Brady Henderson
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- Brady Henderson is a reporter for NFL Nation and covers the Seattle Seahawks for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2017 after overlaying the crew for Seattle Sports 710-AM.
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RENTON, Wash. — One of the extra unstoppable performs for the Super Bowl-bound Seattle Seahawks has roots in some of the disappointing moments of their 2024 season.
It was in time beyond regulation of their Week 9 house loss to the NFC West-rival Los Angeles Rams.
On the primary possession of the additional interval, Seattle was eyeing a sudden-death landing. The Seahawks wanted lower than a yard from the Rams’ 16 to maneuver the chains, however Kenneth Walker III was stuffed on third-and-1 and once more on fourth-and-1. Penetration killed each performs, at the same time as then-offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb fielded a heavy bundle on the second try. After the turnover on downs, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford ended the sport with a four-play landing drive.
“We’ve got to be able to get a half yard in two shots,” coach Mike Macdonald stated after that loss. “Great football teams convert third- and fourth-and-short, and right now we’re not doing that.”
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The Seahawks would end their first season beneath Macdonald with a 10-7 report however no playoff berth, having misplaced a tiebreaker to Los Angeles for the division title.
Fast-forward to Week 16 of this season, when the Seahawks hosted the Rams with first place within the division and management of the NFC’s No. 1 seed on the road. This time, it was Klint Kubiak calling performs.
And this time, when the Seahawks confronted third-and-1 within the third quarter, Seattle’s offensive coordinator went to their new short-yardage weapon: the tush push. Or as followers have dubbed it, the “Barnyard.”
Tight finish AJ Barner took the direct snap, and with shoves from working again Zach Charbonnet and fullback Robbie Ouzts, picked up the primary down. Walker ripped off a 55-yard landing on the following play, giving the Seahawks a 14-13 lead earlier than they prevailed 38-37 in time beyond regulation.
Barner has been one of many less-heralded elements in Seattle’s offensive success, including seven touchdowns throughout a second-year breakout. One of these scores got here through the “Barnyard,” which has produced an extra 13 first downs with just one failed try. The play that Barner has helped execute to close perfection has turned short-yardage conditions from a battle for the Seahawks in 2024 to a power in 2025.
It might be a difference-maker in Super Bowl LX towards the New England Patriots.
“It’s been great,” Macdonald stated of the tush push heading into the playoffs. “We’ve got to stay sharp with it and keep doing the things we’re doing. I’m sure there are some wrinkles off it that we can build off as well. But it’s an important part of our short-yardage package.”
On Nov. 2, the Seahawks used AJ Barner and the “Barnyard” to attain towards the Washington Commanders. AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough
THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES started utilizing the tush push in earnest in 2022, including their twists to a conventional quarterback sneak. Most notably: lining up a pair of gamers behind quarterback Jalen Hurts to assist shove him throughout the road to achieve. It has develop into the signature play in short-yardage conditions for the defending Super Bowl champions.
But opposition to the play from different groups — ostensibly over participant security considerations — gained sufficient steam this previous offseason for a proposed ban to be put to a vote in May. Most of the NFC was in favor of the ban, but it surely was two votes shy of the required 24 to move. The Seahawks weren’t among the many 10 groups that voted to maintain the play, regardless that Macdonald and common supervisor John Schneider had beforehand expressed public help for the tush push.
“I think it’s a good play and we’ve got to defend it,” Macdonald stated earlier within the offseason, “and maybe we’ll execute it one day.”
With the play allowed, and with certainly one of their NFC counterparts nonetheless planning to make use of it to their benefit, the Seahawks determined they’d as properly.
The Seahawks had struggled in short-yardage conditions final season, with their 58.8% (20-of-34) conversion charge on third- and fourth-and-1 rating fifth worst within the NFL, in keeping with ESPN Research. So after Macdonald employed Kubiak to exchange Grubb, he had his new coordinator set up the tush push — solely with Barner working it and never quarterback Sam Darnold.
Why Barner?
“He’s big,” Macdonald stated.
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At 6-foot-3 and 225 kilos, Darnold would not have the identical large body as Bills quarterback Josh Allen (6-5, 237), whom Buffalo makes use of frequently on tush pushes. Hurts (6-1, 223) is constructed like a working again and might squat 600 kilos.
During his time because the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, Macdonald had seen Baltimore often use 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight finish Mark Andrews on tush push performs. Macdonald thought Barner, who’s 6-foot-6 and 251 kilos, may deal with Seattle’s model.
“I don’t ask for much,” stated Macdonald, who runs Seattle’s protection, “but that was something I asked for from our offense.”
The Seahawks stored the play largely beneath wraps all offseason. The first time they ran it outdoors of closed practices was with rookie quarterback Jalen Milroe within the preseason. But they’d lengthy been planning to make use of Barner in that position. Their 2024 fourth-round choose had performed quarterback his first two years at Aurora High School simply outdoors of Cleveland, so he was no stranger to taking snaps.
“This is a decision we made in the spring, and it’s credit to everybody involved,” Macdonald stated. “There’s ball handling involved, and the ball is really important, so you want to make sure you take care of that, first and foremost. So they’ve taken a lot of snaps over the course of the offseason and he’s willing to put in that extra work, which has been a credit to him.”
Between the common season and playoffs, the Seahawks have transformed 10 of 11 tush push makes an attempt, all on both third-and-1 or fourth-and-1. Barner, channeling his QB previous, has been efficient sufficient with onerous counts to attract the protection offside 4 occasions.
In addition to the one landing Barner scored through that play, the opposite 13 first downs it generated prolonged 11 scoring drives, together with 4 that resulted in TDs.
Darnold has lined up deep within the backfield on each tush push and has stayed there, safely away from the fray. One thought in protecting him on the sphere is that whereas it sacrifices a would-be blocker/pusher, it would not telegraph that the tush push is coming. It additionally offers Seattle the chance to pivot again to a play with Darnold beneath heart.
“AJ is a leader on our offense,” Kubiak stated. “He’s a guy that we can all rely on. If it’s not going to be the quarterback handling the ball, then AJ’s done a heck of a job with it. He’s a physical guy. That’s just something that started in April and we’ve got a lot of practice reps at it.”
Barner’s bodily body helps him as a blocker and with leverage within the tush push. Harry How/Getty Images
BARNER WAS CONSIDERED extra of a blocker than a receiver getting into the 2024 draft, having caught solely 22 passes throughout his remaining school season whereas serving to Michigan win a nationwide championship. But he has develop into a full tight finish in two NFL seasons.
As a rookie, he had produced extra within the passing sport than many anticipated, ending with 30 catches for 245 yards and 4 touchdowns. The promise he confirmed factored into Seattle’s resolution to launch veteran Noah Fant this previous summer season in a cost-cutting transfer, which elevated Barner to Seattle’s starter after he served within the No. 2 position in 2024.
Barner took a important leap as a receiver in 2025, greater than doubling his rookie yardage complete with 519 throughout the common season, third most on the crew. His 52 catches and 6 receiving touchdowns had been each second most to Pro Bowl wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Despite showing on the Seahawks’ damage report in seven of the ten weeks they produced one main as much as their divisional spherical win over the 49ers, Barner has performed in all 19 video games
“I like to play physical … and that can take a toll on your body,” he stated. “But all good on my end. Whatever I’ve got to do to be ready for game time is going to happen.”
That contains spending time in a hyperbaric chamber, therapeutic massage remedy and acupuncture. Over this previous offseason, it included coaching with Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell.
After connecting with NFL reporter and coaching guru Jay Glazer, Barner started working with the UFC legend at Proactive Sports Performance within the Los Angeles space, the place the tight finish now spends a lot of his offseason time.
“I have a wrestling background, and when I’m at my best, I’m really in that UFC mindset of kill or be killed,” he stated. “Not that it’s that, but it’s intense, and when I channel that and play with that energy, I think I play my best. So I was able to get some work in with those guys in the offseason. … There’s not many people that do that, so I feel like it gives me the upper hand.”
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Barner used these periods — roughly 10 of them, every lasting about an hour — to complement his regular exercise routine.
“A lot of grappling, a lot of leverage stuff, and just working out with the freaking ‘Iceman,’ dog,” Barner stated. “It was sick. Talking to him about what’s it like [as a fighter] when the lights go out and you walk out. It’s great work.”
Among the ways in which work has paid off is with the tush push, a play wherein leverage is paramount.
Thanks partly to the tush push, the Seahawks have transformed 26 of 36 makes an attempt on third- or fourth-and-1 over their 19 video games. Their regular-season conversion charge on such performs (73.5%) was eighth finest within the league. Charbonnet was liable for 5 of their conversions, and of his team-high 12 dashing touchdowns, six had been from 1 or 2 yards out.
The Seahawks misplaced Charbonnet for the rest of the playoffs after an ACL tear within the divisional spherical, which suggests extra of their short-yardage plan might be on Barner’s plate in Super Bowl LX.
The Patriots’ protection, regardless of permitting the fourth-fewest factors and the eighth-fewest yards throughout the common season, has allowed opponents to transform 33 of 42 tries (78.6%) on third- or fourth-and-1 over their 20 video games.
Barner stated he’d “love to” run a tush push within the Super Bowl.
“Hopefully we get it called,” he stated. “It’d be super awesome to do it on that stage.”
