A.Q. Shipley was the Cardinals starting center for three years in 2016, 2017 and 2019. He and Arizona had to face Aaron Donald and the Rams twice a year in those three seasons, so he got a good taste of what it’s like trying to block the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
Unsurprisingly, Shipley called Donald an absolute “nightmare matchup” while talking about Aaron on the “Pat McAfee Show” this week. And when he had an upcoming matchup with Donald, game planning for No. 99 was his sole focus.
“If you had my wife on this show, she would tell you what the Saturday before playing Aaron Donald was like,” he said. “I mean, if you walked in the room and talk about positive, it was, ‘Get the (expletive) out of the room.’ I need to sit here and just focus right now. I need to figure out how to stop this Freakazoid for the next 60 minutes tomorrow.”
In Shipley’s opinion, what makes Donald so difficult to block is not just the fact that he’s “strong as an ox,” or that he has great leverage, quickness and athleticism, but it’s his footwork – and the simple fact that his feet are always moving.
“He’s one of the few people that if you really break down defensive linemen when they do their move to work an edge, they always kind of stop their feet and then get going again,” Shipley added. “He’s the only guy I’ve ever seen that when he starts working edges, his feet are still moving forward. So it’s a completely different animal when you watch him.”
Below is the full video of Shipley’s comments on Donald, which does contain explicit language.
"Aaron Donald is a NIGHTMARE matchup" ~@aqshipley#PMSLive pic.twitter.com/2JcgORYa6s
— WrestleMania Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 14, 2022