'There is no skill involved' – Packers seek to ban one of the NFL's most famous plays
The Green Bay Packers is done with the tush push. On Monday, it was reported that an undisclosed team had sent a rule proposal to ban the tush push, which was revealed by NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent. Hours later, The Athletic's Dianna Russini confirmed that the idea came from the […]
The Green Bay Packers is done with the tush push. On Monday, it was reported that an undisclosed team had sent a rule proposal to ban the tush push, which was revealed by NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent. Hours later, The Athletic's Dianna Russini confirmed that the idea came from the Packers. And the Philadelphia Eagles are certainly not happy with that.
In his monthly column on the team's official website, Packers president Mark Murphy had indicated his dissatisfaction with the play, which became famous with the Philadelphia Eagles making it almost unstoppable. This is what he wrote:
"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."
Curiously, during a game in 2022, the Packers were able to stop the play, which they did again in Week 1 in Brazil.
Meanwhile, Matt LaFleur and his offensive coaching staff created their own version of the play, but executing it with tight end Tucker Kraft to avoid injuries to quarterback Jordan Love.
It might also be one of the final acts of Mark Murphy as the Packers president. The franchise has a rule in which its leader is forced to retire at the age of 75, and Green Bay has already named current Chief Operating Officer Ed Policy to replace Murphy later this year.
Packers can fix their edge rush problem with one simple change, and it’s overdue
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