‘Shut the Hell Up!’ ESPN’s Ryan Clark Goes OFF Over Report NFL Team Sent Proposal to Ban Eagles’ Controversial Play
ESPN’s Ryan Clark torched the then-unnamed NFL team that reportedly sent a proposal to ban the controversial QB sneak used by the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.
The sneak — commonly referred to as the “tush push” — has been the subject of debate over the last several seasons. The play features multiple Eagles players positioned behind QB Jalen Hurts to push him forward after the ball is snapped. It’s only deployed when the Eagles have a yard or less to go on third or fourth down; or if the team is at the opponent’s 1-yard line.
While the Eagles have consistently found success with the play, attempts to replicate it across the league have come with mixed results. Some have even labeled the play “unfair” and other teams have asked league officials to look into it and possibly outlaw it.
On Monday, it was revealed that, once again, a team has brought the play to the league’s attention. When first reported, the team wasn’t identified. Shortly after, however, The Athletic’s Diana Russini revealed it was the Green Bay Packers — a team the Eagles faced in both the regular season opener and the wildcard round of the playoffs.
Following the initial report of an unnamed team asking the league to ban it, Clark called the move “dumb” and “soft.”
“Also, too, how soft do you have to be?” Clark said on NFL Live. “‘Oh, we can’t stop it. Our defensive tackles aren’t tough enough. Our linebackers get hurt.’ Shut the hell up and bow your neck! Somebody get physical and stop the play! And as [Mina Kimes] says, though, it’s like everything else in sports. If you don’t have the personnel to do it, you actually don’t do it! Trust me, right? Whatever team Matthew Stafford plays for next year is not implementing the ‘tush push.’ Don’t even trip; don’t even worry about it; don’t practice it. It’s about understanding who you’re playing, practicing, getting in the right gap.”
Clark then cited the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game in part because of a pivotal stop on fourth down after the Bills attempted a similar play with QB Josh Allen.
“So, to me, to go in there and be like, ‘Oh, instead of actually coaching, let’s run away from coaching and try to outlaw this play,'” Clark continued, “it’s dumb and it’s soft. And, to be honest — like when you look at the actual play and the way that they run it — it’s actually more difficult for them to practice it, to do it the amount of times that they do; and unless it’s a player health and safety decision, you don’t take it out of the game.”
Watch above via ESPN
