Los Angeles Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the best interior defensive lineman in the NFL. As such, opposing offenses have to do whatever can do to try and keep Donald from completely ruining their day each and every week.
For Donald, that means double and triple teams frequently. It also means being held quite often. Frankly, Donald is sick and tired of it and thinks he’s not getting the calls he should from the officials.
“In my opinion, they hold every play,” Donald said, via Lindsay Thiry of ESPN.com. “There was some blatant holds that we didn’t get the call for (against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers).”
In the Rams’ last two victories over the Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks, Donald has been kept almost completely off the stat sheets. No tackles. No sacks. Just two quarterback hits on Russell Wilson and that’s it.
Donald thought the Rams should have earned a safety against the Buccaneers as he felt he was held by Donovan Smith in the end zone. Despite lobbying efforts, Donald hasn’t gotten enough of the holding calls he feels he’s deserved.
“All the damn time I talk to them,” Donald said. “I say, ‘You got to see that holding call,’ they say they don’t see it. I’m like, ‘Man, the guy got me around my neck, grabbed, pulled my shirt, I just beat a guy with a clean rush.’ But it’s all right, hopefully I’m gonna get one sooner or later that’s gonna help us big time, so I just got to keep playing.”
Donald is one sack away from reaching double digits for a fourth consecutive season.