This one doesn’t pass the sniff test for Sean Payton.
The Broncos coach called bull on the notion that eliminating the controversial Tush Push would stem from health and safety concerns, citing how the league changed its kickoff rules to create more action, which, in turn, led to what he estimated to be more than a thousand extra collisions.
“If that ever goes away, it’s not a health and safety thing, right?” Payton, a member of the league’s competition committee, said Tuesday during the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “We discussed that last year for two hours and we just adopted a thousand more kick returns. Which play do you think is more of a health risk? A thousand more kick returns.
“I think if we choose to ever move on from that it won’t be because of health and safety, it will just be because we don’t like it, which is OK. … Every once in a while, your BS meter goes up.”
The Tush Push has become perhaps the NFL’s most polarizing topic, with the league even voting last year on whether to eliminate the play, but fell two votes short of the 75 percent threshold.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told reporters Tuesday that no team submitted a proposal calling for a ban.
The Eagles most utilize the rushing play, in which the quarterback is helped by his teammates in a rugby-like manner, although more teams have attempted the tactic in recent years but have not replicated that level of success.
While Philadelphia faithful will say the call to ban it stems from the haters, others will point to referees struggling to call the play consistently and how it’s more of a rugby tactic than football. The official reason cited by many is the health and safety concerns behind the play.
The play leads to plenty of high-impact collisions in close proximity.
“I’m not a doctor, so I’m not gonna get too deep into that situation in terms of how much data, how much sample,” former Bills coach Sean McDermott said last March, as transcribed by Pro Football Talk.
“There’s other data out there that when you’re in a posture like we’re talking about, that can lead to serious injury. I think being responsible and proactive in that regard is the right way to go.”
Teams used the Tush Push 112 times last season, up from 101 during the previous campaign, per ESPN.
The play’s effectiveness dipped, though, with teams notching a first down when using the tactic just 75 percent of the time compared to 82 percent from 2022-24.
Standout Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata pushed back against those citing the controversial play for a reason why the Eagles beat the Chiefs this past September.
“I understand the outrage. What I don’t understand is them using it as an excuse to why we won the game. I think it’s incredibly disrespectful to our defense and our special teams who balled out,” Mailata said on 94 WIP. “My brothers on defense and special teams who balled out that game, who had our backs when we weren’t moving the ball or weren’t doing anything. When I see those things, they fly across my timeline, here and there …. that kind of irks me a little bit.
“That pisses me off because we give so much to this game and to kind of base off a short-yardage play, that is a football play, and say that we won the game off that, but not how our defense played and not how our special teams have played, putting us in those positions. I think it’s bullcrap. … I just think it’s rubbish. Absolute rubbish, man. It makes my blood boil just thinking about it.”