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DEL.ICIO.USPetrino lost one Falcon at the start
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jeff Schultz
He starred at Virginia Tech, was lauded for his athleticism and ability to make game-changing plays and projected as a franchise centerpiece. Now he is central to an embarrassing episode in Falcons history.
No, not Michael Vick.
If DeAngelo Hall’s future with the Falcons is not as dead as Vick’s, it’s only because this is just week four and Bobby Petrino hasn’t yet had his fill of contracts and egos and fled back to the college ranks.
But check back after the season when the LSU or Michigan job opens up.
This, we know: Coach and player don’t like each other. Expounding on personal relationships isn’t quite in Petrino’s makeup. But Hall says the two have had problems almost from the time the new coaching staff arrived. He believes he is treated differently than other veterans. He speculates his relationship with Petrino may have “went sour” when he told the coach before the season that he didn’t want to play on offense or return punts.
Asked twice if he thought he could play for Petrino long term, Hall paused before responding: “Some things would have to change, obviously. Like you said, some guys are made for college. Some guys are made for the NFL. If he wants respect given to him, he must give respect back.”
A week ago, Hall’s meltdown — an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, following pass interference and personal-foul penalties in a span of five snaps — led to a Carolina touchdown and eventually the Falcons’ third loss of the season. It was the home opener, and fans saw Hall and Petrino argue on the sideline.
The next day, Petrino said discipline would be handled in-house. Two days later, Hall shot the windows out with his mouth and declared relative war over being fined $100,000 and benched for the start of today’s game against Houston. He’s appealing the fine. He held court for the media.
Petrino’s reaction: He smiled slightly and said, “I’m not going to let it upset me.”
But he knows he has a problem. Just ask Hall. Ask him anything.
He believes Petrino has a double standard in the way he deals with players: “From the moment their staff got here, I think I was interpreted as a young guy. I accomplished so much so fast. But I’m 23. We’ve drafted guys older than me. I’m still viewed as a guy who they can mold and turn into this or that, as opposed to a Keith Brooking who’s a 10-year guy and doesn’t get bothered about the way he tackles or strips the ball or any little teeny thing. That’s the way I want to be treated. I want to be respected. I don’t just walk up to people and [curse at] them all the time. But you can ask [former coach Jim Mora]: If he [cursed] me, I [cursed] him right back. That’s probably my biggest problem, that equality. If you’re going to talk to this guy that way, you should talk to everybody that way. If you’re not going to talk to X-Y-Z after he makes a mistake, then why, after I make a mistake or a penalty, are you talking to me a different way?”
He speculates saying no to playing some at receiver upset Petrino: “I was all for it at first. But when I got into a classroom, it was kind of information overload. I thought, ‘I need to learn what this defense does first.’ Maybe that rubbed him the wrong way.”
And saying no to punt returns: “Obviously it was a greater chance to get hurt. But we also had a pretty good one at the time in Allen Rossum. I said, ‘That’s really not me anymore.’ It was when I was coming out of college. But now I’m a corner first, not a punt returner or a special-teams player, like Devin Hester.”
And he kept going. The man’s an athlete. Stamina’s not a problem.
He denied ever telling Steve Smith last week, “I’ve been in as many Pro Bowls as you; I make more money than you,” as the Panthers’ receiver contended. Hall: “It’s a he said/she said thing.” (The problem: Only one guy has built up credibility.)
He clarified an incident before last season in which he drove Mora to a team-building function in his Lamborghini while other players watched from the bus. Hall said all players took the bus to the movie “Invincible.” He admitted giving Mora a ride to a team bowling tournament, but says some other players also drove cars. (The problem: It doesn’t change the fact that several veterans were upset by the incident.)
He doesn’t believe his close relationship with Mora created problems, but says he never was given a chance to get close to Petrino: “I came in trying to drum up something. But he’s a little different. He’s not as personable. He’s not as loving. I don’t know if it went sour when I said I didn’t want to play offense. I don’t know where it went south.”
Most of all, he denies any likeness to a player who cares more about himself than the team: “I’m not ‘MeAngelo.’ I’ve talked to other coaches and general managers in this league. That’s not how they view me. If somebody on TV calls me MeAngelo, that’s what they get paid for. Opinions are like noses: Everybody’s got one. Some are bigger than others.”
Is that your line?
“No. Keyshawn said it.”
Is talking to other coaches or GMs allowed, given tampering rules?
“I don’t think so. But no names were given out.”
At this point, it doesn’t matter. Hall’s contract expires after next season. But there will be a trade market after this one. He says he doesn’t want to leave. He recently bought a new home in Chateau Elan.
He says he and Petrino “have had a couple of conversations” since the blowup. “Is the air cleared? I think so,” he said.
But this isn’t 2004. The Falcons drafted him eighth overall with the expectation he would be a staple on defense for years, much like Vick on offense. One plan crashed and burned. The other is on a rapid descent.
“Coach Petrino inherited this team,” Hall said. “He didn’t draft me, so I don’t know if they want me here.”
When the defense takes the field today, Hall will be on the sideline. You might want to get used to it.
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