NFL competition committee could eliminate 'rugby scrum' QB sneaks

This season, the Philadelphia Eagles unleashed the "Tush Push" play, where a quarterback gets an extra shove or pull from teammates during a sneak. When executed correctly, it's almost indefensible. 

So, naturally, the NFL might eliminate it.

Dean Blandino, former NFL vice president of officiating, told the 33rdteam.com's Paul Domowitch that he'd be shocked if a change doesn't come when the NFL's competition committee meets in two weeks. 

"It amounts to a rugby scrum," Blandino said. "The NFL wants to showcase the athleticism and skill of our athletes. This is just not a skillful play. This is just a tactic that is not an aesthetically pleasing play, and I think the competition committee is going to take a look at it." 

According to Adam Levitan of Establish the Run, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts scored 10 of his 18 rushing touchdowns on the year from inside the 2-yard line, proving the "Tush Push" plays' success rate. While the tactic is legally in a grey area, speculation has only grown over whether or not the league should discuss banning it altogether. 

Recently, NFL Hall of Famer and ESPN analyst Steve Young said the NFL was going to look into making banning the play. And, ahead of Super Bowl LVII, Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Bowler Cam Heyward noted on his podcast Not Just Football that he was "triggered" by the Eagles' sneaks while advocating for its removal. 

"I'm always pissed off in these fourth downs because it's always so skewed to the offense," Heyward said. "I'm just confused why they switched the rule. It used to be a penalty to push your guy forward. Nobody really noticed until the Eagles were like, oh, this is unstoppable." 

Frankly, the outcry against the Eagles' strategy sounds like sour grapes. Usually, in the NFL, being unable to stop a particular offensive scheme isn't reason enough to make it illegal. With that said, if NFL ultimately chooses to eliminate the play for the 2023 season, the Eagles will have to go back to the drawing board to find a different strategy on short-yardage scenarios, which was their bread and butter throughout the run to the Super Bowl.