PALM BEACH, Fla. (news agencies) — A decision on the future of the tush push has been pushed until next month.
NFL team owners had been set to vote Tuesday on Green Bay’s proposal to ban the play that’s helped the Philadelphia Eagles win one Super Bowl and reach another, but it was tabled until May.
Team owners approved modifying the kickoff rule, expanding replay assist, revising overtime rules, along with other changes.
Postponing the tush push vote means the debate will continue while teams gather more information. Proponents of the play and those who oppose it presented strong arguments while the league’s medical experts expressed safety concerns.
NFL Competition Committee chairman Rich McKay stressed the issues surrounding the play extend beyond safety because there’s not enough data to indicate it’s dangerous. The league already has said no injuries have been reported on a tush push.
“There are definitely some people that have health and safety concerns, but there’s just as many people that have football concerns,” McKay said. “So I wouldn’t say it was because of one particular health and safety video or discussion. It was much more about the play, the aesthetics of the play, is it part of what football has been traditionally, or is it more of a rugby play? All those types of discussions. Health and safety is still there because of potential but I wouldn’t go beyond that.”
The league prohibited pushing or pulling a player before a rule change in 2004. McKay said the Packers asked to pull the proposal so they could reintroduce the previous language, study it, and bring it up for discussion for a vote at the May meetings.
It takes 24 of 32 votes to approve rule changes.
“There’s a lot of discussion about going back to the previous rule, back to pre-2004,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “I think that makes a lot of sense in many ways because it expands it beyond that single play. There are a lot of plays where you see someone pulling or pushing somebody that are not in the tush push formation that I think do have an increased risk of injury. And so I think the committee will look at that and come back in May with some proposals.”
As for changes that did pass, regular-season overtime rules now will match those in the playoffs and both teams will have a chance to get a possession even if the offense scores a touchdown on the opening drive. The proposal was amended to make overtime 10 minutes, not 15 minutes.
Owners also approved a proposal from the NFL Competition Committee to allow replay assist to consult on-field officials to overrule objective calls such as facemask penalties, whether there was forcible contact to the head or neck area, horse-collar tackles or tripping if there was “clear and obvious” evidence that a foul didn’t occur. Replay also would be able to overturn a roughing-the-kicker or running-into-the-kicker penalty if video showed the defender made contact with the ball.
Replay assist could wipe out a foul only if it was incorrectly called, but it will not be used to throw a flag if a penalty wasn’t called.
The dynamic kickoff rule becomes permanent, with touchbacks moving to the 35-yard line instead of the 30.
Pittsburgh’s proposal to allow teams to have one video or phone call with no more than five prospective unrestricted free agents during the two-day negotiation period was approved. Teams now can make travel arrangements with such players upon agreeing to terms.
Also, owners approved a rule to permit clubs to prepare kicking footballs (“K-Balls”) before game day, similar to the process permitted for game footballs.
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