Eagles center Jason Kelce doesn't care if NFL bans 'tush push'
Jason Kelce, the Eagles center who some say is key to making the “Tush Push” such a powerful offensive tool, doesn’t care if the play survives after the season.
Basically, he’s tired of all the chatter about whether NFL commissioner Roger Goodell thinks the play should be banned. He’s also probably tired of all the nicknames for the play as well. With the Eagles, the tush push has evolved into the brotherly shove. There are variations of the nickname all over the league.
“Ban it! I really … at this point, I don’t care,” Kelce said in the most recent episode of his New Heights podcast that he hosts with brother, Travis Kelce.
The Eagles’ next game is against the Cowboys this Sunday at AT&T Stadium. And the play likely will be in the offensive rotation. They use it anytime Philadelphia needs to do a quarterback sneak, whether it’s fourth and short at midfield or within a yard of a touchdown. The Eagles ran it four times against the Cowboys in their first meeting. So by design, they’ll line up in a power set that looks a lot like a victory formation. Two running backs will be behind and to either side of quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Once the ball is snapped, it’s basically like a rugby scrum. Kelce’s job is to snap the ball to Hurts, then immediately burrow down and use his strength and lower center of gravity to move the interior defenders in front of him. The running backs will aid Hurts with an extra push. But Hurts also has incredible leg strength. Remember, this is the guy who squatted 600 pounds back in college. So like a good power back, he keeps his legs moving.
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Here’s a clip showing the Eagles using the play to score a touchdown last Sunday against the 49ers.
So why does Kelce not care if the NFL does away with the play? He got the stats, pre push, courtesy of Brian Baldinger of the NFL Network. Baldinger is an old offensive NFL lineman who makes a living these days talking about football. Before the Eagles used this unique play, Kelce said the offense was 36-of-38 on quarterback sneaks.
The NFL entertained the idea of doing away with the play in spring meetings earlier this year. But the committee never put it up for the vote. The play actually has been legal in the NFL for 18 years. However, it took the Eagles making it look so lethally cool last season for the formation to attract a ton of attention. Hurts converted six first downs with the push in the Eagles Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs. Suddenly, everyone had an opinion.
Kelce explained why it was extra hard to stop during an interview earlier this year.
“It’s not a play that you can practice full-speed,” Kelce said. “Nobody practices it on Wednesday at the tempo it’s going to be in the game. Because we’ve had so many reps in the past two years on that play, we have a better breadth of knowledge of how to hit the nuances and all work in the same direction. I think it adds up.”
The play is picking up around the NFL. Jordan Love and the Packers do it. So does Josh Allen and the Bills. Brock Purdy and the 49ers even used it to help San Fran beat the Eagles. No doubt, the NFL will revisit the play in the off-season. Jason Kelce may, or may not, get his wish.