Former Buccaneers TE Rob Gronkowski gives take on potential 'tush push' ban

Every year, it seems like there's always one NFL rule that ends up being the talk of the offseason.

Last season, it was the potential implementation of a penalty against the "hip-drop tackle", which many believed would make the game a worse product and make it harder for defenses to play the game. That ended up not being a big deal, as a fine is the only punishment for that, but now, the Philadelphia Eagles' patented "tush push" — a quarterback sneak variant where the quarterback is physically pushed by other linemen — is now in the crosshairs of the NFL. The vote to potentially ban it, brought on by the Green Bay Packers, was tabled at league meetings in March but will be voted on again at the spring League Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Former Buccaneers Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski has been busy after retiring, and one of his many endeavors is his podcast with former New England Patriots teammate Julian Edelman, Dudes on Dudes. Edelman brought up the tush push, and Gronkowski made his thoughts on the subject known. He mentioned that it was illegal for most of the time he played football, but that he likes the innovation it brings after the push rule was overturned in 2005.

"I like it, though," Gronkowski said on the podcast. "It's the game of football. It's called, you line up your best 11 guys vs. our best 11 guys, and you gotta stop us from moving this football from one point to another point. I like the tush push — they gotta come up with ways to stop it."

Edelman agreed, stating that it comes down to execution and no play should be banned simply because other teams don't know how to stop it.

"If everyone could run it, then everyone would run it," Edelman said. "I don't think they should can the play because only one team knows how to run it right."

Time will tell if the ban goes through. It seems unpopular with fans and former players, but the motion to ban it appears to be gaining momentum with NFL owners.