One of the most controversial proposals in the latest NFL owners meeting has been defeated, and the Jacksonville Jaguars played a role.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Jags were among 10 teams that voted against the Tush Push being banned. The resolution needed at least 75 percent of the votes to pass. The Philadelphia Eagles, the Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns, the Miami Dolphins, the New England Patriots, the New Orleans Saints, the New York Jets, and the Tennessee Titans were the other clubs that voted to keep it.
Yes, that list included the dreaded division rival Tennessee. But in this case, they joined forces to take down a common enemy.
The Green Bay Packers originally introduced the resolution to ban the Tush Push, and it looked like it was picking up steam ahead of the owners’ meeting, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, but it ultimately didn’t get the votes. It’s possible that teams got cold feet and didn’t want to be perceived as soft.
And that’s the thing, the league brought up injury risk as a reason to potentially ban the play, but the truth is that there’s no data that confirms that the chance of getting hurt on that specific play increases. If anything, it makes the Packers look soft. Think about it, they want to ban a play they can’t stop, and don’t have a reasonable reason for it.
The Jaguars when they right call to keep the Tush Push
If teams don’t like the Tush Push, they should just learn to stop it. The Jacksonville Jaguars certainly did it twice when they faced the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9 of the 2024 season, one of the few highlights of defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen’s underwhelming stint.
The Jags ultimately lost to Philadelphia because Doug Pederson dialed up a questionable play, but they proved that preparing for the play gives you a chance to stymie it.
The Eagles are certainly thrilled that the play is here to stay. Following the vote, they posted a 26-minute clip of the Tush Push. Click on the link to give it a look.
Similarly, Philly posted on social media an image of play with the caption, “Push on.” It was certainly a shot at the Packers.
The bottom line is that the NFL must minimize the injury risk for players, but banning the Tush Push wouldn’t have helped at all. If anything, it would reward a team that simply didn’t like it or could stop it. The Jacksonville Jaguars knew it and ended up on the right side of the voting process.
