The Philadelphia Eagles prevented Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs from winning a third consecutive Super Bowl in the 2024 NFL season, but their road to success didn’t lack in outside criticism. The ‘Tush Push’ play they maximized in the last few years, in fact, continues to give plenty to talk about.
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The debate around this controversial play resurfaced this week, with NFL EVP of football operations Troy Vincent telling NFL Network Senior National Columnist Judy Battista on Monday that a team has requested the league to ban it.
Even though NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reports that the Green Bay Packers made that request, other teams’ coaches are also sharing their thoughts on this situation. Reid, for instance, doesn’t seem to be against the play. In fact, the Chiefs coach believes the Eagles deserve credit for how they execute it.
“I understand how it can go both ways. I think it takes certain players to be able to do that. It’s not an easy thing for the center. I was close to their center, so I know that’s not an easy thing to do. My hat goes off to them for making it as consistent as they are doing it,” Reid said at the NFL Combine Tuesday, via Olivia Reiner of the The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs meets with Darius Slay Jr. #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles before Super Bowl LIX at Caesars Superdome on February 09, 2025 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Reid admires how Eagles execute the ‘Tush Push’
Reid is not letting the Super Bowl LIX loss to the Eagles influence his opinion on what he considers a legal play. Far from questioning the ‘Tush Push,’ the veteran coach admits he’d also seize it if the Chiefs could pull it off as successfully as the Eagles.
“They do it better than anybody, so they’re gonna get criticized. Heck if we could do it as effectively, I would probably do it too,” Reid admitted.
Reid also admits NFL should consider player safety in the ‘Tush Push’
Nevertheless, Reid also acknowledged one of the primary concerns raised by ‘Tush Push’ detractors: player safety. While the Chiefs coach has no problem in seeing the Eagles execute it again and again, he also believes that the league should take the right measures to avoid serious injuries.
“Now, there are other things you have to look at. You have to look at the injuries, whatever the other deals are that they evaluate on it. When Jason Kelce is saying it destroyed him, that itself is an alarm.So I don’t have all that information. But it’s a heck of a play, I know that,” Reid said.
