An NFL team has submitted a proposal to ban the quarterback sneak known as the “tush push,” NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told reporters Monday in Indianapolis.
The Green Bay Packers are the team that submitted the rule change, according to The Athletic and NFL Network.
The play, made most famous by the Super Bowl 59 champion Philadelphia Eagles, is a short-yardage quarterback sneak in which the quarterback is aided by players shoving him forward from behind. The Buffalo Bills are another team who use the play frequently.
Other teams, such as the Baltimore Ravens, have run a similar play with their tight end taking the snap from under center.
“The club proposal is, ‘We need to make some adjustments to that. Is that a viable football play?,’” Vincent said at the NFL’s scouting combine.
The earliest the proposal could come to a vote is next month when NFL owners have their annual meeting. The potential rule change would require 24 of the league’s 32 owners to vote in favor to take effect for next season.
Vincent said changes to the “tush push” have been discussed in the past but never reached the point of a formal proposal.
“A year ago, we felt like, ‘let’s just focus in on the hip-drop tackle, and the tush push,’ just say, ‘hey, the Philadelphia Eagles, they just do it better than everybody else,'” Vincent said Monday, per NFL Network. “But there are some concerns. Our health and safety committee has laid that out today with a brief conversation on the injury report. There’s some challenges, some concerns that they’ll share with the broader group tomorrow. But the tush push will become a topic of discussion moving into March.”
Over the last three seasons, the Eagles and Bills have combined to run a “tush push” 163 times, per ESPN Research, converting for a first down or scoring a touchdown on 87% of those plays.
