Michael Thomas Leibrandt: Packers want to ban the Brotherly Shove — they should just learn to stop it.

You knew that it was only a matter of time, Philadelphia. 

The love and appreciation that was evident from around the NFL for what the Eagles had accomplished during this NFL season has eroded into the very essence of American sport. The essence of competition, that is.

This week,  the Green Bay Packers have placed forward a proposal to effectively ban the Brotherly Shove, also known as the Tush Push. The call for a ban was confirmed by NFL EVP of football operations Troy Vincent. The proposal will be voted on later this month.

Easily the most impressive season in team history, that saw the Eagles race through the NFL season with a 14–3 record, became the only team in NFL history to advance to the Super Bowl with two starting rookie defensive backs, tied an NFL record with seven rushing touchdowns in an NFC Championship Game, set an NFL record in that game with fifty-five points, and then bulldozed the reigning NFL Champion Chiefs 40–22 with devastating defensive performance combined with an offensive onslaught complete with a running back who between regular season and playoffs has rushed for more yards in a year than any before him.

Every great team in sports has that signature move. That one play that defines them. In the Nick Sirianni era  —  astonishingly  —  that hasn’t been a jumping, spinning, backflipping Saquon Barkley sixty-yard run. It’s been a variation of a quarterback sneak that is as unstoppable as a freight train. 

Sure,  it hasn’t been your typical quarterback sneak on 4th and goal from the one-yard line. Initiated by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr and perfected with the help of Scottish Rugby Coach Richie Gray, it has been the cornerstone of the Eagles success over the last three seasons. In the NFC Championship Game against Washington, the Commanders jumped offside four times in an attempt to stop the play to no avail. If the Eagles have a short-yardage scenario against you,  well, that tush is getting pushed.

Green Bay has had a tough season against the Eagles. Both teams started the season nearly 5,000 miles away in Sao Paulo, Brazil where Green Bay was pushed all over the field in a Philadelphia 34–29 victory. Then Green Bay visited Philadelphia in the wild card round of the NFC Playoffs and were pushed again during a game in the frigid winds of January in another 22–10 loss. 

The irony involved with this proposal is that in one of the most iconic games in NFL history — the 1967 Ice Bowl — it was Packers quarterback Bart Starr who sneaked the ball into the endzone to win the game 21–17 with only mere seconds remaining. The play was fifty-five years after Yale quarterback Graham Winkelbaum first used it in a college game against Harvard. 

NFL teams shouldn’t ban the tush push. They should find a way to stop it. The Packers should know better, too.

Michael Thomas Leibrandt lives and works in Abington Township, Pennsylvania.