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Tush Push: Now the Refs are All Over the Place with Forward Progress and Blowing the Whistle
By Nick Piccone
Published:
If you thought the Jalen Hurts fumble on the tush push against the Bears looked a little fishy, you’re not alone. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright made a heads-up play going for the ball when the Eagles went for the shove late in the third quarter from the Chicago 12-yard line. The referees awarded the Bears the ball after they ruled it was indeed a fumble:
If you’re watching this thinking, “Hey, it looks like Jalen’s forward progress was stopped,” you’re on to something! It certainly does look like his forward progress was stopped, but I’m fine with the refs holding the whistle until it’s clear he’s either down or pushed backwards. The problem is the Giants actually did the same exact thing a month ago and the refs said the play was blown dead due to Hurts’ forward progress being stopped:
It sure looks like to me the opposite calls should have been made on each of these plays. It’s hard to say the Eagles would’ve beaten the Bears if that call wasn’t made because despite moving the ball on that drive, we’re at the point where we simply can’t trust the offense to come through, much less in the clutch. Yes, the Eagles probably still would’ve beaten the Giants handily if Kayvon Thibodeaux was awarded the fumble recovery that looked like a fumble recovery.
But this isn’t about that. It’s about the referees continuing to have no idea how to officiate the tush push. It’s a little weird that after years of the Eagles running it successfully with virtually no pushback until this past offseason, suddenly the play is becoming more and more divisive than it was just 365 days ago. And that’s because the referees aren’t calling obvious false starts but they’re also calling false starts that don’t actually exist, too.
If I was a conspiracy theorist, I’d surmise the league told the refs to officiate the play so poorly on purpose so they can get rid of it this offseason. Anything to not use the virtual technology that they already use.
Nick Piccone has covered Philly sports and events for over 14 years with various outlets, including PhillyVoice and Philly Influencer. In 2015, he co-launched the Straight Shooters Wrestling Podcast. He's also a producer for Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia and the Villanova Sports Radio Network. He grew up in South Philadelphia and South Jersey, and is a graduate of Neumann University. Contact: picconenick@gmail.com