The New Orleans Saints seem to have added a new play to their lexicon: the tush push. Unfortunately, they've yet to pull off the play without getting flagged.
This is all while the National Football League has called on its officials to officiate the play "tighter," so the penalties are not too surprising, especially when considering that the Saints are one of the most penalized teams in the league this year. However, the Philadelphia Eagles, the team that originated the play, are never called for the same penalty themselves. Even with their entire offensive line lining up offsides, they haven't been flagged on the play. That makes the penalties even more frustrating.
Through the first three weeks of the season, there are signs that other teams are trying to bait the Eagles' offensive line offsides, which is a penalty in its own right. It's one that's rarely called; the last time was in 2017. ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk says that it's the least likely penalty to be called. ""It's only a foul if the defense intentionally mimics the quarterback cadence to try to draw the offense into a false start," he said to senior NFL writer Kalyn Kahler.
For the Saints, the tush push isn't completly foreign
Kellen Moore, the head coach of the New Orleans Saints, was in Philly last year with the Eagles. So he's someone who definitely knows what players it requires and the trickiness it takes to pull it off. But many have been left wondering, does the team even have the personnel to pull the play off?
On their second attempt, if they weren't flagged for a false start, the Saints would've been short of the line to gain anyway. The penalty saved the team from turning it over on downs.
No one really knew if the play was even in their playbook until week one, on the Saints' first attempt. Previously, the play was not seen in practice throughout the offseason, and Kellen Moore was ambiguous when asked if he would add the play, simply saying "we'll see, we'll see." Clearly the Saints have it in their playbook. They just haven't shown they know how to use it yet.