Neil deGrasse Tyson believes the 'Tush Push' is an unstoppable force

Some say the Philadelphia Eagles have ruined football as we know it by proving to be nearly unstoppable on one of the most generic plays in the sport; the Tush Push. However, until a team can consistently stop the Birds, head coach Nick Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts have to keep using it, right?

Other teams have had some success with the play, whether it's the Buffalo Bills using Josh Allen in a similar role or the Baltimore Ravens throwing in a wrinkle by running the play with tight end Mark Andrews under center. Nobody runs the Tush Push like Philly though.

That's why Good Morning Football's Kyle Brandt set out to meet with famous astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson to see if there's an efficient way for opposing teams to stop the Eagles and anyone else that runs the Tush Push.

I asked Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson how to stop the Eagles’ Tush Push. pic.twitter.com/tVUzp1zXII
— Kyle Brandt (@KyleBrandt) February 6, 2025

As deGrasse Tyson points out in his explanation, every team knows what the Eagles are doing when they face a fourth-and-one situation. Philadelphia is about as aggressive as any football team in the NFL, and that's why the Tush Push has become such an important part of extending drives and scoring touchdowns.

"If I'm on the opposing team, I want to jump over you," deGrasse Tyson explains to Brandt during their sit-down interview. "The quarterback is ready to come over. So I jump over you and what happens if you jump over? You're no longer connected to the earth."

Nick Sirianni says the origin of the Tush Push started with Jeff Stoutland in 2017 with Frank Reich and Carson Wentz and then with Frank in Indianapolis and how well Jacoby Brissett ran the QB sneak

“The success we have is not always replicated throughout the league. I’m… pic.twitter.com/1ozJp8XLQq
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) February 6, 2025

His argument is that teams are at a massive disadvantage right off the bat because Philly is able to get a half-second head start that allows their forward momentum to generate enough force where their offensive line can control the line of scrimmage and Hurts can push his way forward.

What's so interesting about deGrasse Tyson's explanation though is that he chalks the Eagles' success up to the pushers and argues that Hurts' strength isn't actually that valuable in the sequence. Typically Dallas Goedert and/or one of the Eagles running backs will line up behind their quarterback in order to initiate the push, and deGrasse Tyson says that alone is enough to overpower opposition.

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