Alright, NFL fans, let’s talk about the play that’s got everybody buzzing: the tush push. This week, during the NFL owners’ meeting, the league made a big call, voting 22-10 to keep this Philly-favored play legal. They needed 24 votes to send it to the rulebook graveyard, but they came up two short. Somewhere in Philadelphia, Eagles fans are high-fiving and chuckling at the teams that tried to squash their bread-and-butter move.
If you’re new to the tush push hype, this is the play where Jalen Hurts and the Eagles’ beefy offensive line bulldoze their way into the end zone, often from the 1-yard line. It’s a thing of beauty—grit, muscle, and precision all rolled into one. And nobody does it better than Philly. On Thursday’s “Exciting Mics” podcast, Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, joined by teammates Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship, didn’t hold back when talking about the teams that wanted to outlaw it.
“Look, if I don’t want to deal with a tush push at the 1-yard line, I just make sure I score before we get there,” Barkley said with a grin you could practically hear. “I got stopped at the 1 like 11 times, so I get it. But trying to ban it? That’s soft. Everybody can run this play—it’s not just us. We’ve just got one of the nastiest, biggest O-lines in the game, and Jalen Hurts can squat a house. That’s not our fault.”
He’s not wrong. The Eagles have turned the tush push—lovingly dubbed the “Brotherly Shove” in Philly—into an art form. Sure, other teams have tried to copy it, but they’re out here fumbling the execution while Philly’s making it look like a Sunday stroll. Barkley didn’t mince words when he pointed out the gap between the Eagles and the rest of the league.
“Josh Allen’s a big dude, right? They’re not getting it done. Lamar Jackson’s one of the best running quarterbacks ever, and even they can’t make it work like we do,” Barkley said. “It’s not like this play is some exclusive club. You can try it. But trying to ban it because you can’t stop it? That’s weak.”
The numbers back him up. The Eagles have turned short-yardage situations into automatic points with this play, thanks to Hurts’ freakish strength and an offensive line that moves like a single, unstoppable unit. It’s not just about raw power—it’s about technique, timing, and trust. Other teams can draw it up on the whiteboard all they want, but Philly’s got the secret sauce.
So, the tush push lives to fight another season, and you can bet Eagles fans are already dreaming of more goal-line shoves. For the 22 teams that wanted it gone, it’s back to the drawing board. Maybe instead of lobbying for a ban, they should hit the weight room and figure out how to stop it. Because right now, the Brotherly Shove is running the show, and it’s a sight to behold.
