Saquon Barkley Calls Out 'Soft' NFL Amid Eagles Controversy

The NFL just tried for the second time this offseason to ban the short-yardage tush push play popularized and perfected by the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles; and for the second time, the league failed to do so. 

Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league office are in favor of getting rid of play, which has developed into a clear advantage for the Eagles -- not because they have done anything illegal, but simply because they run it more effectively than any of the other 31 teams. 

The NFL brought the issue up earlier this offseason, ultimately tabling it prior to a vote as it tried to gather more support. The league held a vote at the spring meeting in Minnesota on Wednesday, May 21, falling two votes shy of the 24 required to ban the play in 2025 and beyond. 

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley called the initiative and the teams supporting it "soft" during the May 22 edition of the "Exciting Mics" podcast, which he recorded alongside fellow Philadelphia players Cooper DeJean and Reed Blankenship the day of the vote. 

"I think it's soft, to be honest," Barkley said . "Everybody can do it. It's not a play that we only can do. We happen to have one of the best and biggest O-lines, and Jalen Hurts can squat 600 pounds. That's not our fault."

Barkley continued by calling out a couple of specific teams that should, theoretically, be able to succeed running the tush push. 

"[Buffalo Bills QB] Josh Allen is super big, they're not successful with it," Barkley said. "[Baltimore Ravens QB] Lamar Jackson is one of the best running quarterbacks of all-time, they're not successful with it. So it's not something that everyone can't do. Them trying to eliminate it, I think that's kind of lame."

In fairness, Buffalo is among the handful of teams outside of Philadelphia that has used the tush push with relative frequency and to a significant degree of success, though the Bills did vote for the ban Wednesday. 

Also, Baltimore was among the nine NFL franchises that joined the Eagles in voting against the ban, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.