Man-to-man coverage leads to historic day
ASHBURN – The Hall of Fame wanted his jersey. The NFL handed him an award. And all DeAngelo Hall could do was smile as he discussed the irony of his big day.
You see, Hall lobbied defensive coordinator Jim Haslett to play more zone coverage. It’s his preferred way for creating interceptions. But three of his four picks came in man coverage. Maybe that’s why he gave Haslett his game ball after the 17-14 win over Chicago. Because the four picks tied an NFL record, the Hall of Fame asked for his jersey and the NFL named him the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
“We’ve been harping on, ‘Hey, coach, put us in some zones so we can see the quarterback, make some breaks,’?” Hall said, “and we really don’t have a whole lot of responsibility, and we can just freelance around.”
It’s not that the Redskins didn’t play zone. They did. But the big plays came with Hall playing man-to-man coverage.
“It’s all about going out there and executing the call,” Hall said. “That’s what we said as a defense, definitely as a secondary.”
The reason Hall likes playing zone, however, is that it does afford him the chance to read a play longer. It also removes guesswork. In man, a corner must defend every sort of pass. In a zone, he only has to play an area. So if a corner is playing the deep outside, he doesn’t have to worry about routes in the flat. It’s not that Hall is against man coverage — he called for more of it vs. Indianapolis — but it depends on the situation.
“It’s real finicky,” he said.
Hall’s best attribute is he trusts his instincts. Still, he gets beaten because of it — there’s a reason he already has 57 tackles (22 more than fellow corner Carlos Rogers). Against the Colts a week earlier, he guessed wrong — anticipating an out route — and allowed a 57-yard touchdown on a post.
Weeks like the past two lead to quotes like this:
“He’s had some good games,” secondary coach Bob Slowik said. “He’s had some games where he didn’t reach his potential. He’s been a little up and down.”
Last week was up.
“All four of his interceptions he played phenomenal technique,” Slowik said. “He played within the scheme, and his ball skills and athleticism showed once he had the opportunity. At times he does take a chance, but it’s an educated chance. It’s hard to find people that can make plays on the ball and score touchdowns on [defense].
“He’s not afraid to pull a trigger and make a play. Some guys may take a lifetime and not have the confidence to do it.”
That confidence can land him in trouble, too. It didn’t Sunday.
“He guessed is what he did,” Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz told the Chicago Tribune. “He just guessed, and he guessed right.”
But Slowik said it’s Hall’s hands that set him apart from other corners. Carlos Rogers is better in coverage but has just seven career interceptions to Hall’s 31.
“He’s got receiver’s hands,” Slowik said. “He has phenomenal hands for a cornerback.”
