Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst raised the issue of player safety as the primary reason to put a ban on the Philadelphia Eagles’ Tush Push play. According to reports from FOX Sports insider Jordan Schultz, 16 NFL teams are in agreement to ban the move—8 less than the 24 needed to pass the motion.
The NFL committee headed by Commissioner Roger Goodell led a panel discussion during the annual owners’ meeting in Miami last week. They failed to reach a conclusion and tabled the discussion for a later date.
Former NFL wide receiver TJ Houshmandzadeh, a staunch critic of teams that want the Tush Push banned, called out Gutekunst during the latest segment of Up on Game via FOX Sports Radio with Plaxico Burress and LaVar Arrington.
It’s kind of soft, man. No. 1, the Green Bay Packers, y’all are soft as hell. Ohh!!! Soft as***. Put a proposal out to stop the tush push cause they beat you all twice. Stop it, stop it. Man that stuff is so weak because the Eagles do it better than everybody else. If it was that easy y’all do it.
TJ Houshmandzadeh said
The Packers faced the Eagles twice in 2024. Once during the regular season and second in the wild card. On both occasions, the Eagles gained first downs and scored touchdowns by using the tush push.
Why do the Packers want Tush Push to be banned?
Tush push, quarterback sneak, or the brotherly shove—whatever name one calls the Eagles champion play, it makes little difference. However, the Eagles have managed to create their own version, which works nearly every time they attempt it.
During a QB sneak, the quarterback catches the snap and sneaks through the small crevices in the mountain of players in front of him. Tom Brady and Vince Young were masters of this craft.
In the Eagles setup, the quarterback (Jalen Hurts) gets a push from the running back (Saquon Barkley) stationed behind him as extra muscle, allowing them to power through the opponent’s defensive line.
As Houshmandzadeh pointed out, teams struggle to counter it, leaving them annoyed.
The Eagles came up with it [and] they’re effective at it. They’re really good at it. So. If you don’t like it, stop it. That’s our stance on it. Other teams have tried it and have not been as effective.
Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes echoed the same in Miami
Gutekunst, on the other hand, brought up the players’ safety as the main driving force behind the proposal to ban the tush push.
I think the medical professionals of the league had high concerns about putting players in a position to [suffer] catastrophic injuries. I think this is something that needs to be discussed and we need to be proactive about it rather than reactive.
Brian Gutekunst said (H/T: NFL.com)
Houshmandzadeh wants NFL teams to find a solution for the Eagles’ tush push
It’s not easy to stop the tush push. The Eagles are very good at it. They have strong enough guys on the team who execute it with perfection.
According to CBS Sports analyst Jeff Kerr, the Eagles successfully completed 39 of their 48 tush push attempts during the 2024 season on first downs and touchdowns.
[Why do] you want it banned? Player safety? Really, player safety? Now you gonna put it on player safety? You care about player safety? No! No! No! You can’t stop it. The Eagles do it better than everybody else. So now you wanna complain and get it banned—it’s an unsafe play—stop it. Y’all are soft.
TJ Houshmandzadeh said
The tush push remains a subject of contention among teams. Until the league provides a valid reason for banning the play, the Eagles will continue to do it, and other teams must be ready to counter or give up a down.
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