Atlanta Falcons' Raheem Morris Not a Fan of 'Tush Push'

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris is for making the "tush push" made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles, against NFL rules.

Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris was asked about the "tush push" or "brotherly shove" made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers still need 23 more teams to join forces with them if they're to get the Philadelphia Eagles "tush push" confined to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's garbage can. The Packers can count Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris among their allies.

For once, however, the ultimate copycat league hasn't been overly keen on joining in with the high percentage derivative of a good old fashioned rugby scrum.

In fact, the Packers and perhaps others would rather see the plunge banned altogether, so much for the if you can't beat them, join them type of attitude.

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Amongst the number of opponents of the "brotherly shove" we can count Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, in fact, he feels the play should have been outlawed before it even gained momentum. 

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

“I never really understood it, and why that was legal. So I’m definitely going to be one of those guys voting against that,” Morris finished with a smile. 

Nixing the play needs a groundswell of dissenters to join Morris and their heads above the pulpit.

Morris might have merely been venting through his million dollar smile, but whether or not his opinion will reverberate across the league remains unclear.

Dare we say that sheer levels of jealousy are in play, the gross inability of other teams around the NFL to find similar success to the Eagles short yardage move is really rather puzzling.

Stopping it has been difficult, and while it's certainly not pleasant to watch, the 93% successful conversion rate speaks volumes of why the Eagles continue to milk the cow.

As far as jumping on the bandwagon goes, only really the Buffalo Bills have gotten close to the Eagles levels when running the push play.

In 2024, the combination of Buffalo's big offensive line and oversized quarterback Josh Allen, saw them succeed at a rate of 78.4% - that was second, and still a long way off from the Eagles’ mastery of the play.

Ultimately, the close quarter violence and brutality of the play might be the difference maker. The Eagles shouldn’t be punished for being able to run a play better than anyone else, but a long-term study on injuries will be available now. If competitive balance doesn’t sink the play, player safety would. 

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