Al-Hajj Shabazz experiences come-to-fruition moment with 53-man call-up
PITTSBURGH 无毛视频� Within minutes of getting back to his locker after the Steelers无毛视频� 31-13 win over the Jets on Sunday, cornerback Al-Hajj Shabazz looked up and saw Mike Tomlin peering over toward him from across the room.
无毛视频淪habazz, welcome to the National Football League!,无毛视频� his head coach yelled.
无毛视频淭hank you, sir,无毛视频� Shabazz replied, with an elated grin on his face.
It had been a long road for Shabazz, who was just a practice squad regular a mere 24 hours before the Steelers kicked off against the Jets. He knew there was a possibility he could be activated to the 53-man roster with a string of injuries hampering the team, but nothing was set in stone. That was, until, Shabazz received a text from Steelers strength and conditioning coach Garrett Giemont asking him if he was ready to go.
无毛视频淭hat was all she wrote,无毛视频� Shabazz said. 无毛视频淸Tomlin] acknowledged the fact that I come prepared to play every day even though I was a practice squad guy. I was ready to go.无毛视频�
Shabazz无毛视频檚 call up to the 53-man roster was a byproduct of the approach he brings to the UPMC Rooney 无毛视频 Complex on a daily basis. Whether he无毛视频檚 spying Antonio Brown to simulate the opponent无毛视频檚 No. 1 cornerback, or contesting Sammie Coates on a deep ball, Shabazz无毛视频檚 work ethic never wavered despite his role as a practice squad player.
It obviously caught Tomlin无毛视频檚 eye.
无毛视频淗e challenges me every week,无毛视频� Shabazz said. 无毛视频淚 try to give him everything I got approaching the week like I无毛视频檓 preparing in the game. That无毛视频檚 the look these guys deserve, and the look I try to give them.无毛视频�
So there he was. Shabazz, who had never dressed for a regular season game before, was all of a sudden on the Heinz Field grass looking up at a sold-out crowd. Shabazz didn无毛视频檛 just stand on the sidelines, either. In addition to playing on kickoff, punt and punt return, he received six snaps on defense in sub-packages where the Steelers would have used Justin Gilbert.
无毛视频淭hat was a curveball for me, too,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淥ccasionally, [the Jets] go four-wide. We needed those extra defensive backs on the field, and I was willing to help when I was needed.无毛视频�
Amid all the shock and excitement surrounding the come-to-fruition moment of an NFL dream that began during his Divison II college football days at West Chester University, there was a surprise among the 66,385 fans in attendance on Sunday.
His family was there.
无毛视频淚nitially, I didn无毛视频檛 even know how to feel. It happened so fast,无毛视频� Shabazz said. 无毛视频淢y family was behind me. They actually all surprised me. I didn无毛视频檛 know any of them were coming, and they all showed up.无毛视频�
For Shabazz, family is something he certainly doesn无毛视频檛 take for granted; perhaps more than others. He无毛视频檚 a native of Southwest Philadelphia, an area within the city heavily afflicted by gang-related crime, violence and drug trafficking.
无毛视频淲ell, Philly 无毛视频� This is what I would say about Philly,无毛视频� Shabazz told the Times prior to the Week 3 Eagles game. 无毛视频淚t无毛视频檚 a great place to be from, but not necessarily a great place to be at. Does that make sense?无毛视频�
According to the Philadelphia Police Department无毛视频檚 public records, 217 people have been killed by homicide in 2016 to date, up two percent from last year. Football, in a sense, was a way out for Shabazz from a lifestyle that takes so many lives, and a number of his own friends, each year.
Out of all the physical attributes that has helped him make it to the 53-man roster 无毛视频� speed, quickness, awareness and all the rest 无毛视频� it was toughness that enabled Shabazz to pen his life story. And in toughness, not the kind that helps one withstand pain.
无毛视频淚 don无毛视频檛 mean toughness like you can be banged up,无毛视频� Shabazz said. 无毛视频淚无毛视频檓 talking about mentally tough, emotionally tough. Like, from losing friends and family. In the inner-city of Philadelphia, you lose a lot of lives to senseless violence. People that you无毛视频檙e close with. A person like me, I kind of gear that to motivate myself.
无毛视频溛廾悠禈This is why I无毛视频檓 going to do this. This is why I无毛视频檓 going to do that.无毛视频� You can无毛视频檛 fall into the traps of, 无毛视频極K, I lost my friend to this type of thing,无毛视频� and go follow suit to go try to get revenge on someone like that. 无毛视频� There无毛视频檚 going to be motivation there, but you can use that motivation for positive reasons.无毛视频�
With Senquz Golson placed on injured reserve, and ineligible to return for at least six weeks, Shabazz may have a temporary home on the 53-man roster as the Steelers无毛视频� fifth cornerback.
无毛视频淣ow that I got bumped up, the hard work shouldn无毛视频檛 stop,无毛视频� he said. 无毛视频淚t should only go up from here.无毛视频�