PHILADELPHIA — So how does the man that’s been being pushed and shoved for the last three years feel about a rule that would no longer allow that to happen?
Warning: You’re going to be disappointed by the answer.
“I don’t necessarily have a comment on that,” Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said Tuesday after the team held a voluntary workout at its practice facility in South Philadelphia.
To be fair, the actual question was this: “From your perspective how vital is (the tush push) to the Eagles.”
It’s possible — even probable — that the next time Hurts and the Eagles are available for public comment that the tush push will have been shoved out of their playbook.
The NFL owners are scheduled to vote on a revised proposal by the Green Bay Packers at their meetings Wednesday in Minneapolis.
Here is the wording of the Packers’ proposal: No offensive player may: (a) push or pull a runner in any direction at any time or lift him to his feet; (b) use interlocking interference, by grasping a teammate or by using his hands or arms to encircle the body of a teammate in an effort to block an opponent; or (c) push or throw his body against a teammate to aid him in an attempt to obstruct an opponent or to recover a loose ball.; or (d) assist the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him. Penalty: For assisting the runner, interlocking interference, or illegal use of hands, arms, or body by the offense: Loss of 10 yards.
If the tush push is banned, Hurts and the Eagles will lose their biggest short-yardage weapon in 2025.
According to Jay Morrison of SI.com, Hurts has scored 33 of his 55 rushing touchdowns from one-yard out, which is the most by any quarterback in league history. Most of them have been on the tush push.
The Eagles, as a team, didn’t want to go too deep into the subject of the tush push Tuesday with the league’s vote looming.
“I don’t have any thoughts on it,” wide receiver A.J. Brown said. “My thoughts are it’s only one yard.”
Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata also downplayed the idea that it could soon be removed from the game.
“In terms of them banning the tush push, I hate the name, so I hope they do ban it,” he said. “But I can’t control. We can’t control it, so we don’t even worry about that right now. ... Worrying about whether they’re going to ban the tush push or not isn’t going to win us another championship.”
Finally, coach Nick Sirianni was asked if he was still lobbying to keep the tush push in the game, which he did during the owners meetings in South Florida earlier this year.
“We’ll see where that goes,” Sirianni said. “It’s going to be public (Wednesday). You know how I feel about it. We obviously talked about it at the owners meetings and I don’t think anyone can question what my sentiment is about it, but we’ll see what happens with it.”
Twenty-four of the league’s 32 owners must vote for the ban in order for it to be removed from the game. The competition committee only had 16 owners in favor of banning the play at the meetings earlier this year so they tabled the vote.
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Bob Brookover can be reached at rbrookover@njadvancemedia.com