Sean McVay Shares His Conflicting Feelings About Banning the Tush Push

The NFL owners will vote on the proposal on Tuesday, but it seems like the NFL coaches don't all agree on what to do.

Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay reacts to a play. / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Multiple NFL coaches were offering their opinions during Monday's coaches meetings on the Green Bay Packers' proposal to ban the tush push. Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay was one of those coaches.

However, McVay seems pretty conflicted about which side of the vote he supports. NFL owners will vote on the proposal on Tuesday, which would prohibit an "offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap." This play was made famous by the Philadelphia Eagles in recent seasons.

Similarly to what New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said, McVay thinks banning the tush push would open up a can of worms in terms of what plays the NFL could ban in the future, just because they're hard to defend. But, McVay also agrees with a sentiment Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott spoke on in regards to player safety concerns over the tush push.

“Here’s what I would say,” McVay said in an interview with ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio. “I don’t—and I told these guys this—I don’t believe in taking something out because they do it better than anybody else. And I told both [Eagles assistant general manager Jon Ferrari] and [Eagles GM Howie Roseman] that when we were talking yesterday.

“What I don’t like is the optics of that play. Looks like a rugby scrum. And there are some health and safety things, which those things exist in short yardage and goal line situations as well. I’m kind of conflicted because you don’t wanna be a hater because they do it better than anybody else, so I don’t agree with that. But I also wish we didn’t let the play in in the first place in regards to just the optics of what it looks like. Doesn’t look like football to me. And Jon, you know, those guys they understood it, but obviously, you know where they stand on that.”

The NFL owners would need 24 votes to support the ban in order for it to be passed, which McVay acknowledged will be difficult to do. We'll see what happens on Tuesday after the vote occurs.

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