Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said Tuesday that he stood up in favor of the tush push when it was on the chopping block this past spring.

"The reason I stood up in favor of it is pretty simple," Payton said. "If the powers to be don't want it for aesthetic reasons or competitive reasons, you know, [that] it's hard to officiate etcetera ... but I've been involved in those meetings for a long time, and when all of a sudden health and safety was pulled into that — which might be the safest play in football — my bulls*** nose kind of went up.''

Payton, who previously served on the NFL's competition committee, added: "Look, it's a quarterback sneak, and I think credit Philadelphia."

The Philadelphia Eagles have popularized the rugby-inspired, short-yardage play the past few seasons. Denver will likely have to defend it Sunday when the undefeated Eagles host the 2-2 Broncos.

[Yahoo Sports TV is here! Watch live shows and highlights 24/7]

The tush push — or "Brotherly Shove," as it's affectionately called in Philadelphia — dominated headlines earlier this month after the Eagles got away with multiple false starts in a Week 2 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, one of which was reportedly highlighted in an officiating training video the league sent to officials and teams after the first two weeks of the season.

The Green Bay Packers' amended proposal to ban the tush push needed 24 votes to pass at an NFL owners meeting in May. It received 22 votes, falling two shy of approval.

Contrary to Payton's comments Tuesday, the Denver Broncos weren't one of the 10 teams reported to have voted against the ban of the tush push.

Regardless, the tush push has lived on, and so has its scrutiny.

The Eagles ran an alternative play out of its tush-push formation during their Week 4 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rather than plowing forward for a red-zone first down, Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts stepped back and handed the ball off to running back Saquon Barkley, who waltzed untouched to the end zone for a touchdown that put the Eagles up 31-13 late in the third quarter of a 31-25 victory.

"It was a sweep to the left," Payton said. "I'm one that looks at it, as long as the line of scrimmage is clean, that it's a well-run quarterback sneak.

"And when you really evaluate it, it's more the technique of the sneak than the push. You go all the way back to Green Bay against Dallas in the Ice Bowl [the 1967 NFL Championship], and fricking Bart Starr crosses the goal line with someone pushing a little bit behind him.

"So I was one that was in favor of leaving [the tush push] alone, on Philly's side."