Packers president says 'no skill involved' in Tush Push; advocates for it to be banned

Mark Murphy — the president and CEO of the Green Bay Packers — became the latest NFL figure to advocate for the banning of the "Tush Push" play that the Eagles have perfected over the last three seasons.

In a Q&A with fans on the team's website, Murphy was asked about his opinion on the controversial play, and he didn't mince words: 

"I am not a fan of this play. There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less. The series of plays with the Commanders jumping offsides in the NFC Championship Game to try to stop the play was ridiculous. The referee even threatened to give the Eagles an automatic touchdown if the Commanders did not stop it. I would like to see the league prohibit pushing or aiding the runner (QB) on this play. There used to be a rule prohibiting this, but it is no longer enforced because I believe it was thought to be too hard for the officials to see. The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner. This would bring back the traditional QB sneak. That worked pretty well for Bart Starr and the Packers in the Ice Bowl." 

I'll admit, I thought a few years ago that after the success that the Eagles had with the "Tush Push," the rest of the league was going to figure out how to run it effectively and it would be a play that becomes ridiculous because every team is capable of running it and converting on all short-yardage situations. 

But that hasn't proven to be the case. The Buffalo Bills have had some success with their own variation of it using Josh Allen, but as we saw in the AFC Championship Game, they're hardly as certain to convert on short yardage situations as the Eagles are. Other teams have altogether failed at trying to run the play. There were a bunch of teams that tried to run it in 2023, and after they were unsuccessful at it, bailed. 

8. QUOTH THE TUSH PUSH, NEVERMOOOOOOO! pic.twitter.com/jzDeLLuSaH

— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) December 2, 2024

Clearly then, there is some level of skill involved. The Eagles have arguably the best offensive line in the NFL, and Hurts — who has incredible lower-body strength — has proven to be quite a weapon in executing the play. 

Is there a case to be made that it's just not a fun play to watch and from that sense it should be taken out of the game? Probably. And those who are seeking to have the play outlawed would be wise to lean into that. 

But as NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent — who, admittedly, spent the bulk of his career in Philadelphia — said last year, it's not really fair to "punish a team that strategically does it very well."