DeAngelo Hall Addresses The Media Too
Posted by Matt Terl on March 3, 2009 – 6:42 pm
Technically, DeAngelo Hall addressed the media first today, but I’m posting him second, hence the “Too” in the title. I don’t mean to be confusing.
Anyhow, Hall seemed enthusiastic, almost emotional, as he fielded questions from the assembled media, and it was clear that he was someone who honestly wants to be part of the Redskins organization. (The point was made equally clearly during his strangely contentious appearance on the Sports Reporters on ESPN 980, although the audio doesn’t seem to have been posted yet as I type this.)
Here’s what he had to say.
On coming to the Redskins:
“Wow, this is such an honor. This is the place that I always wanted to be. I was telling somebody the story that when I came out of college at Virginia Tech I remember taking a visit here. It was me, Sean Taylor, and Kellen Winslow on that visit, and ever since that moment I always dreamed about calling this place home .”
“You know, I got a chance after I left Oakland to come here for a couple of weeks and play football, and I had the best time of my life. I had the best time. A lot of people might say that in Oakland I lost a step or I might not have it.
“And all I’ve gotta say is wait. Wait and see. Wait and see. You know, that whole Oakland experience kinda opened my eyes to life in general. You know, that it’s more than just running to the bucks. That’s what I did. I was so eager to run out of Atlanta that I just kinda ran to the first place that wanted me.
“I did my due diligence. This is definitely the place I wanted to be. I want to thank Mr. Snyder. I want to thank Vinny Cerrato for making it happen. Coach Blache, Coach Zorn, Coach Gray. I’m telling you, just wait and see. I got nothing but stuff on my chest, stuff on my shoulders I’ve gotta get off, so just wait and see.
“I can definitely still bring it, I am 25 years old, got a lot of football left in me. So just wait and see.”On playing with the Redskins the first time:
“I came here to a team that was already established. I didn’t get to go through a training camp with these guys, didn’t get to build camraderie. But in the short time that I was here I felt closer with these guys than I ever did in Oakland, these guys just embraced me full tilt when I came in, and from the coaching staff on down. And I just had fun, I had fun.
“Did I get to show what I had, probably not, just because I hadn’t really got the chance to develop into the scheme, I kind of just got tossed in. And coach Grey did a great job tutoring me one on one during that bye week when I came to the team and making sure I understood enough, just enough to get on the field.
“And, you know, as the weeks picked up, I just kind of picked up on it. It just felt right. I felt right being out there with the guys, being in the scheme felt right, being on the team, being in this meeting room … it just felt right. I don’t think probably since college did a situation feel as good as this one felt here.”
On picking the Redskins:
“It’s not only the right situation per se, it’s also a right scheme, a right feel. A lot of people ask me, why did I go to Virginia Tech. I had offers to go to Florida State and all these other ‘shiny’ places, so to say, but it just felt right. Those coaches felt like family, and I still talk with those coaches to this day. Go on trips with them. I brought a couple of them out to the Pro Bowl when I went to the Pro Bowl. I’m part of their family, they’re part of my family. And like I said, that’s how it feels here.
“These coaches feel like family to me. And that’s kind of funny to say, being that I have only been here such a short period, but I knew once I stepped in this place I didn’t want to leave.”
On going to the wire with signing:
“Just because it struck twelve o’clock didn’t mean that I would say, ‘All right, it’s twelve o’clock, I get to go wherever I want to go.’ This is where I wanted to go, it was just a matter of trying to nail out the fine details.
“It wasn’t so much that we were going to stall as long as we can and try and do something else, some dramatic scheme we had planned. It had nothing to do with that, just so happened that once twelve o’clock hit I would become a free agent but that did not mean this was still not my first and only choice.”
On staying motivated after receiving a large contract:
“Just wait and see. I can’t try to go here and persuade anybody. I’m not a salesman. I’m not gonna sell myself on anybody. All I can do is say, ‘Look at me in this scheme and see how I do.’ I played well in this scheme the last couple of weeks of the season just because I felt comfortable. It fit my style of play. I’m not a 6-2 corner that can sit here and press you with one arm and play with his back to the sideline. I’m a corner that likes to see the play, likes to make plays on the ball, and loves to get the ball in my hands.
“And this scheme definitely gave me that opportunity. We mixed it up. We didn’t just go out there and play one style of football. We run a lot of different coverages and that’s what you need to do. You need to go out there and mix things up.
“Just coming from … I keep going back to Oakland, because it was such just not the right fit for me. But coming from a place like that and being able to come here, you just kinda feel back alive. You feel on top of the world. You feel like you can do anything, and that’s how I feel.
On the signing of Albert Haynesworth:
“That might be why I’m so confident and cocky. I know I’ve got Big Fella up front.
“Its what you want, you want guys who can definitely push the pocket, get sacks. He’s a one man wrecking crew, bottom line. Bottom line, he is the best player in the National Football League. Offense, defense, bar none, and he is on our team, and he instantly makes us better. He instantly makes us … like somebody said, we were a top four defense, and I was only here 8 weeks. Albert wasn’t even here. We have a lot of other players on this team who can make plays, who can just flat out play football.
“When you add us two to the mix full time, me being here through all the training camp and kinda getting the feel of what coaches want me to do, I feel like we can definitely go out here and dominate games.
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