Fox Sports’ Mark Schlereth on ‘tush push’: ‘I think it should be banned’

Fox Sports’ Mark Schlereth shared some strong feelings Wednesday on the “tush push,” which has unexpectedly become a hot topic this week.

The virtually unstoppable short-yardage play popularized and perfected by the Philadelphia Eagles has generated controversy before, but that entered a new phase this week when an NFL team (reportedly the Green Bay Packers) proposed the play be banned.

Coaches and executives have shared their thoughts on the play at the NFL Scouting Combine. Schlereth, who played 12 seasons as an NFL offensive lineman, both praised the Eagles for their ingenuity yet condemned the “tush push” on The Rich Eisen Show.

“They (Eagles) work really hard at it, they’ve developed it … so I’m 100% with [Eagles coach] Nick Sirianni that they have established it, they have busted their a** to make it work, they are better at that play than anybody else,” Schlereth told guest host Suzy Shuster.

Then, Schlereth changed course.

“Here’s my issue with the ‘tush push’ and why I think it should be banned … you can’t do it on the defensive side,” Schlereth said. “If you lined up on the defensive side of the ball, with linebackers sitting behind defensive tackles, and linebackers shoving defensive tackles through the line of scrimmage, I think that’s illegal. You can’t do it.

“So why is it OK for the offensive side of the ball to be able to do that, but the defensive or special teams side of the ball can’t do it, it’s illegal?

Many in the NFL world agree with Schlereth’s stance that the “tush push” should be banned. Others disagree vehemently. Adam Schefter slammed critics of the play this week, saying, “It’s football!” Ryan Clark said critics should “just shut the hell up.”

Schlereth recalled how in his playing days, special teams players would attempt shoving other players through the line of scrimmage, until the NFL banned that for safety reasons.

“If it’s about player safety, if I line up on the defensive side and I have somebody shoving a defensive tackle through there and a quarterback gets hurt, guess what the league will do, they’ll ban it,” Schlereth said. “This is a problem that’s endemic in the National Football League in general, all the rules are bent towards offensive success.”

While Schlereth wants to see the “tush push” outlawed, he is adamant the Eagles deserve credit for changing the game.

“They have established it, they have perfected it, they have worked on it and I give them all the credit in the world for creating the play, and it’s awesome,” Schlereth said.