It never should have been allowed in the 1st place. Football isn't a game of pushing and this move was illegal for most of the sports existence. The strongest argument IMO is that it is just bad football. It makes goal line stands less exciting because it is almost a guarantee and we saw this year a bunch of offsides and jumping over the pile that just dragged on the play. It is not as exciting as lining up and going hat on a hat.

I always call it the "Bush Push" because after Bush pushed in Matt Leinhert when USC played ND they play wasn't called so instead of enforcing the rule they took it out for some odd reason that was never really explained. In a game where the offense gets all the advantages why give them this huge advantage right on the goal line? To me it isn't about player safety but about having an exciting game that is fair on both sides. I haven't heard a good argument for the play now or when they removed the rule in the first place.

Two teams, the Eagles and Bills, are pretty successful at the push. Both of them have strong QBs and good interior lines.

The rest of the league isn't as successful. Remember, this play is often run on fourth down and the consequence of failure is that it's a turnover on downs.

IF you're getting 50%, it means that for every first down you get, you get a turnover, too. I don't think that's a very good payoff.

this is the worse shame in packers history and mark murphy will always be remembered for this.
he should be banned from green bay forever.

Originally I saw no harm in it (I’m an ex rugby player) but the lack of a legal counter to it has gradually changed my mind.

A play is bad when the rules make it artificially effective or it’s dangerous. I’m not sure about the health data, but the conversion probability appears too high unless it’s botched.

Unless they change the rules for defenders somehow, it seems to me that teams could easily just put a lineman in there to take the snap, there is little surprise to the play. Just put your strongest guy with a bit of burst in. In the end, if they allow this what else is legal? How far does pushing stretch at the line? Elsewhere?

It seems to me that either the rules legalize more use of pushing and similar rugby techniques that have been weeded out historically, or this play is an isolated contradiction that doesn’t help the game generally as a spectacle or from a more purist stance.

"What if 60 years ago the NFL looked at the Lombardi sweep, a staple of the Packers' success in the 1960s, and said, "You know what, we're going to ban this play."

Red herring...they didn't.

However in 2009 the NFL did ban Kickoff Wedge blocking (3-5 blockers aligned tightly to block for the KR). They cited player safety then too.

Also this remains a football rule: "After the ball carrier crosses the line of scrimmage, an offensive lineman can’t push or pull him forward, helping him gain extra yardage. Helping the runner is a 10-yard penalty."

Why is this very thing allowed on the short yardage Tush Push from behind?

If the Push is a "football play", why is it a penalty on the offense on during other snaps?

If you allow the Push, should the NFL, for consistency, allow the push everywhere on offense? Would change the game and more violent "scrums" at the end of plays and probably more injuries.

Lastly...can the defense also push team mates from behind to counter the Push? If not, why not?

"the Packers have been fairly successful against the "Tush Push" when they've faced the Eagles"

They've also been successful running the play on offense by being smarter and putting Kraft in as QB, but I cringe every time because I don't want him hurt either.

Maybe, they should limit in its use like Red Flag challenges. You can use it twice in a game, but if the first attempt fails, then you lose the second. It would at least make it a more must need situational use.

we learned in pee wee football and high school football you cant help the runner , its illegal never should have been allowed.

The Tush Push was tabled until the NFL's late Spring meetings in Minneapolis.

I note 16 teams, half the NFL is now in favor of banning it now...so support for the ban is growing. The NFL requires 24 teams to outlaw it.

Good article and good conclusion. If there's no evidence of injuries coming from this particular play, then there's no argument for banning it entirely. There's potential danger all over the football field, anyway, and the LOS is certainly no worse than any other place.

If some defensive adjustments were allowed to counter it, then that wouldn't be a bad idea, though.

The decision has been postponed pending further "discussion". With 24 votes needed to ban the tush push, right now it seems like an uphill battle.

It should be banned because it looks ridiculous. That's why it has a ridiculous name. Football did fine for over 100 years without the tush push.

If you are going with the argument that if you don't like it, you should figure out how to stop it, I will argue that if you are not allowed to use the tush push, you should figure out another way to gain a yard.

The rules should maximize the importance of football skills. The ability of a bunch of players to push their teammate forward has never been a football skill (at least not until this play came along), and it's not fun to watch.

Shouldn’t be able to push or pull the ball carrier. Tweak the rule to still allow players to push the O line just not the ball carrier.

Let's be honest, since arod the pack don't even know how to make qb sneak,if gb was good at the push tush,Murphy never would have opened his mouth! Player injury? My arse! Look at all the face masks ,people thrown to the ground, risking breaking knocks,helmets to helmets, etc,rarely called!

and there is a b side on this proposal.
if the eagles could be in some way "less motivared" this year following a SB, this packers request will motivate them a lot. and if we will meet them in post season motivations will sky rocket.
thanks murphy for this move. 3 more months and you'll ask your little grandchildren not to tush push.

I’m completely indifferent on this play. I truly don’t care one way or the other if it stays or is banned. What I don’t like is this sort of comes off as petty. The last decade now other teams have called GB soft. This call out from our top executive sure lends validity to that argument. GB Wisconsin along with the entire Midwest are roll up our sleeves hard work no complaining kind of folks. This seems sort of tattle tale to me. Soft. Let someone else be that guy. That’s my feeling. Start slamming that thumb pointing down I guess. 😉🍻

A key takeaway from this article is the team attitude during the Lombardi years.

"If you know what we're going to do, come stop us."

I haven't heard the Players' Union having any opinion on the safety issues involved with the "tush push". You'd think if it was a dangerous play, they would submit their position on the play.

I'm with the side that believes it's unfair that the offense can push, but the defense is penalized for doing the same thing. Either allow the defense their version or ban the offense from doing it.

Plus, it's just an ugly, low skill type of play. We may end up with a couple of "specialists"- 500 pound guys that come in on defense just for these plays. They just pad 'em up and tell them to fall down in front of the center at the snap. And then a giant pileup of bodies forms until they blow the whistle.

That's football? No thanks.

Idk guys. I love the Packers and I hate losing to the tush push, but to me I see alot of sore losing and whining going on In here, and from the gute to be honest. The bills and eagles invented a play that nobody has figured out how to stop, so instead of trying to stop it, we try to get it banned? Idk it seems soft to me.

How come there is only injury discussion on the offensive side? You see what Washington was doing vs the Eagles in the playoffs? Trying to time it and launching in the air diving head first into the pile…how safe is that plan? And then the refs had to threaten they’ll just award the td…WTF is that? Can they even unilaterally do that?