Ban the Tush Push Play

[oaken1]

I vaguely remember it being illegal for another offensive player to help a ball carrier with forward progress. I also think that rule was changed, hence, here we are. If they're allowed by the rules to do it, the impetus is to find a way to stop it. I hate it. I think its garbage football. But its within the rules.

I loved the Commanders safety continually leaping the line, trying to time the snap. And then the ref threatening to award philly a TD if he kept going over the top. That was The Commies trying to find a way to stop it. Silly.

Maybe its all a part of the NFL's attempt to go global.
They add in a play that resembles a rugby scrum so the game has a foothold to appeal to Australians

 

[Syracusecards]

The "tush push play" should be banned. It was no fun watching the Eagles-Commanders Championship game and seeing this constantly used by the Eagles and their QB Hurts. Sorry but IMO this is not football.

make this a petition to send to the NFL

 

[BritCard]

Surely the counter to the tush push, where the advantage to the offense is the additional force of the pushing player, is to do the exact same thing on defense and have your linebackers push the D line?

 

[Cardinal88]

Surely the counter to the tush push, where the advantage to the offense is the additional force of the pushing player, is to do the exact same thing on defense and have your linebackers push the D line?

I would try putting smaller quick/fast guys on both side of the center to shoot the gap at the OL feet. Maybe 3rd or 4th string CBs and then have DL behind them to mash the QB while the OL fall on top of CBs. The little guys will get smooshed but without lineman setting the wall, it will turn into a smash the QB between big DL and while getting pushed from behind. You just need to make sure you still set the edge in case of an end a round.

It might work! Obviously what they all try to do isn’t working now so why not try it.

 

[Dback Jon]

That's kind of a reach. The defense is trying to tackle the runner not push them back. I don't see the comparison between a gang tackle and pushing the ball carrier.

Correct, because the offensive player gets forward progress, so there is nothing to be gained by pushing the ball carrier back.

So should defensive players be allowed to pick up offensive players and carry them backwards? Nope. But that is what the Tush Push is, and should be illegal.

 

[oaken1]

Correct, because the offensive player gets forward progress, so there is nothing to be gained by pushing the ball carrier back.

So should defensive players be allowed to pick up offensive players and carry them backwards? Nope. But that is what the Tush Push is, and should be illegal.

Except!!
In the instance where the offensive player continues to struggle, gets pushed back but then breaks free to resume his run. Then if he is tackled right away he gets the forward progress after he broke free instead of before he was pushed back.
Short form. In order to get initial forward progress a runner must either go down or surrender himself.

 

[Syracusecards]

it’s only a matter of time before it gets banned. All it’s gonna take is some safety to come flying up at the line and dive underneath and hit a starting quarterback hard enough to injure them and put them out for the season.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

it’s only a matter of time before it gets banned. All it’s gonna take is some safety to come flying up at the line and dive underneath and hit a starting quarterback hard enough to injure them and put them out for the season.

I was going to say something similar. I don't think it will get banned but once a major injury happens to a QB, they'll stop using it. They even said in the Chiefs game that KC won't run or hasn't run Mahomes on a sneak since he got dinged doing it.

Plus, a lot of it has to do with QB. The Cards aren't going to run Murray on a tush push. Hurts and Allen were made for that play.
Brady was one of the best at sneaking and that was without the push.

I don't think it should be banned. It's frustrating but it's a good legal play. DC's will eventually figure it out. Just like when the wildcat was a fad for a while. DC's figured that out and now it's rarely used.

 

[Lorenzo]

I think I said in another thread I'm for banning the play if the refs aren't going to spot the ball correctly. I have little faith in their ability to know where the football is in a junk pile. keep the play, but use technology to assist the refs so that they aren't being dumb anymore and wasting everyone's time with replay and conferences on who saw what.