Former Buccaneers head coach blasts Philadelphia Eagles’ “tush push”

NFL head coaches have disagreements surrounding the legality of Philadelphia's signature play.

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts holds the Lombardi Trophy while standing next to Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni (R) during the championship trophy presentation after the Eagles' game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

The focus is on the NFL Scouting Combine this week but the annual League Meeting will take place in Palm Beach next month. Among the festivities will be a list of proposals for owners to vote on that could mean more changes for the sport before kickoff next fall.

One of the popular topics of conversation over the past few days has centered around the Philadelphia Eagles and their signature "tush push" play. The Green Bay Packers have already confirmed that they made a proposal to ban the play from the NFL.

Head coaches from around the league have differing opinions on the tush push. For instance, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and current Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris believes the play should've been outlawed years ago. Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott echoed a similar sentiment, though his team has used the tush push the second-most times since 2022, per ESPN.

READ MORE: Where did Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield rank among quarterbacks last season?

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Atlanta Falcons coach Raheem Morris speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"It should've been illegal three years ago. No, the tush push play, I've always never been a big fan," Morris said at the NFL Combine. "There's just no other play in our game where you can absolutely get behind somebody and push them, pull them off, do anything."

On the flip side, longtime Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles doesn't hold the same stance. He says it's up to other teams to stop it as removing the tush push takes away creativity from the game.

"I think it's a rugby element but at the same time when a team gets something they're good at, you gotta learn how to stop it. I don't think the first thing you can do is try to take it out of the ball game," Bowles said at the combine. "That takes away the creativity of everybody trying to do everything else. You gotta learn how to stop it. Until you learn how to stop it they gonna continue it, if it's not broke don't fix it."

Feb 25, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles speaks speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bowles has a point. Philadelphia obviously has a lot of success with the play but they've put in a ton of work to make that happen. The formation even has multiple different options to work with that have fooled defenses in the past while expecting quarterback Jalen Hurts to just power up the middle.

In the past, the NFL and competition committee haven't elected to take any action regarding the play. It'll be interesting to see if that changes next month as more figures around the league publicly offer their thoughts on the tush push.

---

READ MORE: Tristan Wirfs reveals funny moment with Baker Mayfield after Liam Coen’s Jaguars 'Duuuval' chant

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 season.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Top NFL Draft expert links Buccaneers to wide receiver with superstar potential

• Buccaneers NFC South rival agrees to contract extension with veteran backup QB

• ESPN names best fit for Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin in free agency

• Buccaneers' star rookie running back ranked in PFF's top 101 players of 2024