Getty Eagles stars Jalen Hurts and Dallas Goedert trained together out in California during the 2022 offseason.
The quarterback sneak cannot be stopped when executed properly, with a little competitive push. The Philadelphia Eagles turned the play into an art form in 2022, something opposing players complained about and the league vowed to investigate.
All-Pro center Jason Kelce was the ringleader who dubbed the play 92% due to its incredible success rate. The Eagles called for it whenever they needed to pick up one yard, especially on third down or fourth down. Pro Bowl quarterback Jalen Hurts put on a clinic behind the most dominant offensive line in football.
Dallas Goedert was detailing why Hurts was so effective running the play during an interview with Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take. In it, the star tight end paints a vivid picture of what the defenders trying to stop it had to say. They weren’t a lot of nice words coming out.
“Oh, they hated it,” Goedert said. “Every time. They’d call us p******. They call us soft. Run a real play. Well, don’t get us to 3rd-and-1. Don’t get us to 4th-and-1.”
Does the Eagles’ “tush push” (QB Sneak last season) feel like a cheap play?
Goedert threw major kudos on Hurts for making the play unstoppable. His ability to get low to the ground and drive his powerful legs forward — remember, Hurts squatted 600 pounds at Oklahoma — was the catalyst for the play’s success.
“I think we didn’t get it once on third down and then we got it on fourth down,” Goedert said. “But as you guys have probably heard on TV, Jalen squats like 600 pounds, so every time he’s going to get it. And then it does help that now we can push — the Reggie Bush rule, he got in trouble for it — but it’s legal. You got Jalen, plus two or three other guys behind him, it’s tough not to get it.”
Dallas Goedert says opposing defenses hated the Eagles QB sneak last season:
“Oh they hated it. Every time. They’d call us pu***es. Call us soft. Tell us ‘run a real play.’ And we’re like ‘Well don’t give us 3rd/4th & 1.’ I don’t know how you do stop it.”
The Eagles could probably run the quarterback sneak on every snap and move the chains at will.
“I think we could go up and down the field,” Goedert said. “I think Jalen would break more than you would think and probably drop a safety and take it.”
Budda Baker Got ‘Trampled’ on QB Sneak
The Eagles’ creative quarterback sneak has been hilariously labeled the “tush push” for the way the offensive line forces Hurts across the marker. The team racked up 31 first downs on quarterback sneaks in 2022, according to Pro Football Focus. No other offense had more than 20 first downs on quarterback sneaks over the last 15 years.
All-Pro safety Budda Baker fearlessly threw himself into the middle of the fray when the Eagles and Cardinals played last October. He recalled getting “trampled” on two different occasions, helplessly tossed outside as he tried to shoot the A gap. He laughed it off on Twitter:
League May Vote on Banning ‘Tush Push’
There had been talk heading into the NFL’s Annual League Meeting that owners would vote on banning the so-called “Tush Push” in 2023. Ultimately, they decided to leave it alone but some feel it could be up for a vote next offseason.
Former vice-president of officiating, Dean Blandino, went on record saying the league was going to look at changing the rule. He called it a “rugby scrum” and hinted that several owners were unhappy about it.
“This is just not a skillful play,” Blandino said, via Big Blue View. “This is just a tactic that is not an aesthetically pleasing play, and I think the competition committee is going to take a look at it.’”
@PardonMyTake A reminder about the #Eagles QB sneak – former vice-president of officiating, Dean Blandino, said the league should look into banning the play:
“I think the league is going to look at this, and I’d be shocked if they don’t make a change,’’
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