When the Lions (the league office) realized that 24 votes didn’t exist for changing the playoff seeding process, the Lions (the league) withdrew the proposal.

So why didn’t the Packers (the league office) withdraw the rule banning the tush push when it was obvious that the proposal from the Packers (the league) was going to fall short of the mark?

As one source with direct knowledge of the dynamics told PFT, the two situations were very different. On playoff seeding, the discussion began with an acknowledgement that the Lions were inclined to table it. It never went to a vote or even a straw poll.

Regarding the tush push, the owners had a “long discussion” that resulted in the call for a vote. There was never a discussion about tabling it.

Some would say that it would have been better to withdraw the proposal than to have it lose. That said, every team is on the record. Twenty-two said yes to the ban, and 10 said no. We know who supported the pan, we know who didn’t.

More importantly, the league knows. And now the league can go to work on the long-term goal of twisting the arms of two of the 10 holdouts.

Make an overt deal. Make a subtle threat. Do whatever needs to be done to get two more teams to flip, and the tush push is kaput.