'They Call Us 'P*******!' Eagles Rivals Hate 'Tush Push' - Dallas Goedert
Despite consideration being given to banning the "Tush Push" play that the Philadelphia Eagles made famous during the 2022 season, for at least another year, the play will still be legal. That means that for at least another season, quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will likely be close to unstoppable on short-yardage situations.
It also means that opposing teams -- unable to stop the rugby-like play where in addition to having an elite offense line to block for him, Hurts has assistance in the backfield from a few teammates ready to push him forward if he meets resistance on his initial sneak -- will continue to be irate when the Eagles line up to run the play.
In fact, Eagles' tight end Dallas Goedert -- sometimes one of the players who lines up behind Hurts to give him extra help if he needs it -- said recently on "Pardon My Take" that opposing teams would trash talk the Eagles when it became apparent what play they were about to run.
“Oh they hated it," Goedert said. "Every time. They’d call us p******. Call us 'soft.' Tell us ‘run a real play.’ And we’re like ‘Well don’t give us third-and-1 and fourth-and-1.”
Hurts is one of the most gifted rushing quarterbacks that the NFL has seen, but certainly the "Tush Push" play helped to contribute to him scampering for a staggering 13 touchdowns in 2022, in addition to the 22 that he threw for.
Even if other teams would have liked to see the play outlawed, it will be interesting to see how many emulate the "Tush Push" in 2023 while it's still legal. For example, Sean Payton is now the coach of the Denver Broncos after taking a season off and working as an analyst for FOX. Dean Blandino -- a current FOX employee that was once the NFL's head of officiating -- said that Payton told him that he plans to run the play as frequently as possible while it's still legal. So it appears that the "Tush Push" will either just become a mainstream play that's accepted in the sport in 2023, or it will be used so often that it's apparent it needs to be banned before 2024.
You can follow Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.
Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here.
