The Philadelphia Eagles' famed Tush Push has become one of the most frustrating plays for defenses across the NFL. A highly effective variation of the traditional quarterback sneak, the play relies on the quarterback taking a snap in short-yardage situations and being forcefully pushed forward by teammates to gain the necessary yardage.
Around the league, many teams dislike the play because it's so difficult to stop, and some believe it gives the Eagles an unfair competitive edge. That frustration even led to a vote by NFL owners last year on whether to ban the play altogether. The proposal ultimately failed, falling two votes short of the threshold required for a rule change.
Interestingly, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh is firmly in favor of keeping the Tush Push. He explained his reasoning on Thursday.
"I'm for it," Saleh told reporters. "I think if you do something good, and the rest of the league hates on that, it's a good thing, right? They've mastered it. If it was easy to do, everybody in the league would be doing it. And teams that have tried to duplicate it, struggle.
"So, if you're going to take that out, then you might as well take out the forward pass for some of these teams that do really good with it. So, I'm for keeping it."
Despite his support for the play's existence, Saleh will still be tasked with finding a way to slow it down if the Eagles get the opportunity Sunday, when they host the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field in an NFC Wild Card playoff matchup.
Saleh believes the simplest solution is to avoid the situation altogether.
"But as far as stopping it, we will give it our best shot and see what happens," Saleh said. "I always say the best way to stop it is don't give them third-and-one, but they'll probably get to that eventually."