DeAngelo Hall

DeAngelo Hall

DeAngelo Hall during his tenure with the Raiders.
Washington Redskins
Career information
College:	Virginia Tech
NFL draft:	2004 / round: 1 / pick: 8
Career history
Atlanta Falcons (2004–2007) Oakland Raiders (2008) Washington Redskins (2008–present)
Roster status:	Active
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-American (2003) Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist (2003) 2x Pro Bowl selection (2005, 2006)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 9, 2008
Tackles: 276 Sacks: 1 Interceptions: 20

DeAngelo Eugene Hall (born November 19, 1983 in Template:City-state) is an American football cornerback for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons eighth overall in the 2004 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Falcons, Hall also played for the Oakland Raiders before being released in 2008.

Early years

Hall attended Deep Creek High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, and was a standout in football and track. He averaged approximately 10 yards per carry as a running back in high school.

College career

Hall recorded 190 tackles, 20 passes defensed, eight interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and seven receptions for 86 yards with one touchdown in his three-year career at Virginia Tech.

He returned 56 punts for 839 yards and five touchdowns. His 839 yards rank third on the Big East Conference career-record chart while his five returns for touchdowns rank second in conference history.

All-American first-team selection as a punt returner as a junior. Semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the nation's top defensive back, as he ranked sixth on the team with a career-high 93 tackles.

He collared 56 tackles, 12 passes defensed, four interceptions and one forced fumble in 10 starts as a sophomore, and registered 42 tackles and three interceptions as a freshman.

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

Hall was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons with 8th overall pick of the 2004 NFL Draft. He finished his first season with 35 tackles and two interceptions.

One of Hall's finest moments came when he was assigned to one of the NFL's premier wide receivers, Terrell Owens of the Philadelphia Eagles, on Monday Night Football. Although Owens gained 112 receiving yards, Hall was able to stop Owens on many of the Eagles' third down attempts, and his tight coverage of Owens on the last Eagle possession of the game helped Atlanta clinch a 14-10 victory on September 12, 2005. Hall allowed 3 catches on 9 pass attempts towards Owens when playing man-to-man. The next time they met, Owens beat Hall for two touchdowns in December 2006.

Hall performed well during the 2005-2006 season, especially in prime time games. In the four prime time games he has played, he has had three interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

During a Monday Night Football game in 2005, after an interception, Hall held up a sign that read, "Aloha, see you in Hawaii", obviously making a case for a Pro Bowl bid. In 2005, Hall was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his career. While at the 2005 Pro Bowl, Hall was the winner of the "NFL's Fastest Man Competition", a contest with the fastest players in the NFL. Hall was not scheduled to compete but an onlooker said that Hall was scared. In response, Hall warmed up, appeared at the starting line and beat the competition.

Hall is close friends with many elite receivers in the NFL, including the Bengals' Chad Ocho Cinco (born Chad Johnson). On an appearance on the NFL Network, Johnson and Hall made a wager on their upcoming 2006 matchup: should Johnson catch two touchdown passes, Hall would be obligated to wait tables at an Atlanta restaurant owned by Bengals tackle Willie Anderson. Should Johnson fail, he would be forced to shave the bleach-blonde mohawk he had grown over the off-season. After the game was over (which the Falcons won) it was accepted that Hall was the "winner," as Johnson only caught one TD pass. Johnson honorably held up his end of the bargain and shaved his mohawk.

In preseason 2007, Hall shaved "I own 85" into the back of his head in reference to his ongoing rivalry with Johnson. Johnson had the last laugh however, breezing past Hall on occasions and making five catches for more than 80 yards and a TD.

In the Falcons 2007 game against the New Orleans Saints, Hall showed his support for fellow Falcon Michael Vick by carrying a poster of Vick onto the field with him, and also wearing "MV7" written on the shade under his eyes. Earlier that day, Vick, who was also a Virginia Tech teammate of Hall's, was sentenced to 23 months in prison on dogfighting charges. Hall was fined $10,000 by the league for his actions.

Oakland Raiders

On March 20, 2008, Hall was traded to the Oakland Raiders for their second-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft and fifth-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. The trade became official when he agreed on a seven-year, $70 million contract with $24.5 million guaranteed. On November 5, 2008, Hall was released by the Oakland Raiders after "he failed to adapt to the Raiders' man-to-man style of defense and was regularly beaten by opposition receivers during the opening half of the season." In total, Hall received $8 million—a $7 million signing bonus and $1 million in base salary—for playing eight games for Oakland.

Washington Redskins

Hall signed a one-year contract with the Washington Redskins on November 8, 2008. The team released cornerback Leigh Torrence to make room for Hall. In his first game as a Redskin, against the Dallas Cowboys, Hall intercepted a pass from Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

Personal

Hall was not cited after his pit bulls attacked a Lawrenceville, Georgia man while the man was walking his dogs. The attack happened after Hall left the dogs with his brother, Tyrone Hall, a former Chicago Bears back-up fullback. The victim and his dog were treated for injuries and released.

External links

• Atlanta Falcons bio
• Oakland Raiders bio
• Virginia Tech Hokies bio
• Washington Redskins bio