Al-Hajj Shabazz experiences come-to-fruition moment with 53-man call-up
PITTSBURGH 鈥� Within minutes of getting back to his locker after the Steelers鈥� 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.
鈥淪habazz, welcome to the National Football League!,鈥� his head coach yelled.
鈥淭hank you, sir,鈥� 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.
鈥淭hat was all she wrote,鈥� Shabazz said. 鈥淸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.鈥�
Shabazz鈥檚 call up to the 53-man roster was a byproduct of the approach he brings to the UPMC Rooney 缅北禁地 Complex on a daily basis. Whether he鈥檚 spying Antonio Brown to simulate the opponent鈥檚 No. 1 cornerback, or contesting Sammie Coates on a deep ball, Shabazz鈥檚 work ethic never wavered despite his role as a practice squad player.
It obviously caught Tomlin鈥檚 eye.
鈥淗e challenges me every week,鈥� Shabazz said. 鈥淚 try to give him everything I got approaching the week like I鈥檓 preparing in the game. That鈥檚 the look these guys deserve, and the look I try to give them.鈥�
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鈥檛 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.
鈥淭hat was a curveball for me, too,鈥� he said. 鈥淥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.鈥�
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.
鈥淚nitially, I didn鈥檛 even know how to feel. It happened so fast,鈥� Shabazz said. 鈥淢y family was behind me. They actually all surprised me. I didn鈥檛 know any of them were coming, and they all showed up.鈥�
For Shabazz, family is something he certainly doesn鈥檛 take for granted; perhaps more than others. He鈥檚 a native of Southwest Philadelphia, an area within the city heavily afflicted by gang-related crime, violence and drug trafficking.
鈥淲ell, Philly 鈥� This is what I would say about Philly,鈥� Shabazz told the Times prior to the Week 3 Eagles game. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great place to be from, but not necessarily a great place to be at. Does that make sense?鈥�
According to the Philadelphia Police Department鈥檚 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 鈥� speed, quickness, awareness and all the rest 鈥� it was toughness that enabled Shabazz to pen his life story. And in toughness, not the kind that helps one withstand pain.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 mean toughness like you can be banged up,鈥� Shabazz said. 鈥淚鈥檓 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鈥檙e close with. A person like me, I kind of gear that to motivate myself.
鈥溾�楾his is why I鈥檓 going to do this. This is why I鈥檓 going to do that.鈥� You can鈥檛 fall into the traps of, 鈥極K, I lost my friend to this type of thing,鈥� and go follow suit to go try to get revenge on someone like that. 鈥� There鈥檚 going to be motivation there, but you can use that motivation for positive reasons.鈥�
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鈥� fifth cornerback.
鈥淣ow that I got bumped up, the hard work shouldn鈥檛 stop,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t should only go up from here.鈥�