Jon Runyan thinks the NFL has found a solution for the quarterback sneak. Make sure there isn't one at all.
Runyan was called for a false start twice on Jordan Love quarterback sneaks during the Green Bay Packers' victory over the Los Angeles Rams. On both occasions, it was a fourth-and-1.
"I guess it was a point of emphasis with the officials," Runyan said Wednesday, via Sports Illustrated. "I wish I would've been told that for the first one. It's something that's got to be communicated better. That's the NFL trying to phase that play out slowly."
Love easily converted both quarterback sneaks prior to them being called back prior to the penalty. Runyan belives the NFL is trying to phase out the quarterback sneak slowly due to the success of the "tush push," a sneak the Philadelphia Eagles have perfected.
The "tush push" has been the subject of controversy throughout the NFL, from not being "aesthetically pleasing" toward a potential injury risk. Or one team just happens to practice it with a quarterback that squats 600 pounds behind one of the biggest offensive lines in football.
The Eagles have an 84% conversion rate on the "tush push" (on plays that they used it to try and get a first down or touchdown compared to 71.7% for the rest of the league. Philadelphia has attempted the push play 25 times while the rest of the league 60.
Of the times the Eagles failed to convert the "tush push," twice was to run out the clock, another time was to get closer to the end zone (which they scored a touchdown on the next play anyway, and the other time was to get out of their own end zone.
The Packers even tried the "tush push" on their third fourth-and-1 attempt. They easily converted.
"It's an effective play," Runyan said. "I think defenses are going to have start trying to game plan. I really don't know how you can stop it; it's tough. It's going to be difficult to cover and I feel like as long as it worked, we're going to keep doing it."
Even if the NFL is trying to phase the play out, offenses with bigger quarterbacks are having more success converting the "tush push." Teams are going to keep doing it in short-yardage situations until they're told not do, which will likely be put on the table this offseason.
