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SI.com: "No 'MeAngelo': DeAngelo Hall feels at home with Redskins"


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Good article, it says a lot about our coaching staff and I have to agree. DeAngelo Hall made me eat some crow. I thought he would be a nuisance player but he's been nothing but a pro (on and off the field) since he came here.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/08/09/hall.skins.ap/index.html

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -- Having been to the Pro Bowl twice, saddled with the nickname "MeAngelo'' along the way, DeAngelo Hall is taking a more mature approach as he plans his next trip to Hawaii.

The cornerback who in 2005 hoisted a sign that read, "Aloha, see you in Hawaii,'' after making an interception on "Monday Night Football'' feels at home with the Washington Redskins after troubled times with the Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders.

"My mindset has changed so much over the last year and a half,'' Hall said after Sunday morning's practice. "At first, I felt like I knew everything. I felt like I knew what I needed to do to get right, but being here with (secondary) coach Jerry Gray and the rest of the coaches, they've definitely opened my eyes to a lot of things that I need to work on to just be a better, more consistent player and eventually be remembered as one of the best.''

Hall joined the Redskins during the 2008 season one day after he was released by the Raiders, who declared him a disappointment after eight games - and less than a year after signing him to a seven-year, $70 million deal.

Hall didn't mesh with his teammates in Oakland, but the Virginia native and former Virginia Tech star fit right in with the Redskins, who re-signed him at the end of the year to a deal worth $54 million over six years.

"I can remember being in Oakland and coming home after games and telling my mom, who comes to every single one of my games from the Virginia Beach area, 'I'm just not happy. I wish I could go to another team. I wish I could give the money back.' To be able to be released as sort of a mutual agreement and have it work out for the best for me, that's something that really happened,'' Hall said.

"To get a second chance on life, as far as football careers go, I wake up every morning excited to come to practice, excited to work, excited to get better. I'm just so ecstatic to be out here. ... That little bit of Atlanta and that Oakland experience matured me so much as a player and as a person that I wouldn't trade it for the world because if I changed that, I don't think my mindset and attitude would be what it is right now.''

With Shawn Springs gone, Hall is now the Redskins' undisputed No. 1 cornerback.

"I think he's expecting Pro Bowl,'' said Gray, who made four Pro Bowl appearances (1986-89) for the Los Angeles Rams. "He's expecting to get back to being one of the top corners in this league. I know if you've been there, because I've been there as a top corner in the league early in my career, and then when I wasn't voted to the Pro Bowl, I was more disappointed. I think that's what happened to him. He's a Pro Bowl guy and he's not gotten that nod the last couple of years. So I can say that he's trying to get back there.''

Head coach Jim Zorn has also noticed Hall's maturity.

"A guy like that could say, 'Hey, listen guys, I'm so good that (you can) just leave me alone and get out of my life,''' Zorn said. "But he listens to Jerry, and he really communicates.''

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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It's starting to look more and more like a good decision with each passing day. Nothing but good things being said about Hall from his coaches and teammates. A newly acquired blue-collar mentality to go along with his God-given talent and we got ourselves a great in the making. Don't be surprised to see this guy blow up this season.

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I think Hall compliments Rogers perfectly. Rogers has shaky hands, but he is still great at breaking up plays regardless and is a great tackler. When Rogers shuts down your #1, where do you have to throw? To D-Hall, who has a knack for making plays and is better than his critics give him credit for.

I think With Rogers and Hall at corner, Landry roaming center field, and our improved D-line, this team may have a top-5 pass defense.

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I kinda wonder. How many good athletes recently (like Randy Moss and D Hall) have left Oakland as busts and gone on to have success?
Of course, the Raiders still have guys like Asomugha, Chris Johnson (the CB that replaced Hall), Kirk Morrison, Thomas Howard, Darren McFadden, and Zach Miller.

Oakland's not a place where guys automatically have bum careers.

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Wait, Hall is the undisputed #1? I actually thought it was pretty even between Hall and Rogers. Maybe Rogers doesn't get the turnovers, but I think as a cover corner and shutting down top WRs, Rogers is pretty darn good. They both strike me as top guys, and I don't think labeling one or the other as #1 and #2 means much.

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Wait, Hall is the undisputed #1? I actually thought it was pretty even between Hall and Rogers. Maybe Rogers doesn't get the turnovers, but I think as a cover corner and shutting down top WRs, Rogers is pretty darn good. They both strike me as top guys, and I don't think labeling one or the other as #1 and #2 means much.
Rogers is the cover guy and physical corner, Hall is the ball hawk who can gamble on turnovers with a safety shading over him.

In theory, they should complement each other perfectly.

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I think thus far Rogers might be a better cover corner, but Hall has more potential to be a playmaker.

Rogers will drop easy INTs, but his coverage is better, while Hall might give up catches, but when an INT is on his radar he makes the INT....

It's a trade-off, but one I believe we can live with considering our overall depth in the secondary!

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Hall has proven he can play well, and with him seeming to be humbled now and playing for his hometown team i think this is the perfect situation for himself and the team. I could end up way off but Id rather have him than Springs at this stage of their careers.

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Wait, Hall is the undisputed #1? I actually thought it was pretty even between Hall and Rogers. Maybe Rogers doesn't get the turnovers, but I think as a cover corner and shutting down top WRs, Rogers is pretty darn good. They both strike me as top guys, and I don't think labeling one or the other as #1 and #2 means much.

I was wondering how long it would take for someone to make a comment on that statement. :) I agree with you, I think they're pretty even, each having their strengths and weeknesses off setting eachother (or complimenting eachother)

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Great read. I have always been a fan of D Hall. He has always had the mouth but when he started getting worked in oakland people forgot what a special talent he is.

Oakland is a career killer, everyone knows that. They stole years from the most exciting receiver of this generation in randy moss, deangelo should consider himself lucky he was released as soon as he was.

HTTR

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