Chiefs defensive mastermind on how to stop controversial Eagles play one NFL president wants banned ahead of Super Bowl

Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has hinted how he plans to stop the Philadelphia Eagles’ most controversial weapon.

Spagnuolo has his work cut out for him to devise a plan to slow down a rampant Eagles attack on Sunday in the Super Bowl.

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Superstar receiver A.J. Brown is coming off his third-straight season of 1,000 or more receiving yards, running back Saquon Barkley tallied more than 2,000 yards for the first time in his career and quarterback Jalen Hurts enjoyed his most accurate passing season yet.

Despite the wealth of offensive talent, it is not a single player that has struck fear into several defensive coordinators this season.

Rather, it is one specific play: the ‘Tush Push’.

The ‘Tush Push’ is a play where the quarterback gets pushed from behind and through the defensive line whenever a small number of yards are needed to gain a touchdown or a first down.

Thanks to the Eagles’ gigantic offensive line, where the starting five lineman average a height of 6-foot-6 and a weight of 338 pounds, the ‘Tush Push’ has become a go-to play to great effect in recent years.

In the 2022 season, the Eagles successfully used the ‘Tush Push’ 25 times out of 27 attempts, a rate of 92.6 per cent.

The percentage dropped in 2023 to 83.3 per cent, but that’s likely because Philadelphia used it far more as they completed 35 out of 42 ‘Tush Push’ attempts.

Despite the difficulty in finding a way to stop it – if there even is one – Spagnuolo has lifted the lid on how he will try to curtail the effectiveness of the ‘Tush Push’ in the Super Bowl.

“No secrets,” Spagnuolo told media in New Orleans.

“Everybody’s asking! I mean, try not to get them in those situations, that’s the best chance you have.

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“We will try to find a way to get as much big muscle in there and knock it back the other way, but they’re pretty good at it.”

Although Spagnuolo has to try and find a way to stop it in-game, one NFL president feels no defensive coordinator should ever have to plan for it again.

Such is Green Bay Packers president Mark Murphy’s disdain for the divisive play, he wants it banned from the league for good.

“I am not a fan of this play,” Murphy said.

“There is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less. The series of plays with the Commanders jumping offsides in the NFC Championship Game to try to stop the play was ridiculous.

“The referee even threatened to give the Eagles an automatic touchdown if the Commanders did not stop it.

“I would like to see the league prohibit pushing or aiding the runner (QB) on this play. There used to be a rule prohibiting this, but it is no longer enforced because I believe it was thought to be too hard for the officials to see.

“The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner.”

Whether Murphy’s wish comes true remains to be seen, but until then it’s up to defensive coordinators across the league to figure out a way to halt the Eagles’ almost-inevitable play.

Spagnuolo will hope he is the one who has the perfect blueprint.

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