Some call it the “Tush Push.” Others dubbed it the “Brotherly Shove.” Regardless of what euphemism you employ to describe the spectacle, you’ve likely engaged with it as of late. And if you’re not an Eagles enthusiast, your team has likely been felled with it at one point or another.
The play — a modification of the QB sneak that sees two players line up behind the quarterback and effectively launch the runner through the trenches to pick up first downs or touchdowns in short-yardage situations — is as contentious as it is effective.
Nick Sirianni’s bunch has been at the center of the play’s controversy. With the Packers reportedly leading efforts to have the call scrubbed from playbooks in 2025, Philadelphia is once again under scrutiny.
MORE: Will the NFL ban the ‘Tush Push’?
Sirianni had his say on the matter during a press session at the 2025 NFL Combine. Here’s what you need to know.
Nick Sirianni responds to calls for ‘Tush Push’ ban
Sirianni fired back at suggestions that the “Tush Push” should be parked, revealing that Philadelphia’s success on the play has more to do with its preparation, be that through roster construction, film study, coaching and more.
“I almost feel a little insulted,” Sirianni said, “because we work so hard at that play.
“The amount of things we’ve looked into how to coach that play, the fundamentals. … I can’t tell you how many times we practice the snap, we practice the play, because it’s not a play that is easy to practice. There’s different ways we figured out how to practice it.”
MORE: Will retired TE Rob Gronkowski return to the NFL?
Sirianni highlighted the deliberate nature of the play-call, arguing that it opens up counters for “explosive” plays, something Saquon Barkley and Co. were all too familiar with.
“Our guys are talented at this play,” Sirianni added. “It’s a little insulting to say ‘We’re good at it so it’s automatic.’ We work really hard at it.”
The play-call isn’t infallible, Sirianni said. He cited the Bills’ inability to burst through Kansas City’s defensive line on fourth-and-short in the AFC Championship as evidence that the first downs and touchdowns are not an inevitability when the shove is enacted. He also highlighted how the Eagles “only” succeeded on the play 82.4 percent of the time in 2024 — a departure from their high-water mark of 90 percent back in 2022.
“Just because it’s a successful play for us doesn’t mean it should go away,” Sirianni said.
MORE: Andy Reid breaks silence on Super Bowl loss, Travis Kelce retirement rumors
Why do Packers, Falcons want to ban ‘Tush Push’?
Across the NFL landscape, responses to Green Bay’s complaint varied. Some coaches, like Atlanta’s Raheem Morris, lent support for a ban, arguing that the move should’ve been outlawed when it first surfaced.
Falcons coach Raheem Morris says he thinks the Tush Push should have been illegal 3 years ago
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) February 25, 2025
There are a host of reasons why opposition sides have grown tired of the Eagles’ Tush Pushing ways. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst highlighted injury concerns as a primary reason why he wants to see the play abolished.
Brian Gutekunst confirms the #Packers were indeed the NFL team who submitted the issue with the “Tush Push” and talked thru it at the #NFLCombine today. @AtoZSportsNFL pic.twitter.com/2CcHveHZG9
— Travis May (@FF_TravisM) February 25, 2025
Green Bay president Mark Murphy claimed he wasn’t a fan of the play call, which he sees as requiring “no skill.”
“There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less,” Murphy said. “I would like to see the league prohibit pushing or aiding the runner on this play.”
Murphy cited Luvu’s high-profile leap(s) as justification for the play to be put on ice, calling it “ridiculous.”
“The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak. That worked pretty well for Bart Starr and the Packers in the Ice Bowl.”
Morris’ remark seemed to hinge on the same sort of premise — the play is highly effective when ran successfully.
Whether that’s enough to convince the league’s competitive committee to scrap the call remains to be seen.
MORE:
Other coaches make case for ‘Tush Push’ to stay
Sirianni wasn’t the only tactician to advocate for the Tush Push to stay in NFL playbooks.
Others, like Ravens boss John Harbaugh, offered a more pragmatic approach.
John Harbaugh says you can’t get rid of the tush push without also making it illegal for linemen to push runners from behind before their forward progresses has stopped.
— RosterWatch (@RosterWatch) February 25, 2025
The Tush Push remains a lighting rod for dissension nearly a month into the offseason. It’s hard to see debate ending anytime soon, either — especially not if the Eagles have anything to do with it.
Between Harbaugh and Buccaneers boss Todd Bowles, it seems there’s a decent bit of support for the Tush Push across the league’s sidelines.
Bowles shared similar sentiments to that of Sirianni, asserting that eliminating the Tush Push would be an affront to tactical creativity.
“I think it’s a rugby element but at the same time when a team gets something that they’re good at, I don’t think the first thing you can do is try to take it out of the ballgame,” Bowles said. “That takes away the creativity of everybody trying to do everything else.
Todd Bowles, who sits on the NFL competition committee, doesn’t think the league should ban the Eagles’ Tush Push just because teams can’t stop it. pic.twitter.com/suJHcLCkY6
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) February 25, 2025
“You gotta learn how to stop it. Until we learn how to stop it, they’re going to continue. If it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”
MORE NFL OFFSEASON NEWS:
