Eagles' Tush Push May Face Formidable Tandem In Tampa During Week 4

They were one of the 22 teams who voted to ban the Eagles’ signature play, the tush push, during the Spring League Meeting of NFL owners. Now, it will be up to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, among other teams, to try to stop the Eagles from succeeding on it.

The Bucs have actually stopped the Eagles on the tush push, because Todd Bowles is as good of a defensive coach as there is.

"The safety of it's always going to be a question because it's a rugby style of play, but I have nothing against it,” said Bowles at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. “You found guys that are being creative, and found the niche and how to gain an edge in this league, and that is what we as coaches try and do on a daily basis, so now it's up to defensive coaches to try and gain an edge to try and stop it.”

The Eagles and Bucs will meet again this year, lining up against each other in Week 4  on Sept. 28. And, yes, the game will be Raymond James Stadium and mark the fifth time in the last four years the Eagles will have to travel to Tampa.

Maybe the Bucs were seeking that edge when they signed 460-pound defensive tackle Desmond Watson as a free agent from the University of Florida after the draft ended this spring, though Bowles said that isn’t the case.

“To judge him right now is very early, and we didn’t get him for the tush push, we got him because we really thought he could play,” Bowles said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “It’s just a matter of getting him to the point where he can play more than two or three plays (per drive).”

If Watson hits, and can play, he and the 6-4, 350-pound Vita Vea will make a formidable force for the Eagles to try the tush push.