Eagles' Nick Sirianni: 'I Almost Feel a Little Insulted' About Tush Push Criticism

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has heard the noise surrounding potentially banning the tush push, and he isn't a fan of it.

"I almost feel a little insulted because we work so hard at that play," he told reporters Tuesday. "... And our guys are talented at this play."

He also addressed any safety concerns and said, "I think that's a little made up. … I can't remember one injury we had on that play, and we ran it more than anybody else."

The tush push has been a significant topic of discussion in the early portion of the NFL Scouting Combine, as Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported the Green Bay Packers submitted a formal proposal to the NFL's competition committee to ban it.

That drew quite the dismissive response from Eagles offensive lineman Lane Johnson:

Green Bay isn't the only one to have a problem with it, as Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris told reporters Tuesday: "I'll definitely be one to vote against it. … It should have been illegal three years ago."

Opposition from the Packers in particular isn't surprising, as team president Mark Murphy wrote that he does not like the play and believes "there is no skill involved and it is almost an automatic first down on plays of a yard or less."

He added: "The play is bad for the game, and we should go back to prohibiting the push of the runner."

While there could be arguments to be made regarding the pushing element from running backs and tight ends who line up behind Jalen Hurts or other quarterbacks on the play, the idea that there is no skill involved is fairly easily disproved because other teams struggle to run it as effectively as the Eagles.

That was on full display in the AFC Championship Game when the Buffalo Bills had issues in short-yardage situations during a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Philadelphia then ran the play to perfection against that same Chiefs team for the opening touchdown of the NFC East team's Super Bowl victory.

Sirianni made it clear he believes there is skill and hard work involved as he offered his pushback to the recent chatter surrounding the play, and his team's consistent success underscores his point.