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The Philadelphia Eagles' 'tush push' is becoming the NFL's most unstoppable play

The Philadelphia Eagles' 'tush push' is becoming the NFL's most unstoppable play
Advertisement
The Philadelphia Eagles' 'tush push' is becoming the NFL's most unstoppable play
The most unstoppable play in the NFL was on full display under the bright lights Monday night.When the Philadelphia Eagles need a yard, they often resort to the 鈥渢ush push.Related video above: Usher announced as Super Bowl Halftime actQuarterback Jalen Hurts lines up under center with two or three players behind him. He takes the snap, the offensive line surges forward and Hurts gets a big push from behind.It almost always works. Even when it doesn鈥檛, the Eagles do it again.Hurts was stopped short of the end zone on third down from the 1 in the third quarter of a 25-11 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. So Philadelphia went for it on fourth down. Tight end Dallas Goedert, running back D鈥橝ndre Swift and wide receiver A.J. Brown provided the push from behind and Hurts crossed the goal line for a touchdown that made it 20-3.In the fourth quarter, the Eagles did it successfully for the fourth time against the Buccaneers to extend a drive that chewed up the final 9:22.Philadelphia had tremendous success with the 鈥渢ush push鈥� last year on the way to reaching the Super Bowl, going 37 for 41. Opponents hate it because they can鈥檛 beat it. Enough complaints by other coaches led to discussion about potentially banning the play, but the NFL鈥檚 competition committee didn鈥檛 come up with a rule to be put to vote that would prohibit it.The Eagles can do it as often as they wish this season. The play has been legal in the NFL since 2005 when the league removed the language in the rule book that prohibited pushing offensive players. But no team has taken advantage of it quite like the Eagles under coach Nick Sirianni and Hurts.It helps having a quarterback who can squat 600 pounds and a dominant offensive line that features All-Pro center Jason Kelce, Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson and All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson.鈥淥bviously it鈥檚 a play that we鈥檝e had a lot of success with over the last few years and it鈥檚 just a physical play,鈥� Goedert said. 鈥淛alen does a good job finding the weak spot of the zone. They were trying to jump over the pile today but I was ready for that in the back. If we need a yard, we鈥檙e gonna get a yard with our O-line. ... Jalen is gonna fight for it.鈥漁n the sneak that resulted in a TD, Goedert put his arm around Hurts and tried to lift him in.鈥淚 was yanking him for sure,鈥� Goedert said. 鈥淭hey say you can鈥檛 pull, but I was behind him.鈥漈he Buccaneers tried a different strategy by having defensive linemen leap over the offensive line to try to stop Hurts.鈥淲e鈥檝e seen it with linebackers, but their nose tackle was trying to jump over, too,鈥� Goedert said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things where once they get their feet off the ground, it鈥檚 better for us, so if they jump, we鈥檙e going to get that (forward) movement for sure. It鈥檚 a risky play for them. I think they need to get (Steelers Hall of Famer) Troy Polamalu to time it up perfectly. That鈥檚 the only shot they got.鈥滵ickerson summed up the key to success.鈥淓xecute your assignment,鈥� he said.In a copycat league, other teams have tried it. The Colts, Jaguars and Bears failed their attempts in Week 1. Nobody matches Philadelphia鈥檚 success rate and frequency.鈥淣ot everyone has Jason Kelce, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens. Not everybody has Jordan Mailata. Not everybody has Lane Johnson on the other side. Not everybody has that type of quarterback,鈥� Sirianni said last week. 鈥淲e noticed that last year when people were making maybe some big deals about it. There are a lot that are unsuccessful. ... But there is clearly a talent to it that our guys have, because it鈥檚 not as 鈥� maybe it鈥檚 automatic right now for the Philadelphia Eagles 鈥� but it鈥檚 not automatic around the NFL.鈥淚 get that some people are complaining about it, but stop it. Stop the play. It鈥檚 not as automatic as people think as we鈥檙e seeing across the NFL. Our players make it work, right? Frankly, us as coaches aren鈥檛 doing anything. We鈥檙e calling the play and the players are going out there and making it work. Now, we did a lot of studies on everything in the offseason to help ourselves be even better at it, but it鈥檚 about those guys up front. It鈥檚 about Jalen. I think we would be pretty successful without the push, but we鈥檙e just pushing them sometimes to give that extra thump.鈥漈he Eagles even tried to fake a 鈥渢ush push鈥� in the third quarter, perhaps to give defenses something else to consider. Hurts started to drop back, but he stumbled and was tackled for a loss.鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 stoppable two plays in a row. I think we had one or two here and there,鈥� Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a lot of weight on both sides. It鈥檚 a great play that they got. They crafted it. The offensive line coach does a great job. They have a big athletic quarterback and you got push behind so it鈥檚 going to be tough. But we knew that going in.鈥�

The most unstoppable play in the NFL was on full display under the bright lights Monday night.

When the Philadelphia Eagles need a yard,

Advertisement

Related video above: Usher announced as Super Bowl Halftime act

Quarterback Jalen Hurts lines up under center with two or three players behind him. He takes the snap, the offensive line surges forward and Hurts gets a big push from behind.

It almost always works. Even when it doesn鈥檛, the Eagles do it again.

Hurts was stopped short of the end zone on third down from the 1 in the third quarter of a 25-11 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night. So Philadelphia went for it on fourth down. Tight end Dallas Goedert, running back D鈥橝ndre Swift and wide receiver A.J. Brown provided the push from behind and Hurts crossed the goal line for a touchdown that made it 20-3.

In the fourth quarter, the Eagles did it successfully for the fourth time against the Buccaneers to extend a drive that chewed up the final 9:22.

Philadelphia had tremendous success with the 鈥渢ush push鈥� last year on the way to reaching the Super Bowl, going 37 for 41. Opponents hate it because they can鈥檛 beat it. Enough complaints by other coaches led to discussion about potentially banning the play, but the NFL鈥檚 competition committee didn鈥檛 come up with a rule to be put to vote that would prohibit it.

The Eagles can do it as often as they wish this season. The play has been legal in the NFL since 2005 when the league removed the language in the rule book that prohibited pushing offensive players. But no team has taken advantage of it quite like the Eagles under coach Nick Sirianni and Hurts.

It helps having a quarterback who can squat 600 pounds and a dominant offensive line that features All-Pro center Jason Kelce, Pro Bowl left guard Landon Dickerson and All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson.

鈥淥bviously it鈥檚 a play that we鈥檝e had a lot of success with over the last few years and it鈥檚 just a physical play,鈥� Goedert said. 鈥淛alen does a good job finding the weak spot of the zone. They were trying to jump over the pile today but I was ready for that in the back. If we need a yard, we鈥檙e gonna get a yard with our O-line. ... Jalen is gonna fight for it.鈥�

On the sneak that resulted in a TD, Goedert put his arm around Hurts and tried to lift him in.

鈥淚 was yanking him for sure,鈥� Goedert said. 鈥淭hey say you can鈥檛 pull, but I was behind him.鈥�

The Buccaneers tried a different strategy by having defensive linemen leap over the offensive line to try to stop Hurts.

鈥淲e鈥檝e seen it with linebackers, but their nose tackle was trying to jump over, too,鈥� Goedert said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of those things where once they get their feet off the ground, it鈥檚 better for us, so if they jump, we鈥檙e going to get that (forward) movement for sure. It鈥檚 a risky play for them. I think they need to get (Steelers Hall of Famer) Troy Polamalu to time it up perfectly. That鈥檚 the only shot they got.鈥�

Dickerson summed up the key to success.

鈥淓xecute your assignment,鈥� he said.

In a copycat league, other teams have tried it. The Colts, Jaguars and Bears failed their attempts in Week 1. Nobody matches Philadelphia鈥檚 success rate and frequency.

鈥淣ot everyone has Jason Kelce, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens. Not everybody has Jordan Mailata. Not everybody has Lane Johnson on the other side. Not everybody has that type of quarterback,鈥� Sirianni said last week. 鈥淲e noticed that last year when people were making maybe some big deals about it. There are a lot that are unsuccessful. ... But there is clearly a talent to it that our guys have, because it鈥檚 not as 鈥� maybe it鈥檚 automatic right now for the Philadelphia Eagles 鈥� but it鈥檚 not automatic around the NFL.

鈥淚 get that some people are complaining about it, but stop it. Stop the play. It鈥檚 not as automatic as people think as we鈥檙e seeing across the NFL. Our players make it work, right? Frankly, us as coaches aren鈥檛 doing anything. We鈥檙e calling the play and the players are going out there and making it work. Now, we did a lot of studies on everything in the offseason to help ourselves be even better at it, but it鈥檚 about those guys up front. It鈥檚 about Jalen. I think we would be pretty successful without the push, but we鈥檙e just pushing them sometimes to give that extra thump.鈥�

The Eagles even tried to fake a 鈥渢ush push鈥� in the third quarter, perhaps to give defenses something else to consider. Hurts started to drop back, but he stumbled and was tackled for a loss.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 stoppable two plays in a row. I think we had one or two here and there,鈥� Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 a lot of weight on both sides. It鈥檚 a great play that they got. They crafted it. The offensive line coach does a great job. They have a big athletic quarterback and you got push behind so it鈥檚 going to be tough. But we knew that going in.鈥�