The Tush Push's future could be in jeopardy and Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is strongly encouraging Indianapolis Colts head coach Shane Steichen to vote in favor of keeping it legal in the league. For those who might not be aware of what the Tush Push is, the Eagles have made it famous in recent years and have been nearly unstoppable when deploying it.
The Tush Push involves Jalen Hurts taking the snap and then players behind him pushing him for the first down. It's mostly come into question recently due to injury concerns and, according to Dianna Russini of The Athletic, the "momentum around banning the tush push is growing."
Sirianni's reasoning for why Steichen should be in support of saving the controversial play is that he believes Steichen (along with other former Eagles coaches who are now head coaches of other teams) should thank the play for them getting the jobs they have now.
"We’ll see how it goes. All I will say about it is (Jonathan) Gannon, (Shane) Steichen and (Kellen) Moore better vote for it. They are in the (head coach) position right now because of that play. So all three, I better have those three votes right there and the ’ vote. I at least know we have four.”
Nick Sirianni says Shane Steichen owes his job to the Tush Push
Steichen served as Sirianni's offensive coordinator in Philadelphia in 2021 and 2022 before getting hired by the Colts to become their head coach for the 2023 season. That followed Steichen's offensive efforts helping the Eagles reach Super Bowl LVII where the Eagles lost a close game to the Chiefs.
That was the year where the Tush Push became a well-known play and it was practically unstoppable. Steichen's efforts as the Eagles' OC that year helped him land head coaching interviews throughout the league and Indy ended up being the team to hire him.
Since Steichen has come to Indianapolis, the team has struggled to be anything more than average. He's entering a crucial third year with the Colts and it feels like if the team fails to make the playoffs, he could be searching for a new job in 2026. If he votes against the Tush Push, knowing Sirianni, he'd make sure Steichen didn't end up back in Philly where his success began.