Sean McDermott hasnât hid his feelings about the tush push. The Buffalo Bills coach has been one of the controversial playâs biggest critics, citing concerns about player safety.
McDermott doubled down on his stance at the NFLâs annual league meeting in March, saying it would be in the leagueâs best interest to ban teams from running it.
âItâs two things,â McDermott said, via Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94.1 WIP radio in Philadelphia. âItâs added force, number one, and then the posture of the players being asked to execute that type of play. Thatâs where my concern comes in.â
Ironically, Bills quarterback Josh Allen sees it differently. Allen expressed support for the tush push in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, saying anyone who doesnât like the play should focus on stopping it on the field.
“I’m a big believer in if you can’t stop it, keep running it, right?,” the reigning NFL MVP told Sports Illustrated. “I think that there’s a few teams that do it better than others, but then you look at a few teams that try to do it, and it doesn’t have the same success. Because, one, they maybe don’t practice it enough or, two, they don’t have the guys to do it.
âAnd just because a couple teams do it better than others, I don’t feel like it should be banned.â
What is the Tush Push?
The tush push, affectionately nicknamed the Brotherly Shove, is rugby-style play in which the quarterback is pushed forward by teammates behind him. Primarily used in short-yardage situations, the tush push has become a trademark play for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who were successful on 28 of their 34 attempts in 2024-25.
While 22 teams, including the Bills, voted to ban the play, itâll remain a fixture of NFL playbooks for at least one more season.
âI understand the merit of what it brings, and so I donât really sway one way or the other,â Allen said. âI try to play the game based on the interpretation of the rules. And if that was the rule that was passed, you know, weâll find a different way.
âBut I feel like if you can use it to your benefit, use it to your benefit. If you donât like it, my advice is to stop it, you know?â
Which NFL Teams Run the Tush Push Best?
The Bills have instituted their own version of the tush push with the 6-foot-5, 237-pound Allen. One of the leagueâs top dual-threats, Allen ran for 531 yards and was second behind Philadelphiaâs Jalen Hurts with 12 rushing touchdowns last season.
According to ESPN, 12 different teams have scored touchdowns using a variation of the tush push since 2022. Unsurprisingly, the Eagles have run the tush push most frequently (124 times), though nobodyâs used it to convert more first downs than the Bills (88.2%).
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