Henry McKenna
NFL reporter
NEW ORLEANS – Tush’s push is considerably unstoppable.
Ask a lot of the coaches. Ask a lot of the defensive coordinators.
Heck, ask the astrophysicist Neil Degrasse Tyson.
“There are some phenomena on earth that – upon getting handed a degree of no return – you can not cease it. The stars will explode. You cannot cease it,” Tyson degraded Tyson to NFL Network in 2024. “What I’m telling you now It is the Tush Push Formation (it’s unstoppable).
We will undoubtedly see the sport on Sunday within the Super Bowl Lix whereas the Philadelphia Eagles are crouched of their positions in 4 factors earlier than creaking, destroying and crawling and clawing the line of defense of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Jalen Hurts quarterback will churn out the legs ahead. Runando Back Saquon Barkley will push Hurts Tush.
It is a theatrical work that has one thing for everybody. If you want physicality, you will note in abundance. If you want X and O, you will note a workforce of Eagles exploit its distinctive energy to invent a coaching that nobody else could seem to copy. If you want physics, you will note energy, mass, acceleration. If you want huge numbers, attempt these: 1) The Philly offensive line weighs 1,668 kilos and a couple of) barts and hurts each squat 600 kilos.
The query is that if, at any time, the clothes will discover a solution to cease the sport.
And you are pondering: But have not you simply instructed me that it’s virtually unimaginable?
I did it!
But within the sport of the AFC championship, the Chiefs studied the Buffalo Bills quarterback with a shocking clip. KC marked the truth that Josh Allen rushed each time by means of the left guard. So the clothes had been prepared for this. In flip, the protection stopped three of the 5 quarterback of Bills, which appear – vaguely – just like the push of Tush.
Not solely did the chiefs have a sure success, however the Eagles hit an uncommon dry spell, comparatively talking. This yr, their success fee on QB Sneaks is 81.3%, which fell from 92.1% in 2023, for Fox Sports Research. There are a number of causes for this, that’s, that Centr Cam Jurgens has changed Jason Kelce, now retired. Kelce performed probably the most essential position, with the shot and the highly effective first push to the Scrimmage line. There was additionally an out of season turnover to the correct guard, the place Mekhi Becton is now the appetizer.
So … let’s guarantee.
Does the defensive coordinator of the heads Steve Spagnuolo assume that Tush’s push may be stopped?
“Really no. Everyone will inform you an identical factor, the easiest way to defend is to not be in that scenario, as a result of they’re so efficient,” Spagnulolo mentioned to Fox Sports on Wednesday. “Their quarterback is actually completely different from that of Buffalo, for my part. But it relies upon solely on pure will. They discovered a solution to be a part of the folks in that individual sport. I hope we do not have too many. And we’ve a plan.
Chiefs’ line of defense coach Joe Culley was not precisely optimistic.
“It’s like using the wave,” he mentioned. “Come merely rejected. You must cease the wave. Not solely to cease the wave of the road, that is a very powerful, however then you’ll cease the wave of the quarterback. It is vital. Yes, we’ve been in a position to do that (in opposition to payments ), however what we did, as a result of it is one thing to get a rise, however now you make Josh Allen run.
Oh. Not a lot religion in kc, huh?
But you noticed the title of the story. I discovered a chief coach who felt a little bit extra optimistic: Terry Braden, an assistant coach of the line of defense answerable for making ready brief movie conditions. And it was significantly low for the main points.
“I can not give pepper on what we expect we are going to attempt to do,” mentioned Braden. “I feel each sport may be stopped. I simply hope we are able to cease one.”
He added: “It’s like energy in opposition to power, you already know? And it is the largest factor – that would decrease and have extra energy pushing the legs. So it’s a type of rugby, however it is just energy in opposition to energy.”
So once more, how might the clothes do it?
“I can not let you know,” Braden mentioned with fun. “I hope we take shot.”
Hope is not going to achieve this.
But maybe the clothes will discover success within the X and or that Braden is conserving secret.
Before becoming a member of Fox Sports as a journalist and editorialist of the NFL, Henry McKenna spent seven years to cowl the Patriots For US Today Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow it on Twitter a @HENRYCMKENNA.
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