The Packers have officially submitted their revised rule change to ban the tush push, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. It includes expanded language that is expected to garner more support around the league after their initial proposal was tabled last month.
If approved, Rule 12, Section 1, Article 4 of the NFL rulebook would be amended to ban all instances of pushing or pulling of ballcarriers with a 10-yard penalty for any infractions. Green Bay’s new proposal reflects a return to pre-2005 rules, consistent with messaging coming out of the last league meetings where the original rule change was tabled.
Currently, offensive players are prohibited from pulling ballcarriers “in any direction at any time.” The new rule also bans pushing and lifting runners to their feet, along with a more general restriction against assisting them “except by individually blocking opponents for him.”
The revised language is far broader than the Packers’ original proposal, which specified timing (“immediately at the snap”) and position of the ballcarrier (“lined up directly behind the snapper and received the snap.”) Those changes are meant to assuage concerns that the rule specifically targets teams that use the tush push more often than others, namely the Bills and the Eagles.
However, the newer, more general language is open to criticism for being vague and leaving enforcement up to individual referees on a game-by-game basis. The league will have to devise a consistent way to officiate offensive players trying to move the pile after a ballcarrier’s initial momentum has been stopped. Moving the pile is a common practice in the NFL, but the wording of the revised proposal would appear to ban such an action. It’s also unclear if supporting a teammate to keep them upright falls under the umbrella of pushing or lifting a runner.
The Packers’ proposal retains language that prevents players from pushing or throwing their bodies “against a teammate to aid him in an attempt to obstruct an opponent or to recover a loose ball.” Reported versions of the new language differ on whether or not interlocking interference is still banned. Interlocking interference is a rarely called penalty for a blocker “grasping a teammate or…using his hands or arms to encircle the body of a teammate in an effort to block an opponent.” (Essentially, offensive players may not form a protective cordon around ballcarriers that prevents defenders from attempting tackles.)
Teams were split on the Packers’ first attempt to ban the tush push, but the revision has a legitimate chance to reach the 24 votes required to pass. The Eagles remain staunch opponents, having made a last-ditch effort to find votes against a ban, but concerns over player safety have persisted despite a lack of injuries stemming from the play in recent years. Teams are also concerned about the potential impact on pace of play after the Commanders committed repeated penalties while trying to stop the tush push in the playoffs, which slowed the game to a crawl.
With an official revision submitted, the league will likely take a full vote on the measure this week in Minneapolis.
The competition committee is also considering a proposal to change the onside kick, according to Pelissero. The NFL’s new kickoff implemented last year only allowed teams to try an onside kick when trailing in the fourth quarter. Teams will still be required to declare onside kicks under the new rule, but they may do so anytime. They will also be permitted to line up one yard closer to their opponents in an effort to improve onside kick success rates from six percent in 2024.
Vague and up to individual referees. Exactly what we’ve all been clamoring for.
There’s not one team (including the fragile Packers), that wouldn’t use it if it helped them get to a Super Bowl. It’s a crybaby rule.
It was the rule for way longer than not. Maybe the crybabies are the ones that don’t want to change the rule. Not calling you a crybaby just refuting what you said. It is a rule all the way down to HS. It was always frowned upon to call it. I was a top official in our association and called it once. It got around I called it. I started getting crap about it. All in good fun but meant to enforce not to call the penalty unless really egregious. I said I called it because the C grabbed the QB who had been stopped and fell into the end zone. They all said OK guess you had to call it. If an NFL official called it they would get that and more. I don’t think it would be called a lot just like before it wasn’t this a big deal. Do you remember it being called before when it was a rule than the play now. Seeing it run and lined up for? There are rules that could be adjusted to give a player or team the upper hand. Just like the NFL has done for years making it hard for the D to cover without a penalty. Just reverse it to what it used to be and be done with it. Nobody gets an advantage over what they used to have.
The tinkering in this league is exhausting.
A rule prohibiting crybaby teams from making rule proposals is what the NFL really needs.
I’d love to see this fail, and watch the Eagles run this play on 1st and 10 like 5x against them this year just to troll the living crap out of them haha
I’d love to see Bears fans embrace reality. The Packers were better at stopping it than most teams, and effective at running it with Tucker Kraft too. The play sucks. It’s ugly to watch. And it turns 4th and 1 or 3rd and 1 into an auto convert.
Turn back the clock to when pushing the runner wasn’t allowed at all. Not just on the tush push.
Only for one team.
I just love dvmb@sses who state that the play is “ugly” or “boring” as if it’s a fact and not the opinion of a pathetic sore loser who thinks Goodell’s flag football is “real football.”
lol. For the last five hours You have now ad hominemed, gaslit, non sequitored and otherwise been an obnoxious dnozzle.
Grow up. Looking at your screen name, You’re either 12 and need some parental control on your devices. Or you are 65 living off of social security, and deeply depressed. It’s sad.
Either way, you need to learn how debate works
Let’s ban a play that was run only 0.28% of total plays last year. It’s a joke
Todd Bowles found a way to stop it. Get better at stopping it and/or get better at executing it
Or perhaps allow defenders to push each other
The pushing is secondary. The point of attack is at the line of scrimmage. If the offensive line gets the lower angle, they win out. Doesn’t matter who gets pushed. When the play was stopped, the defensive line got lower and won out
I have never liked seeing the runner pushed by OL to get across a goal line. Go play rugby if you want that.
I hope it passes and the rule goes back to pre 2000 era.
You don’t even understand how the play works. Enjoy continuing to be a loser.
Tush Push is fine in my book, as long as defenses are allowed to use the same tactics.
And in that case, turn it into a rugby scum. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want 15 of those a game.
There aren’t 15 a game and it’s not a rugby “scum.” You would know this if you had brain cells.
Ok, peanut
They can’t allow defenses to operate that way, and they know it. Defensive Coordinators would be licking their chops at the mayhem they could cause if it was allowed for defensive players to shove other defensive players into the offensive backfield.
Oh puhleeze just stop Packers! Freaking Josh Allen got stopped on their tush push plays in the playoffs recently (and the same goes for other teams that try it). Super Bowl MVP Jalen Hurts, along with the Eagles middle O-Line simply know how to run this specific short yardage play with excellent efficient results…
Also I HAVE QB1 JALEN HURTS KONAMI CODE AUTOMATIC 6 POINTS RUSH TD’s IN 2 OF MY 5 DYNASTY FF Leagues so just STOP PACKER FRONT OFFICE DORKS!!
Unfortunately, you are biased in this discussion by bringing in your fantasy teams. An impartial stance could be that auto convert that people are assuming is technically adding additional offensive plays by producing a new set of downs or a score. No one is suggesting a team is wanting to run this short yardage play for every snap. Perhaps that is a better way to consider prohibiting the repetition aspect. But for now, yes, it all seems petty.
Yep make rules to help your fantasy team that works for the NFL.
It works for the Eagles Offense AND Fantasy Football 🙂
It would be interesting if one of these “journalists” would tell us why the rule was changed in 2005.
I look forward to them revising this b.s. rule over and over and over as it causes the refs to call penalties in a completely inconsistent manner that makes everyone hate the league and Goodell. Good job loser Packers!
This shouldn’t be that hard. Just make it illegal to push a runner forward between the tackles within one yard of the line of scrimmage.
When you dominant the line of scrimmage on both sides of ball as the birds do and demolished every opponent while doing it. Adding insult to it all by having a quarterback and running back who pulverized you on 4th and 1 most every time, yeah I can understand why pretenders like the cheese puff packers and others would want it banned. IMO it’s balderdash.
I honestly think GB is taking the fall for being the team that proposed it. Only team with no owner. CEO has to retire in July 2025. It obviously had other supporters. No owner wanted to take the heat. The Packers used a variation of the play this year. They’re one of the most run heavy teams in the league. Them proposing it doesn’t add up to me.