Outside of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, the No. 1 most talked about NFL storyline so far this season is the infamous Tush Push play. Those in Philadelphia call it the Brotherly Shove, but it’s a hot-button issue across the league, and it doesn’t look like that conversation will stop anytime soon.
While some seem to question the legality of the play and whether it’s something that the league should look to make a change to, the fact remains that it is often imitated, not duplicated, for the other 31 teams.
While the Philadelphia Eagles are very good at it, the rest of the NFL does not do well with it. And according to Jason Kelce, it comes at a price to run it.
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed!
Jason Kelce Calls Tush Push an ‘Exhausting’ Play
While the league discusses their frustrations and the toll it takes on the defense to try and defend the push, no one has stopped to think about the toll it takes on the guys running it. Eagles center Kelce let the world know, though, that despite the success of the play, it’s by no means a fun play for them either.
Kelce talked with Peter King of Pro Football Talk after Sunday night’s game against the Miami Dolphins and revealed that he’s less than enthused to run the Tush Push despite what some may think.
“Nobody wants to defend that play, quite frankly,” Kelce said, “And for us, it’s not a play that you’re super fired up to run because of how exhausting it is. You’re fired up that — you’re confident in it, but you’re definitely like, ‘Man, this is gonna..man, this is gonna hurt.'”
No question about it, the play is the most physical play the sport has to offer now. An almost “no rules” approach to the game of football that draws back memories of when the forward pass was not a thing.
However, as the league has made player safety a point of emphasis, this is a highly successful play that literally no one wants to run. Yet, right now — at least for the Eagles — it’s the most successful play in the game.
MORE: Why Did the Philadelphia Eagles Trade for Safety Kevin Byard?
When asked about the play and the many teams trying to do what the Eagles have done, head coach Nick Sirianni was blunt in his response. “If everybody could do it, everybody would.”
Tough to argue with the results. And as long as it keeps working, they’ll keep calling it, regardless of how Kelce and the fellas feel about it.
Eagles Keep Finding a Way
The Eagles would agree that they have not played a complete, dominant four quarters of football in a game yet this season. Philadelphia has dealt with injuries, turnovers, and some miscues. Despite all of that, they’re 6-1 and tied for the best record in the NFL right now.
One injury concern, in particular, may be worth keeping an eye on is that with quarterback Jalen Hurts. While it doesn’t look like he will miss time due to a knee injury, it’s clear that Hurts is less than 100%, and it’s something worth monitoring going forward.
When asked about the injury, Hurts was short and sweet in his answer, stating, “I’ll be fine.” When pressed further about how it will affect him moving forward, he left it open-ended for those who were listening “Hope not.”
The Eagles continue to find a way, further proving that last season was anything but a fluke, and they are still the team to be reckoned with once again in 2023.