For what feels like the 50th game in a row, the narrative surrounding the Philadelphia Eagles' Week 2 win over the Kansas City Chiefs didn't center around Vic Fangio's defensive adjustments, the team's two rookie defenders who look like absolute stars, or even bumps along Kevin Patullo's journey form passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator, but instead the Tush Push, a play that rarely earns more than a yard or two but hard garnered hundreds, if not thousands of think pieces since it's introduction in 2022.

To some, the play is an abomination. They say Philly begins the play offsides. Or that pushing a player forward is against the rules. Or that aesthetically, the play is simply ugly, irrespective of how hard it is for officiating crews to officiate fairly.

And yet, in the opinion of a player who has run almost every single Tush Push in NFL history, Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata, the opinion that Philadelphia is only winning games because of their short-yardage play is simply untrue, as it minimizes the rest of the team's efforts.

“I understand the outrage,” Mailata said on 94 WIP via CBS Sports. “What I don't understand is them using it as an excuse to why we won the game. I think it's incredibly disrespectful to our defense and our special teams, who balled out. And my brothers on defense and special teams who balled out that game, who had our backs when we weren't moving the ball or we weren't doing anything.

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“When I see those things, they fly across my timeline, that kind of irks me a little bit. That p**ses me off because we give so much to this game. And to kind of base off a short-yardage play — that is a football play — and say that we won the game off that, but not how our defense played and not how our special teams have played putting us in those positions, I think it's bullcrap. I just think it's rubbish. Absolute rubbish, man. It makes my blood boil just thinking about it.”

Originally debuted with one player in the offensive backfield pushing Jalen Hurts forward against the Arizona Cardinals in 2022, the play has developed into one of the most divisive in NFL history. While that might be the case regardless, just like other gimmicks like the jet sweep or the Wildcat formation, the play wouldn't get nearly as much scrutiny if the Eagles weren't one of the very best teams in the NFL. Even if some of that is because of the Tush Push, a lot of it isn't, as Mailata noted.