The Tush Push is the NFL’s most controversial play. Will it remain legal? Or will the league banish it after a failed offseason attempt? Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Troy Fautanu endorsed the play. So long as the o-line can hold their water.
“I really kinda like the play,” Fautanu told reporters Monday via the team website. “It’s kinda fun.”
It’s more fun when the play works. It only hurt Pittsburgh during the most recent attempt. On 4th and inches against the Cincinnati Bengals, OG Mason McCormick moved early and was flagged for a false start. The NFL has attempted to crack down on players moving early or aligning offside, something the Philadelphia Eagles have repeatedly gotten away with. A tough call to make in the blink of an eye, but Pittsburgh’s penalty was obvious.
“Obviously had the penalty. Moved a little early. I did too. Unfortunate,” Fautanu said.
The flag was officially thrown on right guard Mason McCormick, whose movement caused Fautanu to move early, too. Turning fourth and short into fourth and six, the Steelers settled for a field goal—a possible four-point swing in a two-point loss.
Pittsburgh successfully ran the play in Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings. With TE Connor Heyward playing the role of quarterback and TE Darnell Washington doing the tush-pushing, it’s a difficult play to stop. And as Fautanu told reporters, it was an easy play to run. Rodgers learned from Heyward as Pittsburgh opted against subjecting a 41-year-old Rodgers to being in a pile more similar to a rugby scrum than American football (though the NFL has its roots in rugby).
If the Steelers plan to keep using the play, they better not wait. The Tush Push narrowly survived a ban this season, a rule that would make it illegal to push players forward. One that existed for years before being repealed in 2005. With its continued success and difficulty to officiate, it could be on the chopping block come next March’s owners’ meetings that would push the Tush Push right out of the game.
