AJC: DeAngelo Hall Welcomes One-On-One Time With Owens

[PhillyPhreak54]

FALCONS REPORT: Hall welcomes one-on-one time against Owens

Steve Wyche - Staff
Saturday, September 10, 2005

Flowery Branch --- Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb might not have much to say to teammate Terrell Owens, but Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall might have a few words for the loquacious and ultra-dangerous wide receiver when they face off in the season- opener Monday night at the Georgia Dome.

"He's going to talk his trash, and he's going out there to compete," Falcons linebacker Ed Hartwell said of Hall. "D. Hall isn't competing to lose either. He's competing to win --- and to dominate. I'm from Vegas, and I'm putting my money on D. Hall."

Hall, a second-year player projected to become a shut-down corner, will be one-on-one with Owens, the type of receiver who tends to stunt the growth of defensive backs with "potentially" listed somewhere before a flattering adjective on their resume.

"I can't wait to see how I match up against him," said Hall, who intercepted two passes last season. "Atlanta fans want to know how I'll match up against him. The football world wants to know."

The Hall-Owens duel might be the most intriguing individual match up in this rematch of teams that played for the NFC championship last season. Hall, speedy, strong and fearless, is probably the one Falcons' defensive back coaches feel comfortable enough to risk on Owens in single coverage --- although Atlanta likely will use zone coverages most of the time.

"He recognizes that T.O. is a great competitor and a great player, and DeAngelo likes that challenge," coach Jim Mora said. "Last year he got the opportunity to match up against Torry Holt in the playoff game, and Torry got him a couple of times, and he got Torry a couple of times. But he loved the matchup, and that's one of the neat things about DeAngelo. He's a great competitor, and he loves being challenged. He gets bored if he's not challenged."

As much as Hall said he's looking forward to the game inside the game, he warned not to forget about The Game.

"A lot of people forget this team beat us without Terrell Owens last year," Hall said of the NFC championship Owens missed because of an ankle injury. "You add him to the mix, and it's just another weapon they have."

Eagles wide receivers Todd Pinkston and Freddie Mitchell are gone, but Greg Lewis, who had two receptions that game, and Georgia rookie Reggie Brown have replaced them.

"This is a challenge for me, for our whole secondary and our whole team," Hall said. "We're champing at the bit to put our scheme against their team. We take pride in the things we do as a defense, and we're eager to show people how much we've progressed from our last game last season to now."

Hall is an emotional player (remember him getting ejected against TEN this PS for punching a WR several times?) so when TO beats him like a drum he could start committing dumb penalties.

And Ed Hartwell has a big mouth. That dude was running his mouth before the BAL game last year too and got shut up.

[Rome]

What limpdick excuses are those Hoydas going to use when the Eagles offense marches up and down the field on them at will?

[PhillyGirl]

Again, I ask the following questions.

What has changed for the Falcons to make them think they are markedly better than last year to think they'll dominate this game AND TO?

What has changed for the Eagles to make them think they are markedly WORSE than last year to think they'll GET dominated and TO would play like shtein?

[PhillyPhreak54]

The AC in the dome was too cold?

Vick had a flare-up of the Herpes?

The Eagle fans were too loud in their house?

I want to see Mora stomping like a kid again on the sidelines.

[PhillyPhreak54]

"The Dome is going to make a huge difference. I don't think Philadelphia has ever seen anything close to what they're about to run into when they come in here on Monday night," he said. "You know, we went up there and for the most part, the weather, the fans ... it wasn't all what everyone talked it up to be. So when they come in, it's really going to be a change of scenery. It's going to be a hostile environment for them."

There's Hall talking again (from Spads' article)...

Yo D-Hall...the Eagle fans will be louder than the pansy Falcon fans, jerk.

[PhillyGirl]

So the weather and the fans and the dome...there is my answer.

Those are the apparent reasons that have made the Falcons a markedly better team this year.

[SD_Eagle5]

"The Dome is going to make a huge difference. I don't think Philadelphia has ever seen anything close to what they're about to run into when they come in here on Monday night," he said. "You know, we went up there and for the most part, the weather, the fans ... it wasn't all what everyone talked it up to be. So when they come in, it's really going to be a change of scenery. It's going to be a hostile environment for them."

There's Hall talking again (from Spads' article)...

Yo D-Hall...the Eagle fans will be louder than the pansy Falcon fans, jerk.

My Uncle (Chiropractor dude that comes to games with me) went to Life College in Atlanta for 4 years and said "they're the worst fans in the entire universe". He called me from a Falcons MNF game and said the Vet was livlier during our 3-13 season. I'm sure playing in the SB last year isn't anything close to what we're going to see there. Our record under AR on MNF is what again? Exactly.

Defensively they added Hartwell...who...okay, is better than what they had. Pasquerelli wrote in his notes that they were bleeding Ike dry for info about our D. Whatever. Studying films will get you the same info. They're not going to have any new twist that shut down our offense. Focus will have to shift to TO beating their coverage deep and NOT solely on Westbrook. I really think the X-Factor in this game is going to be Reggie Brown. He played his college ball in Georgia and is basically an unknown. I see him exploiting the Falcons D underneath.

Offensively I guess they think Vick is 'more accurate' this season (De ja Vu?) and he'll be able to fly on the turf. Whatever. 

[PhillyGirl]

How about THIS for an X-factor?

TO is playing in this game. They couldn't stop the Eagles WITHOUT him.

Period.

[Rome]

Atlanta fans really have no clue what we're about.  I had a discussion "elsewhere" with a few of them and they refuse to believe that there was 20,000-30,000 Eagles fans in Miami in 2003 and a similar amount in Atlanta the last time we played there.

The only reason I can come up with for their ignorance about their own fans and stadium is that most of them weren't actually Falcons fans the last time we played them there.

Just the worst city in America when it comes to bandwagoning fans.

PS: Tampa's # 1-A.

[PhillyGirl]

Hey, our team is going to the World Series (again), lets not sell out our ballpark (again) in the playoffs!

[ice grillin you]

What has changed for the Falcons to make them think they are markedly better than last year to think they'll dominate this game AND TO?

im not saying atlanta is going to win cause i believe the eagles will...but you can go back and look at any year and find the case of a team who whipped another the previous year only to come back and lose even tho neither team changed all that much

watch out for allen rossum vs the eagles special teams for example...maybe ike reese meant more than people thought...i think rossum is going to bust a return or two..maybe not for a td but he will have a big day

or maybe burgess is the perfect DE to chase a guy like vick on the dome turf as opposed to kalu

and if anyone doesnt think the change of venue and weather is a big deal yous are nuts...dunn is a different animal on the turf...and vick basically admitted that the whole team Hoydad out in the weather last year

in the end the eagles will win cause atlanta wont be able to score with them...but its gonna be real close...and if atl won it wouldnt surprise me...this and at kc are the two toughest games of the year and to lose either would not be a big deal

[Geowhizzer]

Atlanta fans really have no clue what we're about.  I had a discussion "elsewhere" with a few of them and they refuse to believe that there was 20,000-30,000 Eagles fans in Miami in 2003 and a similar amount in Atlanta the last time we played there.

The only reason I can come up with for their ignorance about their own fans and stadium is that most of them weren't actually Falcons fans the last time we played them there.

Just the worst city in America when it comes to bandwagoning fans.

PS: Tampa's # 1-A.

Ain't that the truth?  I went to a few Flyers games in the St. Pete Times Forum, and the Flyers fans there were at least a full third of the crowd.  I'm sure that the Lightning fanbase magically doubled in the Cup year, though.

[PhillyGirl]

What has changed for the Falcons to make them think they are markedly better than last year to think they'll dominate this game AND TO?

im not saying atlanta is going to win cause i believe the eagles will...but you can go back and look at any year and find the case of a team who whipped another the previous year only to come back and lose even tho neither team changed all that much

watch out for allen rossum vs the eagles special teams for example...maybe ike reese meant more than people thought...i think rossum is going to bust a return or two..maybe not for a td but he will have a big day

or maybe burgess is the perfect DE to chase a guy like vick on the dome turf as opposed to kalu

and if anyone doesnt think the change of venue and weather is a big deal yous are nuts...dunn is a different animal on the turf...and vick basically admitted that the whole team Hoydad out in the weather last year

in the end the eagles will win cause atlanta wont be able to score with them...but its gonna be real close...and if atl won it wouldnt surprise me...this and at kc are the two toughest games of the year and to lose either would not be a big deal

Psst. Biggest change?

TO is playing.

[bobbyinlondon]

What has changed for the Falcons to make them think they are markedly better than last year to think they'll dominate this game AND TO?

im not saying atlanta is going to win cause i believe the eagles will...but you can go back and look at any year and find the case of a team who whipped another the previous year only to come back and lose even tho neither team changed all that much

watch out for allen rossum vs the eagles special teams for example...maybe ike reese meant more than people thought...i think rossum is going to bust a return or two..maybe not for a td but he will have a big day

or maybe burgess is the perfect DE to chase a guy like vick on the dome turf as opposed to kalu

and if anyone doesnt think the change of venue and weather is a big deal yous are nuts...dunn is a different animal on the turf...and vick basically admitted that the whole team Hoydad out in the weather last year

in the end the eagles will win cause atlanta wont be able to score with them...but its gonna be real close...and if atl won it wouldnt surprise me...this and at kc are the two toughest games of the year and to lose either would not be a big deal

Did you see Burgess during the Pats game on Thursday--neither did I.

[Rome]

Atlanta fans really have no clue what we're about.  I had a discussion "elsewhere" with a few of them and they refuse to believe that there was 20,000-30,000 Eagles fans in Miami in 2003 and a similar amount in Atlanta the last time we played there.

The only reason I can come up with for their ignorance about their own fans and stadium is that most of them weren't actually Falcons fans the last time we played them there.

Just the worst city in America when it comes to bandwagoning fans.

PS: Tampa's # 1-A.

Ain't that the truth?  I went to a few Flyers games in the St. Pete Times Forum, and the Flyers fans there were at least a full third of the crowd.  I'm sure that the Lightning fanbase magically doubled in the Cup year, though.

The first game of the conference finals in 2004 there were at least 5,000 Flyers fans in that building.

Just the most pathetic thing I've ever seen in an opposing arena.  When we starting doing "Let's Go Flyers" chants, they started booing.  Now there's irony for you.