The NFL may soon ban the Eagles’ tush push with a broad rule that makes it illegal for any ball carrier to be pushed by a teammate. Saquon Barkley doesn’t like it.
Barkley, the Eagles running back whose job is to push quarterback Jalen Hurts forward on the tush push, dismisses attempts to ban the play as sour grapes from teams that haven’t been able to stop it.
“If you don’t like it, get better at stopping it,” Barkley told ESPN. “It’s not like a play that we only do. Everyone tries it, we’re just super successful at it.”
Barkley is right about that: The Eagles have elevated the play to an art form, while many other NFL teams have tried and failed to gain a yard by plunging their quarterback into the line while the running back pushes him from behind. It’s a play the Eagles do with devastating efficiency, and the rest of the league struggles to emulate.
But at the upcoming NFL meeting, the owners are likely to vote on a rule that would put it to an end. There’s growing opposition to the tush push around the league, and teams that can’t stop it on the field might stop it with a rule change.
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