When the Eagles’ offense is properly functioning, the tush push inevitably makes an appearance.
And one of the Philly offensive linemen inevitably leaves before the snap.
It happened again tonight, as the Eagles used their patented (and sponsored) play to convert on fourth and one close to the New York end zone. Replays showed guard Tyler Steen firing off before the snap. No penalty was called.
“He was early in super-slow motion,” Prime Video rules analyst Terry McAulay said on the broadcast. “If we show it in real time, I bet it wasn’t quite as obvious.”
That feeds into the latest anti-tush push narrative: It’s too hard to officiate. And, apparently, it is. Unless the officials are deliberately missing the false starts as part of some false-flag operation aimed at justifying another run at banning the play.
In all, the Eagles ran the play four straight times, resulting in a touchdown.
In May, 22 teams voted to get rid of the play. That’s 68.75 percent of the entire league. If only two of the 10 holdouts flip (and if the other 22 hold firm), it’s gone.
Beyond the degree-of-officiating-difficulty argument, the original push against the tush push may have picked up a data point. Giants defensive lineman D.J. Davidson suffered a knee injury on the tush push that resulted in a touchdown on second and goal, two plays after the fourth-down tush-push conversion.
The Giants had a chance to check one of the other boxes that have fueled the effort to get rid of the play. They could have, and perhaps should have, repeatedly jumped offside. That would have created the same kind of spectacle that unfolded during the NFC Championship, when Washington went offside three straight times and referee Shawn Hochuli warned that one more jump would result in the awarding of a touchdown to the Eagles.
Days after the game, Fox rules analyst Mike Pereira said the ugly moment could spark a fresh assault on the rule. And it apparently did.
It feels like another run at the play is coming. And every uncalled false start will make that even more likely.
