In a surprising decision, the Eagles' Tush Push wasn’t banned during the spring league meetings this past week — and some NFL teams were disappointed with the result. For the past few months, a large contingent of NFL coaches and general managers have criticized Philadelphia’s short-yardage play, citing safety concerns as a reason to outlaw it. Rams head coach Sean McVay and other NFL people dislike the optics of the quarterback sneak, which is similar to a rugby scrum. Throughout the season, more teams could complain about the Eagles’ use of the Tush Push — or they could take Chicago Bears coach Ben Johnson’s approach of disparaging it. “Have you ever seen a Tush Push become an explosive play?” Johnson asked reporters on Wednesday. “I like explosive plays. I like big plays. So, I’m not a big Tush Push guy myself.” In his first offseason as Chicago’s new head coach, Johnson has trash-talked Packers coach Matt Lafleur and his former Lions wide receiver Amon Ra-St. Brown, exhibiting great confidence. Then, he took a dig at the Eagles, implying the Tush Push is not an impressive play. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, one of the league’s most confident coaches, could make Johnson regret that statement when he faces him in Week 13, using the Tush Push to pick up first downs and score touchdowns to propel his team to a victory. Philadelphia’s massive offensive line could wear out the Bears’ defense, proving physicality beats finesse. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, the Eagles converted 28 of 34 Tush Push attempts (82%) last year. The Eagles also ran it on the one-yard line to score the first touchdown in their Super Bowl LIX victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. On Tuesday —the day before the NFL voted on the ban— Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and offensive tackle Jordan Mailata told reporters they would be okay with the NFL outlawing the play, minimizing the importance of it. “It’s only one yard,” Brown said. The Eagles’ offense could have been successful on QB sneaks this season without shoving and pushing, but now that the Eagles can run the play again, their coaches and players will embrace that other NFL teams hate it and struggle to stop them. “I think it’s soft, to be honest,” Eagles running back Saquon Barkley said on the “Exciting Mics” podcast, hosted by his teammates, safety Reed Blankenship and cornerback Cooper DeJean. “Everybody can do it. It’s not like it’s a play that we only can do. We happen to have one of the best and biggest O-lines and Jalen Hurts can squat 600 pounds. That’s not our fault. “(Buffalo Bills quarterback) Josh Allen is super big but they’re not as successful with it. (Baltimore Ravens quarterback) Lamar Jackson is one of the best running quarterbacks of all time and they’re not as successful with it. It’s not something that everyone can’t do, so for them to try to eliminate it, I think that’s kind of lame.” Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.