Iggles Blitz

Push It

Posted February 24th, 2025 | 4 Comments »

The offseason is here and that means we get to have some annoying discussions. First up, the possible banning of the Brother Shove. Or tush push, or whatever you want to call it.

The Packers have submitted a proposal to the NFL Competition Committee to ban the play. This is not a huge surprise based on the comments of Mark Murphy.

I totally get that some people don’t like the play. I do not understand saying it doesn’t involve skill. If the Eagles are the only team in the league to master the play, it can’t be that easy. If the Eagles ran it 10 or 20 times a game, I could buy the argument against it a bit more. We don’t want the NFL turning into a rugby match. The Eagles are judicious with the play. They mix it in here and there, a handful of times a game.

The thing that gets me is that there is a way to stop it. Limit the number of short yardage situations, especially in the red zone. The Eagles aren’t running that from the 5-yard line. When they get stopped at or around the 1-yard line, it is Brotherly Shove time.

It doesn’t sound like this resolution is likely to pass.

It would take 24 votes supporting the ban for it to pass. Right now that feels like a stretch. The play hasn’t resulted in an abnormal number of injuries. The Eagles have a great OL. They wouldn’t do this if they feared those guys getting hurt. Jalen Hurts is a star QB. The Eagles wouldn’t run the play if they feared him getting hurt.

Interestingly, Sean McDermott doesn’t seem to like the play. And yet…

The Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills have combined to run 163 tush pushes, in which a team lines up one or more players behind the quarterback to push him forward against the defense, the past three seasons — more than the rest of the NFL combined, according to ESPN Research.

The Eagles and Bills have scored a touchdown or achieved a first down on 87% of their attempts using the play, while the rest of the NFL has been successful on just 71%, per ESPN Research.

This play sure bring out some strange comments from people.

The Eagles don’t have an unfair advantage. They just happen to execute the play better than other teams. The Jaguars defended the shove better than anyone else. Teams ought to be studying what they did instead of trying to ban it.

*****

Free agency will start in a couple of weeks. It doesn’t sound like the most compelling free agent class.

I went and looked at a list of free agents after reading this. DJ is on the money. There are some interesting options, but overall this is not a great group of players for teams in need of a sudden talent boost. This isn’t the year to have a ton of cap room.

I’ll write more on FA as we get closer. The Eagles will be talking to agents at the Scouting Combine this week in Indy. They’ll try to get a feel for which of their players they can afford to keep and who will be hitting the market.

*****

Haason Reddick is one of the FAs. He did not have a good year in 2024. Reddick got out-produced by Bryce Huff, if that gives you an idea of how things went. It was a bizarre season for a lot of reasons.

Some have asked if it would make sense for the Eagles to bring back Reddick. I don’t think so. He wanted to get paid last year and that led to a lot of issues with the Jets. He’ll want good money this year. I don’t know if anyone will pay it. Maybe you sign him to an incentive-laden deal. The problem with that is he would be focused on sacks and personal goals.

Reddick is a good player. He was a key part of the 2022 SB team. I just wonder if he’s the right fit for who the Eagles are at this point. Vic Fangio wants his defenders to be very disciplined. That’s not always Reddick’s strength. But he is a talented pass rusher and those guys can be game-changers. We saw what he did to Brock Purdy in the playoff game.

I don’t think a reunion is likely, but never say never. CJGJ came home and loved it. Let him talk to Reddick and see what happens.

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4 Comments on “Push It”

  1. 1 The Linc - Vic Fangio wasn’t pleased with the Eagles’ second half defense in their Super Bowl win - SportSourcio said at 11:03 AM on February 25th, 2025:

    […] Push It – Iggles BlitzHaason Reddick is one of the FAs. He did not have a good year in 2024. Reddick got out-produced by Bryce Huff, if that gives you an idea of how things went. It was a bizarre season for a lot of reasons. Some have asked if it would make sense for the Eagles to bring back Reddick. I don’t think so. He wanted to get paid last year and that led to a lot of issues with the Jets. He’ll want good money this year. I don’t know if anyone will pay it. Maybe you sign him to an incentive-laden deal. The problem with that is he would be focused on sacks and personal goals. Reddick is a good player. He was a key part of the 2022 SB team. I just wonder if he’s the right fit for who the Eagles are at this point. Vic Fangio wants his defenders to be very disciplined. That’s not always Reddick’s strength. But he is a talented pass rusher and those guys can be game-changers. We saw what he did to Brock Purdy in the playoff game. I don’t think a reunion is likely, but never say never. CJGJ came home and loved it. Let him talk to Reddick and see what happens. […]

  2. 2 Eagles News: Vic Fangio wasn’t pleased with Philadelphia’s second half defense in their Super Bowl win – Sport News said at 12:07 PM on February 25th, 2025:

    […] Push It – Iggles Blitz Haason Reddick is one of the FAs. He did not have a good year in 2024. Reddick got out-produced by Bryce Huff, if that gives you an idea of how things went. It was a bizarre season for a lot of reasons. Some have asked if it would make sense for the Eagles to bring back Reddick. I don’t think so. He wanted to get paid last year and that led to a lot of issues with the Jets. He’ll want good money this year. I don’t know if anyone will pay it. Maybe you sign him to an incentive-laden deal. The problem with that is he would be focused on sacks and personal goals. Reddick is a good player. He was a key part of the 2022 SB team. I just wonder if he’s the right fit for who the Eagles are at this point. Vic Fangio wants his defenders to be very disciplined. That’s not always Reddick’s strength. But he is a talented pass rusher and those guys can be game-changers. We saw what he did to Brock Purdy in the playoff game. I don’t think a reunion is likely, but never say never. CJGJ came home and loved it. Let him talk to Reddick and see what happens. […]

  3. 3 The Linc – Over View – Your Daily News Source said at 2:32 PM on February 25th, 2025:

    […] Push It – Iggles BlitzHaason Reddick is one of the FAs. He did not have a good year in 2024. Reddick got out-produced by Bryce Huff, if that gives you an idea of how things went. It was a bizarre season for a lot of reasons. Some have asked if it would make sense for the Eagles to bring back Reddick. I don’t think so. He wanted to get paid last year and that led to a lot of issues with the Jets. He’ll want good money this year. I don’t know if anyone will pay it. Maybe you sign him to an incentive-laden deal. The problem with that is he would be focused on sacks and personal goals. Reddick is a good player. He was a key part of the 2022 SB team. I just wonder if he’s the right fit for who the Eagles are at this point. Vic Fangio wants his defenders to be very disciplined. That’s not always Reddick’s strength. But he is a talented pass rusher and those guys can be game-changers. We saw what he did to Brock Purdy in the playoff game. I don’t think a reunion is likely, but never say never. CJGJ came home and loved it. Let him talk to Reddick and see what happens. […]

  4. 4 The Linc – TomFlash News said at 4:22 PM on February 25th, 2025:

    […] Push It – Iggles BlitzHaason Reddick is one of the FAs. He did not have a good year in 2024. Reddick got out-produced by Bryce Huff, if that gives you an idea of how things went. It was a bizarre season for a lot of reasons. Some have asked if it would make sense for the Eagles to bring back Reddick. I don’t think so. He wanted to get paid last year and that led to a lot of issues with the Jets. He’ll want good money this year. I don’t know if anyone will pay it. Maybe you sign him to an incentive-laden deal. The problem with that is he would be focused on sacks and personal goals. Reddick is a good player. He was a key part of the 2022 SB team. I just wonder if he’s the right fit for who the Eagles are at this point. Vic Fangio wants his defenders to be very disciplined. That’s not always Reddick’s strength. But he is a talented pass rusher and those guys can be game-changers. We saw what he did to Brock Purdy in the playoff game. I don’t think a reunion is likely, but never say never. CJGJ came home and loved it. Let him talk to Reddick and see what happens. […]