Eagles 'Tush Push': 'I Don't Make The Rules!' Says Bucs Coach Todd Bowles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles recently talked about the Philadelphia Eagles' signature play, the Tush Push, ahead of their Monday Night Football matchup at Raymond James Stadium.
The seemingly unstoppable play has become a topic of controversy among NFL fans, but Bowles isn't wasting time complaining.
“If I knew the answer to that, I’d probably be writing a book," Bowles said. "They’re like 98 percent on it. You know it’s coming, they know they’re giving it to you and they get great push – they’ve got an athletic quarterback, they’ve got a big line, and I don’t think anybody has stopped it yet. We’ll try like everybody else and see which side of the fence we fall on.”
The Eagles began using star quarterback Jalen Hurts on quarterback sneaks and found that the play was wildly successful. Hurts lines up under center with a player flanking him on each hip and one player behind him in the backfield. When the ball is snapped, Hurts pushes forward behind Philadelphia's top offensive line. It doesn't hurt that he is able to squat 600 pounds.
“I don’t make the rules, I’m not the commissioner or anybody else," Bowles said. "We’ve got to stop it. The play is legal – we’ve got to stop it as a defense. They do a good job of executing it as an offense.”
© Matt Kartozian, USA TODAY
The play has been almost perfect for the team in short yardage situations, with the Eagles using the play 41 times last season and successfully converting a first down or a touchdown 37 times.
Despite other teams trying to replicate the results that Philadelphia has seen, none have been able to be quite as successful in short yardage situations. The "Tush Push" was part of the reason why Hurts recorded 13 rushing touchdowns in 2022.
The Eagles will face off against the Bucs in Tampa on Monday at 7:15 p.m. ET.
