A.Q. Shipley Defends Tristan Wirfs
December 3rd, 2025
Has former Bucs teammate Tristan Wirfs’ back.
Lost in the yawning of the Bucs snapping their losing streak with a snoozer of an escape from a team that has lost 9 of its last 10 games and is hellbent on having a top-five draft pick next spring was a horrible holding call on Bucs left tackle Tristan Wirfs.
And it triggered Bucs Super Bowl-winning offensive lineman and former assistant offensive line coach A.Q. Shipley.
Many fans know Shipley best for his regular appearances on the “Pat McAfee Show” where Shipley breaks down and highlights offensive line play across the NFL.
Shipley took to Twitter this week to demonstrate how the penalty on Wirfs was no penalty at all and explained how tackles are taught to use “the chop,” which he said Wirfs did perfectly on the play in question. Shipley also had a few harsh words for the zebra who threw the flag.
In the video, Shipley pleaded with NFL officials to quit penalizing tackles for using legal techniques.
Wirfs was asked after the game about the call. The FOX broadcast showed Wirfs to be heated in the moment. Fearing he might get a nastygram from NFL strongman Roger Goodell for speaking the truth, Wirfs would only say about the call, “I like my money.”
(Hat tip: @stuckwithgreen.)
ALL THE GOOD TACKLES USE THE CHOP TECHNIQUE.
PLEASE STOP CALLING IT A PENALTY!
Heres Tristan Wirfs from yesterdays Game vs the Cardinals…#wearethekrewe #nfl #inthetrenches #chop #penalty #ref #referee #oline #ol #coach #coaching @TristanWirfs78 @Buccaneers https://t.co/fVu5x82y07 pic.twitter.com/53murT17Hu
— AQ Shipley (@aqshipley) December 1, 2025