Cory's Corner: The Tush Push Is Not A Football Decision
The Tush Push will eventually fade away and it will have everything to do with safety.
The NFL has scaled back kickoffs, the amount of contact a quarterback can absorb and the degree of physicality defensive backs can dish out.
You can be upset at the Packers for leading the charge to discard the Tush Push. But really it doesn’t matter. You know why? It’s not going to be around too much longer anyway due to player safety.
“So, I just feel like player safety, and the health and safety of our players has to be at the top of our game, which it is,” said Bills coach Sean McDermott. “It’s just that play to me has always been . . . or the way that the techniques that are used with that play, to me have been potentially contrary to the health and safety of the players. And so again, you have to go back though in fairness to the injury data on the play, but I just think the optics of it, I’m not in love with.”
Eagles fans have taken their shots at the Packers for being so public for its demise. Even though Packers president Mark Murphy said the play calls for no skill, the final decision should not be a football one.
Because if that’s the case, then the obvious answer will always be, “Go ahead and stop it.” And that’s 100 percent true. That’s the manifesto of sports. If a team finds a way to beat you, you had better figure out a way to stop it or else it’s going to be a long day.
And that’s why the Tush Push is such an attractive example. The Eagles have a quarterback in Jalen Hurts that can squat 600 pounds and he is pretty much unstoppable once he gets the ball behind the best offensive line in the league.
If the Tush Push were such a simple tactic, everybody would be doing it. (Of course, we all know that former Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wants no part of a Tush Push.)
But like I said, the death of the Tush Push will not be about football. An 18th regular season game is like your car’s side-view mirror — things are closer than they appear. Add in to the equation playing on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays with holiday games on Thanksgiving and Christmas in addition to Saturday games at the end of the season.
I don’t think the NFL has taken player health as seriously as it ought to, but the Tush Push should be the tipping point. It’s a monstrous collision each time with the game’s most important position caught in the middle — with his offensive teammates pushing him from behind and defensive players trying to hit and push from the front.
It’s going to take a major injury to a quarterback for things to change. That’s not very forward thinking, but then again, the NFL moves at a glacial pace.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (53)
T7Steve
February 25, 2025 at 06:43 am
Let's do it with a tight end. That will be safer for the QB.....
TKWorldWide
February 25, 2025 at 07:12 am
Worth a try.
Or three.
😉
Guam
February 25, 2025 at 07:29 am
It's not just about QB safety. Chris Jones, the all pro KC DT, was injured on a tush push play during the Super Bowl. It can be a dangerous play.
I have never understood the logic of allowing offensive players the option of pushing their teammates when defensive players can't do the same. The rules should be the same for both sides. The offense should not be given an undue advantage.
dobber
February 25, 2025 at 07:39 am
For someone like me who likes power football, it might be surprising that this is my least favorite play call and alignment. It's a tremendous, twisted pile up of big bodies...it looks like we're watching rugby. I actually agree with Corey though in that I thought it would take a significant QB injury to move the needle. Maybe not. Remember ARod breaking a collarbone when the Bears' cement-head nobody fell on him?...not to soon after, the next pillow was attached to QBs.
We are starting to see teams play off this alignment though. Was it Philly who released a WR off the edge and stepped Hurts out of the tush push?... and thankfully threw incomplete to a wide open WR? We've also seen QBs step back and pitch the ball to a RB on the edge on the play, too. In that sense, the alignment is evolving the game.
"The offense should not be given an undue advantage."
Were you smirking when you typed this? ;)
Leatherhead
February 25, 2025 at 09:30 am
Back in the day.....
There was a college game. I'm foggy on the details, but the RB, who was a real specimen, finished a game and was just completely beat up. Remember, this is in the day before facemasks,etc., and pushing/pulling/carrying the ball carrier was an accepted part of the game.
The reaction to the beating this guy took reached Washington DC, and college football was told to "clean it up". So they did, and it included banning these scrums because of the injuries.
Until 2005, apparently, when they quietly said "It's OK to push your own guy". Pushing your own guy has now evolved into two teams pushing at each other in a giant scrum. This will be changed; nobody wants to watch this.
Guam
February 25, 2025 at 10:07 am
"Were you smirking when you typed this? Laughing out loud actually.
Mahomes was hurt on a QB sneak and Reid won't let him run that play anymore. Now teams are running a TE in to take the tush push so they don't risk their QB. What does that tell you about the chance of injury on a tush push? Just a bad play that needs to go away for player safety as well as fan enjoyment reasons.
stockholder
February 25, 2025 at 06:59 am
The NFL is turning into flag football.
Rugby survives by pushing players.
Bigger and stronger is the way to stop it.
And instead of bitching about it.
Expand the rosters and get bigger guys for it.
Sumo wrestlers are an alternative.
dobber
February 25, 2025 at 07:55 am
"Expand the rosters and get bigger guys for it."
Most of the time, teams go quickly to the tush push to prevent defensive substitutions. If your OL is big and powerful, they have a tremendous advantage, especially if the defense has a nickel or dime unit on the field. You can only afford to throw roster spots at so many specialists.
T7Steve
February 25, 2025 at 08:05 am
Asked you and LH yesterday, but maybe you didn't notice. Have you seen anything from CW for a while? Can't remember the last time I saw anything from him, but as you know I've an age handicap.
dobber
February 25, 2025 at 09:20 am
He was a regular at APC, too, but I don't have time to go over there very much during the school year to see if he's active there.
He was getting beat up around here a little more for his lengthy (and somewhat repetitious), anti-LaFleur postings, and he mentioned at one point that he might be going elsewhere.
It's my guess that he's probably still lurking.
stockholder
February 25, 2025 at 09:46 am
Yes -I'm sure he'll back when MLF
does something wrong.
Bird dog,& Mo Medic. is another that is missing.
They're is a saying that says-
If you can't understand my words
You won't understand my silence.
T7Steve
February 25, 2025 at 09:49 am
I've had disagreements with him, but if we don't have opposing views how do we have discussions? When you guys are on the wrong side of things I'm sure you're happy when I straighten you out. HA!
If we all just agree on everything and have only one point of view it would be kind of boring. 27 paragraphs of dissertation are kind of pushing it though.
Hope he comes back at least when we start to evaluate the camp team in the spring.
Leatherhead
February 25, 2025 at 09:34 am
I'll give you some Coldworld:
1)Murphy is a usurper who has destroyed the organization
2) LaFleur is over his head and needs to be fired.
3) Half of our team is weak links that need to be replaced. We only have 3/5 of an offensive line.
4) It was largely Josh Myer's inadequacy that kept us from winning Super Bowls. Before him, it was somebody else.
You can go ahead and cut and paste this whenever you think it's appropriate.
T7Steve
February 25, 2025 at 09:53 am
Thanks, LH.
So, I take it you didn't always agree with him either?
One thing you have to give him credit for, is that he was always looking for ways to improve.
Even if you're the best you have to try to improve.
stockholder
February 25, 2025 at 10:05 am
The problem could be the thumbs Up.
"great minds think alike".
" But fools rarely differ";
T7Steve
February 25, 2025 at 11:10 am
If you or I worried about thumbs, we would've been gone long ago.
stockholder
February 25, 2025 at 12:54 pm
Yes- but he does.
It was obvious that when MLF Coaches
were interviewed.
It sunk CW hate to get him replaced.
stockholder
February 25, 2025 at 10:21 am
You can only afford to throw roster spots at so many specialists.
This is exactly why they should. The cap increases.
A. In crease the specialist! !!
B. Special Teams.
C. More games being added.
D. Expansion into other countries.
etc.
jannesbjornson
February 25, 2025 at 08:53 am
T. Sweat can defend the "play."
GregC
February 25, 2025 at 07:03 am
The "Go ahead and stop it" argument is actually meaningless. You can say that about any dumb rule. What if defensive backs were allowed to tackle wide receivers at the line of scrimmage and pin them to the ground so they couldn't run their routes? You could say, "Go ahead and stop it." But it wouldn't be an interesting thing to watch. Nor is the tush push. I give the Eagles credit for mastering that play, but I find it uninteresting to watch, even when it gets stopped. It's not a good display of strategy or skills.
T7Steve
February 25, 2025 at 07:13 am
Why is it illegal for safety reasons to push a fellow defender on the same play as the tush push? It's illegal to push them to try to block any kicks.
Cheezehead72
February 25, 2025 at 07:22 am
That is about the best argument I have heard or read to support banning the play but I disagree. I have no problem with the play. As far as I can see it is no more dangerous than most other plays. If the defense does not want to defend the play do not allow the offense to get into a position to run the play.
Banning it will result in a judgement call by the officials to determine if a player was pushed while in a pile of players. We need less judgement calls by the officials not more.
Guam
February 25, 2025 at 07:35 am
Disagree CH72. The NFL long had the rule about not "assisting the runner" and there was no difficulty enforcing the rule. It is a fairly easy call for the refs.
The other issue is the imbalance between allowing offensive players to assist the runner, but the defense not allowed to assist their fellow players with a similar style push. It creates a force imbalance by definition. Why does the offense get a special advantage?
murf7777
February 25, 2025 at 07:36 am
I think it would be easy to judge. If a player is behind the QB or whoever has the ball and his hands are on said players back or tush then it’s illegal. IE: if your not tush pushing than why would a player be behind the ball carrier ? My bigger question is if you make the tush push illegal, do you make players pushing ball carriers forward on other plays a penalty?
HarryHodag
February 25, 2025 at 08:38 am
Great reply Greg. I have another example: if the tush push is o.k. then a linebacker should be allowed to push another player into a running back to make a tackle.
TKWorldWide
February 25, 2025 at 07:18 am
How long ago did the NFL do away with “assisting the runner”? And why did they? Too hard to enforce?
The other issue with the tush push is that it makes for more offense and more points. The NFL has been promoting offense for pretty much my whole life. Is a 42-35 game more entertaining than one that ends 21-17?
dobber
February 25, 2025 at 07:43 am
2005. Pushing to assist a ball carrier was legalized almost 20 years ago...it took over 15 for the tush push to arrive.
It is still illegal for a teammate to pull or lift a ball carrier...and for a defender to lift them. Just ask Charles Martin.
Oxymoron 3339
February 25, 2025 at 07:56 am
Ban it and while you’re at it let’s start calling the bubble screen offensive pass interference.
egbertsouse
February 25, 2025 at 07:23 am
Once a big name QB gets his neck broken they’ll change the rule faster than Elon Musk can steal my social security.
Lphill
February 25, 2025 at 11:47 am
or faster than your Governor banning mothers .
dobber
February 25, 2025 at 07:51 am
The tush push is a crappy play and a steaming quagmire begging injuries, but in that regard it's not hugely different from the QB sneak. Gonna ban that next?
Another rule that has been enforced that I dislike is the low block rule that usually applies to DBs chopping down pulling OL. Those DBs barely had a prayer before and now they have essentially no recourse and are getting mauled. Low blocks in general are not good, but they're trading one kind of injury (mostly to OL) for others (concussions, etc.).
I'll also point out the hip-drop tackle that was supposedly illegal in 2024 but seemed to never get called. We could see them, and they're obvious when they happen, but the refs apparently mostly turned a blind eye.
BuckyBadger
February 25, 2025 at 07:53 am
December 31st 1967 at the Ice Bowl Chuck Mercein can be seen on the that final famous play holding his hands up in the air. Many thought he was signaling TD but in fact he was trying to make sure he would not be called for pushing from behind as the play was illegal. The play remained illegal until Reggie Bush did the Bush Push on Oct 15, 2005 vs Notre Dame. Then all of a sudden it was too hard to call. It is not.
Pushing from behind is a rugby play, not a football play. The Oline is suppose to move the defenders line, not a bunch of pushing from behind. It is bad football and making goal line stands not very exciting at all. Get rid of it, the sooner the better.
GregC
February 25, 2025 at 09:04 am
Yeah, that rule was a non-issue until the Reggie Bush play, but that was just bad officiating, which is something that can never be completely eliminated. It's not an especially hard rule to enforce.
LambeauPlain
February 25, 2025 at 08:13 am
The premise of the article to ban the push was player safety...yet nothing about injuries resulting in player safety concerns using it.
What is the evidence of it being an injury-related play if that is the narrative to ax it?
Tex49
February 25, 2025 at 08:49 am
Chris Jones got injured in the Super Bowl on the play on at the goal line.
LambeauPlain
February 25, 2025 at 10:21 am
That many?
HarryHodag
February 25, 2025 at 09:09 am
So people have to get hurt before common sense comes into play?
LambeauPlain
February 25, 2025 at 10:28 am
I read the article because it was supposedly based on injury concerns. Outside of "worry" about serious injuries that have not happed due to the push...ban it because they might happen?
You can use that rationale to ban the entire game of tackle football.
I did read the rationale from lead proponent to ban it...Murphy...and he NEVER mentioned injury concerns.
HarryHodag
February 25, 2025 at 09:07 am
The quarterback sneak has been a part of pro football since the beginning. (Think Bart Starr in the Ice Bowl)It's a legit play where the qb finds an opening and generally moves the ball(if possible) a yard or so. No issue there. The issue is pushing the qb from behind. This should be illegal, primarily for safety reasons.
The astute defensive coordinators will eventually come up with an effective way to stop it, likely involving people becoming airborne and smashing down on the qb. A defensive tackle now tries to stay as low as possible to keep from being moved but the qb can be literally thrown over him. It's a play that is nearly impossible to stop short of people jumping over the pile and coming down hard on the qb.
If I were a coach of a lesser team I would simply run the tush push play after play as you're likely to make three yards and is virtually impossible to shut down. Think that would be fun football to watch?
Outlaw the tush push and thanks to the Packers for the leadership on the issue.
TKWorldWide
February 25, 2025 at 03:25 pm
Wasn’t there a scene in one of the Lord of the Rings movies where a dwarf reluctantly gets tossed to aid in battle?
Is this sports imitating art?
RCPackerFan
February 25, 2025 at 09:07 am
The biggest thing for me with the tush push is that they need to make sure the OL isn't lined up differently imo. I have seen a few times where the OC is basically lined up over the ball. Meaning he is technically offsides. I remember seeing that a few times during the year.
One question I have though is if they say a team can't push a player how does that impact other plays. Because we see all the time where a player is almost stopped and a few players come in and pushes the pile and they gain 5-10 more yards or a first down. So do they eliminate pushing players all together? However many years ago they eliminated pulling players. Are they going to take out pushing players?
TKWorldWide
February 25, 2025 at 03:26 pm
I could see sneaking a catapult onto the field, and…
Starrbrite
February 25, 2025 at 09:41 am
The tush-push should be illegal—agreeing with Guam and Harry.
QB sneak- Yes; Push- No.
Harry mentioned Starr’s Ice Bowl sneak. The famous photo displays Chuck Mercein with his hands in the air appearing to celebrate Starr’s TD. But as Mercein has recounted many times, he was simply demonstrating to the officials he was not (illegally) assisting Starr into the endzone.
Didn’t want/need this play then and don’t want/need it now.
Go Packers!!!
LeotisHarris
February 25, 2025 at 10:36 am
That was quite a ride through The Corner today. I suffered a bit of whiplash and some vertigo. However, there's certainly something for everyone in the car in this installment, proving once again you can see the light in the strangest places if you look at it right.
Alberta_Packer
February 25, 2025 at 11:27 am
"Everything with safety" !!?? The NFL and safety are like oil and water - 2 parts that do not blend well together. The NFL has rarely, if at any time, been proactive with player safety. Always reactive - only changing rules and practices as a means of last resort. So the tush push is 'safe' for now.
the_gavia_pass
February 25, 2025 at 04:02 pm
this is why we wasted Rodgers years, mark murphy is a SOFT CRY BABY.
I am counting minutes remaining till we'll get rid of him.
Leatherhead
February 25, 2025 at 04:25 pm
Hold your breath, that'll be better.
the_gavia_pass
February 25, 2025 at 04:54 pm
look at reality. stop dreaming what does not exists.
EVERYBODY in the NFL know he is SOFT and run a SOFT organization.
Alberta_Packer
February 25, 2025 at 07:02 pm
Please detail who is "EVERYBODY in the NFL." Roger Goodell, Rich McKay, John Mara...?
the_gavia_pass
February 26, 2025 at 05:53 am
everybody means GMs, coaches, players..it's well known murphy organization is soft and that creates a soft team. we had plenty of examples on the field of how soft we are.
do you imagine a brandon bostik doing what he wants in a championship under howie roseman????? impossible in that organization...but in the packers organization we had many bostik. WE ARE SOFT from the top.
Gman1976
February 25, 2025 at 05:17 pm
Year's ago, it was said that nobody could stop the Packer sweep. Nobody tried to outlaw it. There's no reason to outlaw the push tush.
canadapacker
February 25, 2025 at 08:09 pm
Until people are injured more during the tush push - it will stay the same - and I hate it. What we need is the Packers to bring in some big Dlineman to help the tush push. The ridiculous new kickoff format and claiming that it is about player safety - has kind of ruined a part of the game. And really it is not truly about the safety of the players. Having so many games on Thursday nights - how is that safety of players playing with only 3 days rest after a Sunday game. Seems to me that they need to add the 18th game and and extra bye and only play Thursday if they are coming off of a bye. I am sure that they fancy computer programmers can figure it out.
Starrbrite
February 27, 2025 at 02:15 pm
Right canadap—the player safety mantra is tiring and simply window dressing for other agendas.