By JOSEPH WHITE
AP Sports Writer
ASHBURN, Va.(AP) — DeAngelo Hall has plenty of positive things to
say about his old team, the Atlanta Falcons.
His old coach? That’s another matter.
The Washington Redskins cornerback made it clear Monday that
he’s still no fan of Bobby Petrino, the coach who quit the
Falcons during the 2007 season. Hall and Petrino got in a
shouting match on the sideline that year, leading to a $100,000
fine for the player and no doubt hastening the coach’s abrupt
departure for the University of Arkansas.
The Falcons were already reeling from the loss of quarterback
Michael Vick before the season and finished 4-12. Hall was then
traded to Oakland.
Atlanta, which bounced back to go 11-5 last season, is 4-3 after
Monday night’s loss against unbeaten New Orleans with a matchup
against the Redskins looming on Sunday. Asked if he was
surprised that the Falcons have resurrected themselves so
quickly, Hall had no problem explaining why.
“Mike was gone – we didn’t have a quarterback,” Hall said.
“Petrino … he left. Those were the two things.
“Obviously they drafted a great quarterback, Matt Ryan, got a
coach, so this team wasn’t in total disarray like everybody made
it out to be. There was a lot of speculation around the team
because of the Michael Vick situation and about the Petrino
situation, but it wasn’t a bad football team. It wasn’t a team
that was 0-19.
“They missed a quarterback who was probably the most exciting
player in the NFL, and they had a coach who came in trying to
change too many things and then left in the middle of it. So to
see what they did last year – was it a little bit surprising?
Yeah, a little bit, but they still had talent.”
Hall was a first-round draft pick by the Falcons and made two
Pro Bowls during his four outspoken years in Atlanta. He still
has a home in the area, but Sunday will be his first game in the
Georgia Dome since the trade to the Raiders.
“I’m not Brett Favre walking back into Lambeau, but there’s
definitely going to be a little emotion tied into this thing,”
Hall said. "I saw a lot of those guys mature as players, mature
as people on and off the field. Can’t wait to go out there and
mix it up with them.
“I’m proud of the guys. They’re playing lights out right now. We
just need a win. Will I be emotional going back in there? A
little bit, a little bit, but the goal is to get a win. I’ll cry
if we win.”
The Redskins (2-5) are pining for a win of any sort, having lost
three straight.
Asked if he expects the Falcons to target him, Hall said: “I
hope so.”
“If they’re coming after me, I can live with that,” Hall said.
“A chance for me to try to make a play and help us win? I can
live with that all day. I hope they do.”
Hall was asked if his familiarity with the Falcons receivers
will help the Redskins. He answered by pointing out that he got
to face Atlanta last year in a home game while with the Raiders.
Oakland lost 24-0.
“It helps you, but at the same time, the team’s got to show up,”
Hall said. “It ain’t just me vs. the team. I went in with a lot
of knowledge of these guys in Oakland, and the team didn’t come
with me to play the game, so we still lost.”
That was Hall’s last game with the Raiders. He was a bad fit in
Oakland, struggled on the field, and was cut. The Redskins
signed him days later and were so impressed that they gave him a
$54 million, six-year contract in the offseason.
Asked if he had hoped to stay with the Falcons for his entire
career, Hall said: “No I wanted to be like Deion (Sanders) and
go as many places as possible.”
He was joking, of course.
“Did I think I was going to be there forever? Yeah, I did,” Hall
said. “But it’s a business, and you end up where you end up, and
I’m loving it here.”
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