This philosophy made Lombardi a legend.
Tush push
But there have been plays where an offensive player is lifted and either carried or kind of crowd surfed forward.
Clean up the pile
From an OL perspective it’s the purest form of football. You vs. the guy in front of you. Who’s the man? It’s head down, ass up, and 100 miles an hour off the ball to see who can move the LOS a few inches in his favor.
It’s ugly for the casual fan, a thing of beauty for the purist.
That’s an invalid argument to me. Let the LB’s tush push the DL and then talk to me. Until then, it’s exploitative and really stupid.
- Moderator
- #81
I proudly wear my casual fan cap in most scenarios hahaha
That’s literally not what’s happening though.
In reality, this happens on nearly every inside run play. LBs and safeties often come in behind the play when linemen are holding up the blockers and try to move the pile back.
That’s way different than literally aiding a defender at the snap.
On a 3rd and 1 it's exactly the same thing as the tush push. Linebackers are trying to drive the DT into the backfield exactly like the RB is pushing the QB
I’m ok letting it go both ways
I think there’s a clear difference. That’s just the natural course of a play. This stupid tush push is clearly taking advantage of a dumb rule.
The offense can do it. The defense can’t. The only way to level the playing field in this instance would be to allow the LB’s to aid the DL at the snap. Which they can’t. And which would also be so dangerous.
NFL teams exploit dumb rules all the time. Vrabel did it a few years back against the Patriots with the intentional false start on a punt to run off almost 80 seconds. And the league shut that down in the offseason.
This is no different. It’s exploring a loophole.
But that’s where you get into serious player safety concerns.
It’s not? You think Kelce and company are just hanging out waiting for the backfield to hit the pile?
I think they’re counting on the wall of humans standing directly behind them to provide a push.
I think the “push” is as much to mask qb progress as it is to facilitate it. Hurts gets lost in the pileup and you can’t tell when he’s down or his progress is stopped until the whole pile stops moving.
Hmmm. That’s an interesting take on it, haha. I think they’re just pushing the living hell out of him.
One thing for certain is Kelce and the line aren't waiting. Every Philly QB who has recived snaps from Kelce has talked about how fast and hard he snaps the ball. He says it's because he "wants his hand back." That OL is the best in football by a large margin and they dont get that way by waiting for running backs.
The irony to me is that the only team who most likely has the personnel to stop the tush push (BIG defensive tackles, similar to the big tackles teams like the early 00's Ravens had) is....the Eagles with Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. Maybe NFL teams need to look into bringing back those big stout run stuffers.
But no. Don't ban it. Can't punish a team for having the perfect personnel for one particular play.
But no. Don't ban it. Can't punish a team for having the perfect personnel for one particular play.
I took a real good look at it for the first time last night, looked like a winner to me, nothing illegal barring some obscure formation rule or ?? A very well executed short yardage play, using mass as a weapon. Love it.
The offense can push their own personnel forward. The defense can’t do the same thing. That’s the biggest fundamental issue.
- Thread starter
- #98
So did they try and fail?
I don't mind it. Reminds me of a Rugby scrum. On another note, when it's 3rd or 4th down and inches, why not put a guard in as the running back? The Bears did it in 1985 with William Perry with great success.
