Sean McDermott’s Bold Take on the Tush Push: Playing Within the Rules or Pushing the Limits?

Sean McDermott didn’t mince words this offseason when he pushed hard to outlaw the “tush push” ahead quarterback sneaks—a move he framed as not just a rule debate but a matter of player safety and responsibility. Even though 21 teams rallied behind him, the league fell three votes short of banning the play, leaving the Bills in an intriguing spot. Despite his concerns, McDermott finds himself at a crossroads: his own team thrives using this tactic with Josh Allen, but now that the league’s rules remain unchanged, the question looms—will the Bills abandon a proven strategy to ease safety worries? McDermott’s latest remarks suggest pragmatism will win out, signaling that Buffalo will keep leaning into the play, quirks and all, until the whistles tell them otherwise. LEARN MORE

“We’ll play within the rules,” McDermott said, via the team’s website. “The rules have now been set and we always do our best to play within the rules that are set up for us.”Given the lack of change to the league’s rules and the team’s high conversion rate, McDermott’s answer suggests that any misgivings he might have about the play won’t stop the Bills from continuing to try to push Allen over the line. Bills head coach Sean McDermott was a vocal proponent of banning the tush push this offseason and said that being “proactive and responsible” when it comes to player safety was the reason for his stance. McDermott’s view on the play was shared by 21 other teams, but the attempt to outlaw the play failed last week because 24 votes are necessary to make a rule change. McDermott took his position despite the Bills having success running the play with quarterback Josh Allen and the coach was asked on Tuesday whether the concerns he aired about the safety of the play this offseason will lead to a change to the team’s play calls this fall.