The Green Bay Packers' proposal to ban the tush push—the quarterback sneak variation made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles—will go to a vote on Tuesday, April 1 when the NFL's 32 owners convene during the league's annual meetings. As decision-makers around the NFL prepare for that vote, one of the most contentious potential rule changes in recent memory, conversations have been intense according to a new ESPN report.
ESPN's Kalyn Kahler cited a "source with direct knowledge" of the discussions, stating that the proposal will be "'hotly contested' among the coaches, general managers and owners as they gather for league meetings this week." Discussion of the proposal at a Sunday football operations meeting, which featured members of the Eagles front office including general manager Howie Roseman, was reportedly "heated."
Any rule change requires a 75% vote to pass. The Packers have proposed an amendment to Rule 12, Section 1 of the league rule book, "to prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap."
Green Bay's proposal is reportedly based on concerns around player safety and pace of play, though critics of the proposal say that no concrete data about injury risk from the tush push has been presented, and that some just have aesthetic concerns around the play.
Dallas Cowboys co-owner Stephen Jones, a member of the competition committee, laid out a more compelling argument against the play: Pushing isn't allowed on the other side of the ball, and banning the immediate push likely won't impact the success that Jalen Hurts, who was famous for his lower body strength before his first snap with the Eagles, has had on sneaks.
"We're looking for consistency as a committee, and we don't allow pushing," Jones said. "We don't allow the linebackers to push the defensive linemen on extra points and we're just trying to be consistent. These quarterbacks, I'm sure they would be wildly successful whether you're pushed or not. I'm sure [Jalen Hurts] he'll make first downs at a high rate, whether someone's pushing him or not, because he's an inordinately strong special athlete. So we're just trying to be consistent with the rule. Green Bay really brought something to our attention that we felt like certainly needs to be vetted in the meeting room and amongst the owners and see where we come out on it.
"I think it's just being consistent with our rules, and I think Green Bay brought this to our attention, and that's what we're looking at as a committee, and certainly membership will weigh in on it."
Just days ago, the Washington Post's Mark Maske reported that proponents of a successful tush push ban faced an uphill battle. With the NFL meetings underway Sunday, it appears there is now momentum towards the 24 votes needed to change the rule, though Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni certainly hopes his influence with many of the league's newer head coaches can create a firewall to protect his team's most famous play.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Tush Push Debate at Recent NFL Meeting Got 'Heated' Ahead of Tuesday Vote.