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NFL Legend Bill Cowher Hates The Eagles' Go-To Play

Originally posted on The Spun | By Daniel Bates | Last updated Feb 10, 2025 2:17 PM ET

Former Steelers head coach Bill Cowher is no fan of the Eagles' Tush Push. Or as he calls it, the "Brotherly Push."

Appearing on "The Dan Patrick Show" after Philadelphia's Super Bowl 59 win, the Hall of Famer expressed his disdain for the Birds' go-to play in short yardage situations.

"It's not a football play, it's rugby. They call it a scrum. That's what it is, Dan," Cowher said. "I mean, listen, if it's just a quarterback sneak I get it. But I don't know... it's just not a strategical play in my opinion."

"Nothing against rugby, but if you want to see a scrum, go to a rugby match."

Bill Cowher is not a fan of the Eagles' Tush Push pic.twitter.com/lj8q5XvLLn
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) February 10, 2025

Cowher admitted that he wouldn't have as much of an issue with it if Jalen Hurts and other quarterbacks weren't getting the assist of being pushed in the back. However, he still believes it's an unsafe play for players to be involved in.

"I think there's a safety element to this at some point, I would have to think, because when you have 600 lbs on one person who's trying to stay in there — that just seems like a safety issue," he explained.

"But yeah, when did we start allowing pushing the guy forward? These late flags and then all of the sudden we're pushing a guy 8-10 yards... that was never the case before. You stopped the play. The play's over. When the guy gets stopped, he's stopped."

"The game of football is more strategic, that's rugby," the coach concluded. "Nothing against rugby, but if you want to see a scrum, go to a rugby match."

Cowher isn't the only person who doesn't necessarily appreciate the play.

But after the NFL's competition committee kicked around the idea of potentially banning it last offseason, they decided that the Tush Push is here to stay — at least for the time-being.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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