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Eagles RB Barkley calls tush push critics 'soft' and 'lame'
Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Eagles RB Saquon Barkley calls tush push critics 'soft' and 'lame'

It's been a big week for tushes and pushes in the NFL. On Wednesday, during the NFL owners' meeting, the league voted to uphold the tush push as a legal play

The NFL needed 24 votes to ban the play made famous by Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles, but it fell two votes short with a final tally of 22-10. That sound you're hearing is Philadelphia fans pointing and laughing at the teams that wanted the nearly unstoppable play outlawed. 

One player likely joining the fans in that regard is running back Saquon Barkley. On Thursday's episode of the "Exciting Mics" podcast with teammates Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship, Barkley threw some shade on the teams that voted to ban the tush push.

"For me, personally, as a player, I know if I don't wanna do a tush push on the 1-yard line, make sure I score. I think I got tackled at the 1-yard line like 11 times," Barkley said. "But the banning thing of it, I think it's soft to be honest, like the teams that want to ban it — because everybody can do it. It's not a play that we only can do. We happen to have one of the best and biggest [offensive] lines, and Jalen Hurts can squat 600 pounds. That's not our fault."

Barkley has a point. The Eagles aren't the only team that utilizes tush push — they're just the best at executing it. Other teams have attempted a similar play, but they can't seem to master it like Philadelphia has. Barkley sees that as the main reason why teams wanted to ban the play.

"Josh Allen is super big. They're not successful with it. Lamar Jackson is one of the best running quarterbacks of all time. They're not successful with it," he said. "It's not something that everyone can't do, so them trying to eliminate it, I think that's kinda lame."

Whether lame or not, the 22 teams that voted to ban the tush push failed in their mission. The "Brotherly Shove," as it was rebranded in Philadelphia, will live on for at least another season. 

Jack Dougherty

Jack Dougherty has been writing professionally since 2015, contributing to publications such as GoPSUSports. com, Centre Daily Times, Associated Press, and Sportscasting. com

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