Allen Park — Dan Campbell’s tune hasn’t changed from the last time he discussed the tush push.
The Lions head coach still isn’t lobbying to have the Philadelphia Eagles’ signature play banned, like others around the NFL have in recent months. During the offseason, a proposal to outlaw the play was heard at the NFL’s annual owners meetings. The proposal, which was tabled in April and ultimately not passed in May, did not receive support from the Lions.
But we’ve since seen referees struggle to officiate the play, missing clear false starts. There was also controversy in Week 8, when the Eagles ran the play against the New York Giants. Quarterback Jalen Hurts appeared to fumble while being shoved forward for extra yards, but it was ruled that his forward momentum was stopped, a contradiction to the very nature of the play.
Still, Campbell can’t get behind a ban.
“Here’s why: I’m a purist, man,” Campbell said Wednesday, four days before his Lions visit the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. “You take something else out of the game, then we’re taking the next thing out of the game, then you’re taking another thing out of the game. And pretty soon, we don’t have pads anymore. Pretty soon, you’re only playing 30 minutes. … I don’t want to take it out of the game.”
The play has proven nearly impossible to stop. The Eagles have faced nine third downs with one or fewer yards separating them from the line to gain this season. They’ve converted on all but two of those instances, good for a rate (77.8%) that ranks seventh in the league. They’re 6-for-6 on fourth downs from one or fewer yards out.
“They’ve mastered it,” Campbell said. “They play with leverage, they know the snap count, and then they’ve got a couple of curveballs off of it, so you’ve got to be careful. If it’s an all-out sellout (to stop it) with 11 people, then they’re off on the perimeter. … We’ve got a plan, we’ve got an idea. You’ve got to execute. And if you don’t, you’ve got to line up and do it again if it comes up again and just find a way to stop them.”
Campbell said the Lions have had internal discussions about running the tush push themselves, but it’s a difficult play to practice, asking your offensive and defensive linemen to, as Campbell described, “put your nose about an inch from the ground” and collide.
The Eagles are uniquely equipped to deploy the play, with a quarterback who has impressive lower-body strength and an offensive line — specifically, an interior that includes Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens and Tyler Steen — among the NFL’s best.
“A team’s got a niche. They found something. They’re good at it, and it’s for everybody else to stop. It’s unique, and it’s physical,” Campbell said. “More than anything, I just don’t want to take anything else out of the game. I just want to leave the game alone. That’s me.”
rsilva@detroitnews.com
@rich_silva18
