NFL: OCT 01 Commanders at Eagles
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PHILADELPHIA -- Throwbacks are all the rage in the NFL these days, from teams going back to retro jerseys to players wearing nostalgic outfits across the locker room. 

No team in the NFL embraces this mentality more than the Philadelphia Eagles, even going as far as running a play that defines old school football. The "Tush Push" is the most talked about play around the league, a quarterback sneak the Eagles convert over 90% of the time that defenses can't stop and other teams can't convert as successfully as the team that runs it on a weekly basis. 

A rugby-style play that was popular when Steve Van Buren was bulldozing defenses during the Eagles' glory days in the '40s is hip again, especially in the NovaCare Complex. 

Just make sure not to call it the "Tush Push." The Eagles don't like that name. 

"I like the 'Brotherly Shove'," said Eagles wide receiver and kick returner Britain Covey. "It's the 'Brotherly Shove' here. That makes it unique to Philly."

The "Brotherly Shove" has been the talk of the NFL for over a year now, a play that seems to work for the Eagles but not other teams. While it may not be "aesthetically pleasing," the Eagles are 49 of 55 on the play with Jalen Hurts at quarterback since the start of last year -- a ridiculous conversion rate of 89.1%. Philadelphia was 36 of 39 (92.3%) on the play last year, when the Eagles made their run to the Super Bowl. 

"We just have great players up front," said Eagles offensive lineman Jack Driscoll, who plays an integral role in executing the "Brotherly Shove" on a weekly basis. "Jalen is obviously so good at it. He's really strong, but it's also something our coaches coach a lot. 

"It's not something we just go out there and run. That's the big thing."

The Eagles do practice the play, although they won't get into the intricacies of how it works. You don't just give the secret formula away for the Krabby Patty.

Of course the players know the "Brotherly Shove" is hated. The Eagles are 13 of 16 on the play this year (81.3%), while the league is just 26 of 34 (76.5%). The qualifier of the play is "accomplishing what the team wanted," meaning a first down or touchdown. And if the team is pushing within a half-second of the snap (looking like a designed push).

There's actually an asterisk regarding the Eagles' 13-for-16 number. In Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles used the "Brotherly Shove" on consecutive plays to score a touchdown. Facing a long third-and-goal from the 1-yard line, the Eagles used the "Brotherly Shove" to get closer to the goal line before punching it in for the touchdown on fourth-and-goal.

In Week 5 against the Los Angeles Rams, the Eagles actually used the "Brotherly Shove" to kill time off the clock late in the fourth quarter of a 23-14 game. A first down was just a bonus at that point, as the Eagles ran the play on third-and-3 and fourth-and-2 with just over a minute left. The Eagles typically don't run the "Brotherly Shove" in situations with a distance over a yard. 

The Eagles actually have a 100% conversation rate on the "Brotherly Shove," when taking out those "misses." The rest of the league can't figure out how to have the success the Eagles are having on what appears to be a basic sneak. 

The New York Giants had two offensive linemen injured trying to run the "Brotherly Shove" in Week 5 -- and still didn't convert the first down. The only way to stop it is to ban the play, reversing a move by the NFL in 2005 that removed a prohibition pushing a ball-carrier forward.

"I feel like it takes the variability out of everything when you got a play that's above a 95% success rate," Covey said. "Third-and-1s are usually like a play where the defense and everyone gets the crowd hyped to stop -- and now it's almost an automatic first down. 

"You know, when it's not your team -- you view that as bad viewership, bad whatever." 

One team basically converts the play 100% of the time. That team also has Hurts, who squats 600 pounds, and the best offensive line in the NFL. 

The rest of the league is barely over 75%. They don't have what the Eagles possess. 

"There's like five or six different things that go into it. People think it's just because Jalen is strong. That's not it," Covey said. "Jalen's strong and we're smart with how we dress it up and we're smart with it. There's a plethora of things." 

"We just have great players up front," Driscoll said. "Jalen is obviously so good at it. He's really strong, but it's also something our coaches coach a lot. It's not something we just go out there and run. That's the big thing."

Players on the Eagles are well aware how some around the league despise the "Brotherly Shove." There was a discussion in March about banning the play among the competition committee, but the group was divided on making a decision. There's talk it may be banned this offseason for safety reasons. 

There are some teams that will welcome that change. 

"It's one of those things that I don't really worry about," Driscoll said. "I don't care about what other teams think. It works and it's effective. We're just going to keep doing it and finding other ways to do it so we can keep being successful at it.

"They are doing their best to stop it. We know if we don't execute it properly, we're playing good players every week. This week it's no different. If we don't execute, it won't be successful. But we don't worry about that, we'll control what we can control." 

The Eagles are going to keep running the "Brotherly Shove" until they're told not to. If the play is banned, they'll figure out another way how to get a first down in short-yardage situations. 

It still remains a mystery why other teams can't convert it as well as the Eagles, regardless of the personnel. 

"Oh I think other teams practice it," Covey said. "I just don't think, you know what. ... I don't know why other teams don't do it (well)."