The Philadelphia Eagles' signature play continues to be a controversial talking point amongst fans. Philly's version of a QB sneak, labeled as the “Tush Push”, has gotten a lot of backlash over the last few years. This year, fans are even more outraged at the play.
What infuriates fans this season about the Tush Push isn't the Eagles' success rate on the play. Rather, fans are not happy with how they think the play succeeds. Most of the backlash around the play is centered on the many officiating mishaps that seem to happen when the play is called. The uncalled false starts, in particular, have garnered the most attention.
As it turns out, this might be what ultimately “kills” the Tush Push. Dianna Russini reported this in her recent article for The Athletic. In it, she points out that the officials' struggles around the play could mean the end for the Eagles' pet play.
“But eight weeks into this season, the thing that might actually kill the tush push is the league’s inability to officiate it properly,” Russini wrote. “As one high-ranking league source put it this week: ‘How embarrassing for the league to say we have to take away a totally legal play because we’re not good enough to officiate it.' Don’t be surprised if this becomes one of the most hotly debated rule discussions of the offseason, again.”
The Eagles popularized this unique take on the quarterback sneak a few years ago. Instead of the usual quarterback sneak, where the quarterback tries to sneak through a gap created by the offensive line, Philly added a unique twist. The Eagles have another player push Jalen Hurts from behind to gain more yardage, hence the name of the play.
There have been plenty of reasons why fans are opposed to the Eagles' favorite short-yardage play. Among the many reasons cited are player safety, the play being illegal under the rules, and the play being “boring”. Over the course of the season, though, there's been a perceived uptick in missed false starts called during the Tush Push. It's led to renewed outrage over the play.
