Teams try ‘Hack-a-Shaq’ strategy vs. T.J. Watt, Steelers say،
PITTSBURGH — After Sunday's loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers tight end TJ Watt expressed frustration with the lack of holding calls imposed by NFL officials on plays in which the point player is involved. On Tuesday, his defensive coordinator agreed, drawing a comparison between Watt and an unlikely person: Shaquille O'Neal.
“I think TJ follows what all the elite edge rushers do,” Teryl Austin said. “These guys will hold you until they can't do it anymore, because that's often the only way they can block.
“I mean, I share his frustration, but I don't think there's anything we can do about it. We can complain and we can do all that, but it really doesn't solve the problem. So I think we We just deal with it. We just keep fighting and off we go. It's almost like Hack-a-Shaq.”
Watt, of course, doesn't go to the free throw line when held, but the idea is similar. By going to great lengths to retain Watt, Austin said, offenses hope to minimize his impact on the game and their quarterback. And it's become so common that officials don't call it anymore.
“People were hacking Shaq all the time, and he was getting fouled so much, and everyone knew it was a foul, but after a while they didn't call him because he was so good,” Austin said. “So we have to keep plugging away. And when he has an opportunity to win — because he will always win — he does it. I think like Mike [Tomlin] likes to call it, it would be sport, and we are not going to complain about our situation. We're just going to play and fight, and TJ will fight, and he'll do it because he's a good pro and a great player. »
Watt missed several snaps against the Cardinals when he appeared injured after being held by offensive lineman Paris Johnson Jr. to quarterback Kyler Murray for a first down. No flag was thrown, however.
“The NFL has something going against me,” Watt said Sunday. “So I don't want to speak negatively towards them anymore. I don't know what I did, but I'll leave it at that.”
Even with everything offenses throw at Watt, the All-Pro and 2021 Defensive Player of the Year is second in the league with 14 sacks, one behind Khalil Mack.
“TJ is a special player,” Tomlin said Monday. “People go to a lot of effort to downplay it, and frustration is probably a part of the game for him.”
