Aug 5th 2008 11:24AM by Tom Mantzouranis (author feed)
Filed under: 49ers, Raiders, AFC West, NFC West
There’s always been a disconnect between DeAngelo Hall’s ability to cover people in the NFL and the perception of those same abilities. Even the Raiders bit on the overrated corner, sending a second- and fifth-round pick to Atlanta and giving Hall $70 million over seven years, with $24.5 million guaranteed. Yet the occasional big play and more frequent big mouth have earned Hall a reputation he hasn’t played up to.
And Raiders fans got their first glimpses of what might be a frequent occurrence when the ‘ders and the 49ers held a day of joint work together yesterday at Raiders training camp.
Alex Smith and Jason Hill connected for two scores, of 19 and four yards, over Hall’s head. In each case, Hill got separation on Hall, with Smith hitting the second-year receiver over the top.
That’s right. The Incredible DeAngelo Hall was beaten for two touchdowns. By Jason Hill. In practice. Despite what you may have heard, Hall isn’t the worst cornerback in the league. But the real top tier corners don’t get lit up like that, especially when it only furthers a pattern.
But hey, at least this big-money player wants to play this year.
