In what has become a staple of Philadelphia Eagles games, quarterback Jalen Hurts “rushed” for a 1-yard touchdown against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night. That came on a play that has come to be known as the “Tush Push” or the “Brotherly Shove.”
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1716264416726184365
But while many have come to appreciate the Eagles’ signature play, not everybody is a fan. That apparently includes Joe Schad of The Palm Beach Post.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday night, Schad—who covers the Dolphins—forcefully called for the polarizing play to be banned.
“The Tush Push is not a legitimate football play,” Schad posted. “It’s not how football was meant to be played. It’s also lame and can cause injuries. Nobody except Eagles fans will miss it once it’s banned in the off-season.”
As one might imagine, many on social media—including Eagles fans and non-Eagles fans alike—were quick to point out the (many) fallacies in Schad’s argument.
Here’s a play from literally the oldest football game on film, Yale-Princeton in 1903. The Tush Push is the only play in the NFL in 2023 that looks like it. Obviously we can and should modernize/innovate but “not how football was meant to be played” is almost exactly wrong https://t.co/yEtSbRD74b pic.twitter.com/mAAp8EXVuZ
— Rodger Sherman (@rodger) October 23, 2023
60+ yard FGs are not legitimate football plays. It’s not how football was meant to be played. It’s also lame and can cause injuries. Nobody except the Ravens will miss them once they’re banned in the off-season.
100+ mph fast balls are not legitimate baseball…
— Justin Herzig (@JustinHerzig) October 23, 2023
huh? it's pure carnage. it might be the *most* football play lol. of course no one likes getting their ass kicked, but we don't have to get all high and mighty here.
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) October 23, 2023
1) how many injuries have resulted in it? I don’t recall any bit I could wrong
2) every team can run it whenever they choose, it’s not some secret that only Philadelphia can run
It’s a non issue overblown
— Ace Football Analytics (@js_ace_football) October 23, 2023
Well football also wasn’t meant to be played with a forward pass when we first got started.
— Brett Lucas (@tharecruiterguy) October 23, 2023
No way, a football play can cause injuries?
— Philly Nation (@Philly__Nation) October 23, 2023
the Eagles are exposing the clear line between people who have and haven't consistently faced the service academies in college football. https://t.co/C0jNo8ob9O
— Mike Golic Jr (@mikegolicjr) October 23, 2023
"It's not how football was meant to be played" is some pretty high level pearl clutching. https://t.co/FhWqFzAQer
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) October 23, 2023
Well its the simplest of plays. Which side of the ball is going to physically impose their will on the opponent
And if everyone was successful at it I think you’d have a stronger argument for it being banned. Clearly the Eagles are just better at it than everyone else. They… https://t.co/pDTd2HtsHC— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) October 23, 2023
The problem with Schad’s take isn’t so much the take itself, but rather the reasoning.
Had the former ESPN college football reporter argued that the play should be banned because it’s too difficult for opponents to stop—and even then, one could retort that other teams have attempted the play with less success than Philadelphia—that would be one thing. But his decision to anoint himself as the decider of what is arbitrarily a “football play” and what isn’t is what appears to have made his post so poorly received. It also doesn’t help that Schad covers the Dolphins, which only adds to perception that his post was rooted in sour grapes about a play that went against Miami.
There’s also a part of me that actually feels bad for Schad. I know what it’s like to get caught up in live-tweeting a football game, both as a reporter and as a fan, and having an ill-advised half-baked thought catch on. I can only imagine what Schad felt as the replies and quote-tweets poured in on Sunday night.
To his credit, Schad seems to be taking the outpouring of responses in stride — although he also hasn’t backed down from his position.
