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Quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and the Philadelphia Eagles regularly use the play widely known as “the tush push” to score touchdowns in the red zone. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
March 19 (UPI) — NFL team owners will consider proposals to ban the tush push and for a change to playoff seeding format this off-season, the league announced Wednesday.
The Detroit Lions also proposed to eliminate automatic first downs as a penalty imposed for defensive holding and illegal contact. The Philadelphia Eagles proposed to adopt postseason overtime rules for the regular season.
The proposals will be considered when NFL team owners meet for the annual league meetings later this month in Palm Beach, Fla.
The Packers were the team that proposed a rule to “prohibit an offensive player from pushing a teammate who was lined up directly behind the snapper and receives the snap, immediately at the snap,” or the “tush push,” popularized by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Eagles’ proposal to adopt postseason overtime rules for the regular season would grant both teams the opportunity to possess the ball, regardless of the outcome of the initial possession.
The Lions’ proposition would penalize players guilty of illegal contact beyond the 5-yard zone and defensive holding with a 5-yard penalty instead of an automatic first down.
The Packers’ proposal includes a 10-yard penalty for the tush push.
The Lions also proposal for current playoff seeding to allow Wild Card teams to be seeded higher than division winners if the Wild Card team has a better regular-season record. Division winners with the conference’s best record would still receive the No. 1 seed. The other seeds would be determined by records, instead of considering if they won their division or finished as a Wild Card team.
The Pittsburgh Steelers also proposed a resolution to allow for some direct contact between teams and pending free agents during the three-day negotiating window leading into free agency.
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