Don’t worry Philadelphia, the “Brotherly Shove” will be back in 2024. According to Troy Vincent, NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations, the Tush Push, a play that resembles more of a scrum, will still be legal next season. In his conference call, Vincent stated that various NFL committees, such as the competition committee and health and safety committee, decided that there just wasn’t the injury data that would suggest that the play should be banned or even voted on. So the Tush Push lives on, just without the key ingredient, Eagles center Jason Kelce.
What is the Tush Push?
The “play” in question is pretty simple. The offensive linemen line up foot to foot in low three point stances while three players stand behind and on either side of the quarterback. As soon as the ball is snapped, the QB gets as low as possible and follows his linemen who are barely off the ground driving their legs while their bodies are as horizontal as humanly possible. While that is happening, the quarterback is being pushed from behind (with hands on the quarterback’s lower back or, you guessed it, tush)…thus, the Tush Push.
#Vikings LB Anthony Barr really might be the creator of the tushpush 🤯
(🎥: @NFLFilms | fleaflickerrfootball/TikTok)#NFL pic.twitter.com/K7Cg2H2Cn1
— The Athletes Plug (@TheAthletesPlug) December 9, 2023
Origins of the Tush Push
While the Eagles mastered and made it famous, their “Brotherly Shove” wasn’t started in Philadelphia. Many believe it was first mentioned by Anthony Barr while on the sidelines and wired by NFL Films. “You should put some big dude at quarterback and another big dude right behind him,” Pretty simple. Then in 2020, the Indianapolis Colts did just that. And who was the offensive coordinator of the Colts that season…Nick Sirianni, current head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.
From the Tush Push to the Brotherly Shove
From the Philly Special to the Tush Push, the Philadelphia Eagles have been one of the most successful, entertaining, and innovative teams in the NFL for some time now. Their success when employing the Brotherly Shove is undeniable. According to the Sporting News’ Jacob Camenker, in 2023, Philly converted 37 of 40 times they pushed the tush; that’s a rate of 92.5 percent. The rest of the league was around the 70% success rate when running the scrum, so what made the Eagles so successful?
The push from behind starts up front
There is no doubt that in order to be successful at the unreal rate of the Eagles, a strong, dominating offensive line is a must. In the middle of it all for Philly has been center Jason Kelce, a hall of fame caliber center who recently announced his retirement. Kelce was the straw that stirred the drink, or more fittingly the engine that powered the car. The driver, Jalen Hurts, will undoubtedly miss his center, who not only did a dominant job of blocking, but made the necessary protection calls to protect and open lanes for the talented quarterback.
What does the line look like without Kelce?
With the lost of its leader, the offensive line can’t be expected to be as good as it has been recently, can it? We’ll have to wait until the 2024 season to determine that, but there’s a great chance this will still be one of the highest graded, if not the top, offensive lines in the NFL. Last year they were widely viewed as the number one OL unit in the league (with the Lions in contention), and most believe that Cam Jurgens will do a fine job replacing Kelce, who called Jurgens “his favorite player in the draft” in 2022.
In 2024, the Eagles return dominating tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, ranked 3rd and 13th, respectively, by pff.com, as well as Jurgens, ranked 29th, who started 11 games at right guard in 2023. The left guard position will remain Landon Dickerson’s, 16th ranked, and the right guard looks to be Tyler Steen’s to lose. Steen was selected in the second round of last year’s draft.
Wait and See
There’s nothing left to do but wait and see what happens when tushes get pushed this fall. The scrum has survived and will remain one of the most boring, exciting, successful plays in the NFL.
