The tush push, made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles, is back in the spotlight this NFL offseason after the Green Bay Packers reportedly submitted a proposal to ban the play.
Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has seen it done throughout the league, including by his brother, John, with his Baltimore Ravens. Jim admitted he didn’t have a “strong opinion” on the matter.
However, Harbaugh said he’s watching good football when he sees the tush push, which means finding a way to stop it or, better yet, running the play successfully.
“It just seems like it works every single time, but it seems like football to me. Get good at it or stop it,” Harbaugh told Fox News Digital while discussing his partnership with Invivyd, the American biotech company that is working to provide non-vaccine preventative options for COVID-19.
“I don’t have a strong opinion on it right now and probably defer to others and see which way the vote goes. Get good at it ourselves, or get in position to stop it.”
Harbaugh said these were his thoughts after the Eagles started converting the play at such a high rate.
NFC TEAM SUBMITS PROPOSAL TO BAN EAGLES’ FAMOUS ‘TUSH PUSH’ PLAY: REPORT
Since then, other teams have tried the play, but none with the same success as the Eagles.
“I am not a fan of this play,” Green Bay Packers CEO Mark Murphy said. “There is no skill involved, and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less. The series of plays with the Commanders jumping offsides in the NFC championship game to try to stop the play was ridiculous.”
The Athletic reported the Packers were the NFL team that submitted a proposal to the NFL’s competition committee to ban the play, which will be voted on by league owners in March.
“I guess the discussions will be in the offseason, but the quarterback sneak will never be eliminated from football,” Harbaugh added. “I guess it’s the aspect of pushing [the player under center], and you’re not allowed to drag [the player holding the ball], but you are allowed to push.”
The Eagles introduced the play in 2022, and have converted it over 90% of the time. Despite Harbaugh and others feeling like the Eagles convert it almost automatically, the percentage has gone down since then.
In 2023, Philadelphia converted at an 88.1% rate, and it was 82.4% in their Super Bowl-winning season in 2024. But it came in clutch for quarterback Jalen Hurts to score yet another tush push touchdown in the Super Bowl, the first score of the game, to help them defeat the Kansas City Chiefs.
The play was debated last offseason, but we’ll see where owners stand when they vote on banning the play.
HARBAUGH HERE TO HELP
This offseason, Harbaugh’s coaching involves spreading information about a multilayered prevention approach to fight COVID-19, which remains a serious health issue, even if we’re no longer in a pandemic.
From Oct. 7, 2023, through Sept. 8, 2024, Invivyd found there were over 656,000 hospitalizations, 112,302 of which were intensive care unit admissions, and over 58,000 deaths due to COVID-19.
“As a coach, you want to see people not sidelined in the game, at the game and gathering without having that fear,” he said. “Proud to have partnered with Invivyd. People think COVID is old news, don’t really like talking about it as much. But facts are it’s still around, and [we] don’t know the long-term effects.
“People are still getting sick, still being hospitalized, some still dying, especially those who are immunocompromised. It could be yourself, could be somebody you know, somebody that’s a friend or family. And there are options, so talk to your doctor — bottom line.”
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