GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers coach Matt LaFleur wouldn’t say whether or not his opinion of the tush push has modified since his staff’s try to get the play banned failed this previous offseason.
With the Philadelphia Eagles coming to Lambeau Area on Monday evening, nevertheless, LaFleur knew it will be a scorching subject, and it was one he had little curiosity in discussing.
“I am not going to get into it,” LaFleur mentioned Thursday, talking for the primary time throughout Eagles week. “It’s what it’s. The NFL decided, and we now have to discover a option to attempt to cease the play, and it is a robust play to cease.”
Former Packers president Mark Murphy, who retired in July, formally led the staff’s rule change proposal to remove such performs, however LaFleur and common supervisor Brian Gutekunst each referred to as the play a security hazard.
It was mentioned all through the offseason amongst staff house owners, coaches and common managers, however the proposal did not get the requisite 24 of 32 groups to vote for it. It got here up two votes brief throughout the official vote in Could.
Now, LaFleur, Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and their gamers should take care of the play on Monday evening. LaFleur mentioned one of the best ways to cease it’s to “not enable it to occur.”
“You may’t enable them in these short-yardage conditions as a result of precisely what they will do,” LaFleur mentioned. “They usually’ve been fairly profitable at it clearly.”
In keeping with ESPN Analysis, the Eagles have run the tush push 21 instances over the primary eight video games of this season with a conversion charge of 76.5%. That is down from 82.1% final season, 83.3% in 2023 and 92.6% in 2022.
The Packers really ran the tush push 5 instances with quarterback Jordan Love in 2023, and transformed on 4 of them, however haven’t run it prior to now season and a half.
“Each staff’s constructed just a little bit in a different way,” LaFleur mentioned. “And for me, it is at all times, would you like your quarterback topic to a few of these hits that he might doubtlessly face in these conditions?'”
The Eagles beat the Packers twice final season — within the regular-season opener and within the NFC wild-card playoff spherical.