Over the last couple of years, there has been a lot of talk around the NFL about the “Tush Push.” Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has never taken a strong stance publicly about the play, but he has now.
Fans have become frustrated watching the Philadelphia Eagles execute the play time and time again. It’s a play that they have mastered and is almost guaranteed to pick up a yard or two each and every time they run it.
While it has become a competitive advantage for them, the Eagles have not seen the NFL vote to banish it. There has been more of a buzz about banning the play after the Green Bay Packers’ rule proposal during the 2025 offseason. However, the push was not quite enough to vote it out.
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That being said, there has been speculation that the rest of the league is growing more frustrated with the play. Some believe that it could be banned next offseason.
Despite the growing frustration surrounding the play, Payton remains steadfast in his belief that the play should not be outlawed. He explained his reasoning in a new quote.
As shared by Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team in a post on X, Payton had a specific reason for not wanting the play gone.
“When all of a sudden health and safety was pulled into that — which might be the safest play in football — my (expletive) nose kinda went up,” Payton said.
Truthfully, he makes a good point. Nothing has been proven about Philadelphia using the “Tush Push” resulting in injury. In fact, the opposite could be said, as Payton referred to.
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At the end of the day, the better argument to be made would be that the play is an unfair advantage. However, the counter argument to that would be that other teams could use the play as well, but they don’t. No other team has been able to master it like the Eagles have been able to.
Payton clearly doesn’t think the play needs to banished for player safety reasons. What he thinks of the play as a whole remains to be seen, but it doesn’t sound like he’s ready to vote to get rid of Philadelphia’s secret weapon anytime soon.
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