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The Philadelphia Eagles’ “Brotherly Shove” — formerly known as the “Tush Push” — has taken the NFL by storm. Fortunately for the Kansas City Chiefs, superstar defensive lineman Chris Jones has a theory on how to stop the most successful one-yard conversion in the sport.
“It hasn’t been stopped all year, but we got a plan for it,” Jones told Rich Eisen during a November 16 interview on the Rich Eisen Show — despite the host noting that the play is “seemingly unstoppable.”
Jones went on, revealing some of the details behind his preparation for the Brotherly Shove. “We gon’ watch a few rugby games,” he said, “and I got a rugby friend — I can’t disclose his name — but I got a rugby friend who’s been telling me a few little pointers on what I can do to stop this.”
A football star calling a rugby player for tips on an NFL maneuver is unique, to say the least. Eisen even made sure Jones was serious, to which the Chiefs game-wrecker replied, “I’m not joking,” with as straight a face as ever.
Eisen also playfully questioned whether these “pointers” involved anything that typically happens at the heart of a rugby scrum, but Jones refused to divulge any more information. “I can’t say,” he responded with a smile. “I can’t say.”
Eagles Center Jason Kelce Explains Why ‘Brotherly Shove’ Works So Well for Philadelphia
Jason Kelce, older brother of Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce, is instrumental to the Brotherly Shove — which should come as no surprise considering Kelce might be the best center in the entire NFL.
The other player that’s integral is quarterback Jalen Hurts, although there’s more to it than the center-QB duo in Philly. During an interview with Steve Wyche and The NFL Report, Jason Kelce explained why the Eagles have had so much success performing this play that looks simple, but is anything but.
“We’ve repped it a lot,” Kelce admitted on October 26. “It’s not uncommon to fumble a snap in a quarterback sneak.”
Continuing: “As soon as that ball is moving, you’re moving forward or changing your leverage and bending down. And the quarterback is already moving forward to be able to start pushing.”
Based on this explanation, executing this play seems to come down to timing, unification and trust between the center and quarterback.
To that point, Kelce warned that “if you do not rep that exact mechanism and all of a sudden for the first time in a game, you’re doing it for the first time, it’s gonna feel weird.”
“So, it’s important [as the center]… to really get that feeling down with the [QB],” he added. “It’s not just the center-quarterback, it’s everybody across the board. How we’re hitting the blocks, where we’re starting, where we’re putting the point at, who’s working with who. There’s a lot of details and minute things that quite frankly, I think we have a leg up on because we just run the play so much.”
Kelce also confirmed that game reps are “substantial” when it comes to the Brotherly Shove/Tush Push, and that’s part of why most opponents have a hard time preparing for it.
Chris Jones Calls Chiefs Defensive Line a ‘Selfless Group’
Jones was busy on November 16. Not only did he meet with Eisen, but the defensive team leader also spoke with the KC media.
“This is a selfless group,” he stated, while discussing the Chiefs defensive line in 2023. “It’s not about names, it’s not about numbers either.”
Jones used Quinnen Williams of the New York Jets to illustrate his point.
“He’s making everyone around him better,” Jones said, regarding Williams. “That’s the way I look at it. It’s not about stats to magnify how important [players like Mike Danna and George Karlaftis] are. They’re having good years so far, but [their] importance to this defense and the success of this defense — the numbers go beyond that.”
When reporters questioned if Jones feels his presence helps teammates too, he concluded: “As a player, it’s not what you do. I think it’s more so how you make players around you better.”
For the Chiefs and Eagles, Jones and Jason Kelce are both similar in that regard.
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