When the Philadelphia Eagles' controversial tush push play was put to a vote for a potential ban, many NFL coaches spoke out against the play, outlining why they supported a ban. But Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles, in the contrarian approach, was one of the most outspoken coaches in favor of the play.
And even though Bowles's teams have enjoyed success against the Eagles, his support of Philadelphia's much-maligned play has earned him some love from the City of Brotherly Love.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Bowles was told that his stance on the tush push has made him something of a "hero" in Philadelphia. Bowles, somewhat amusingly, doesn't believe he's a hero in Philadelphia, unless you're speaking about cheesesteaks.
"I think the only place I might be a hero at is Ishkabibble’s down on South Street getting a cheesesteak," Bowles said with a laugh.
Bowles, an Elizabeth, N.J., native who played college football at Temple, is clearly familiar with the city of Philadelphia—and an avid fan of cheesesteaks. And he also remains a defender of the tush push play at a time when it's once again under the microscope, this time for apparent missed false start calls by multiple officiating crews.
"I'm a fan of creativity. I think if somebody crafts something and they do it well and it's within the rules, it's up to the other side of the ball to stop them, whether it's offensively or defensively," Bowles said of the play on Monday. "They have something they do very well.
"I think Buffalo is the only other team that can do that well. If everyone else could do it, everybody would be doing it. So, it's a challenge for all the defensive coaches to try to stop it, and that'll include me."
Bowles reiterated that sentiment on Wednesday. And while it won't prevent Eagles fans from badly wanting to defeat Bowles's Buccaneers on Sunday, his unpopular opinion on the tush push has likely earned the respect of the Philadelphia fanbase.
The Buccaneers and Eagles will kick off on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. ET.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Todd Bowles Had Funny Cheesesteak Line About Being Philly 'Hero' for Tush Push Stance.
