his co-host, Mike Florio, toned it down, mentioning that Simms doesn’t mean it, as it quite sounds in a literal context.

The remark played a major role in the debate, although what Simms said was not particularly appropriate, but the fans could understand this frustration. This play is a physical hazard to the defensive players, as per many experts. What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comments section.

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