Would deal for DeAngelo Hall be a good idea?

by Ed Valentine on Feb 22, 2008 6:52 AM EST in New York Giants News

Would you give up the Giants' No. 1 pick in this April's draft for DeAngelo Hall? According to the Star Ledger's Mike Garafolo GM Jerry Reese would.

Hall, you might recall, is the Atlanta cornerback who had a well-publicized run-in with then-coach Bobby Petrino before Petrino bailed on the Falcons. Hall was fined and benched for his actions.

The 24-year-old Hall is regarded as one of the league's best corners. Having him on the team, along with Aaron Ross and Corey Webster, would give the Giants a young, talented trio of cornerbacks.

Bringing in Hall, though, seems risky to me. Granted, Petrino turned out to be a jerk, but Hall's difficult 2007 scares me.

The Giants' 2007 run to a Super Bowl championship (still sounds amazing, doesn't it?) was built in large part because Tom Coughlin and his team finally came together and believed in each other.

A move like this also seems like a departure for Reese, who built the 2007 Giants with the help of a brilliant draft.

I know the Giants need to replace the aging R.W. McQuarters, and maybe even Sam Madison, but is it wise to bring in a guy who spent last season unabashedly ripping his coach?

As we all know, the Giants have been down that road, and I don't want to see them go back.

Hall might come to the Giants and act like a saint, especially since the Giants are defending champs and Coughlin will be armed with the authority of a long-term contract and the respect of his team.

Then again, he might not. So, the classic question -- is the talent worth the troubled history? I don't know.

Your thoughts?

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Comments

with the way reese drafted last year

im not sure i'd want to give up a #1 for deangelo.

i dont really have a stance either way. i think there are an equal number of pros and cons to doing that deal.

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Feb 22, 2008 8:29 AM EST reply actions

NO!

Definitely not, no way, Reese stay away! We all know how fast things can spiral out of control in NY and in that lockeroom. This guy thinks only about himself and thinks he is THE best CB in the NFL when he hasn't even been playing that way. This is trouble. Stay the course Reese ... building through the draft is your strength.

by potroast on Feb 22, 2008 8:57 AM EST reply actions

There may be two paths.

In one respect this looks like the Randy Moss deal to New England, where a troubled star had a less than productive stretch, went to a successful team, and turned his career around. On the other hand, this could turn out like another Dan Snyder type desperation deal, where a team goes fishing for super stars without regard for chemistry.

My vote: I think the reward outweighs the risk. Lots of #1 picks are unproven and go bust. At least Hall is young and has shown some skills.

If Hall is smart he'll push to get out of Hot-lanta. His presence there is bad for him and the team.

by rzor on Feb 22, 2008 9:39 AM EST reply actions

CBs

CBs are worthless with new rules protecting WRs. I believe either this year or last also, I saw KC Joyner breaking down "shutdown" corners and finding that Hall was very overrated. Can't find the link but here's a excerpt.
"DeAngelo Hall, Atlanta Falcons -- John Madden knighted Hall as a great cornerback after Hall had a fairly good game against Terrell Owens in the "Monday Night Football" 2005 season opener. Since then, the hype machine has been going full bore and he is now seen as one of the best corners in the NFL.

The thing I don't understand is how Hall's reputation keeps surviving after each Sunday's highlight reels. Hall has given up a 40-plus yard pass play in four of his last eight games and three of these have been 60 or more yards. This is the primary reason he is allowing nearly 11 yards per attempt. How anyone can call him a shutdown corner this year is simply beyond me."

by queler on Feb 22, 2008 10:08 AM EST reply actions

Worthless?

Hardly. It may be very difficult to be a shut-down corner, and you can debate whether Hall is one when his head is screwed on straight. What you can't debate, though, is that with the Giants aggressive defensive style you MUST have corners you can trust. They still need an upgrade or at least more quality depth there.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 22, 2008 10:43 AM EST up reply actions

re:

eh, worthless may have been the wrong word. I don't think he'll be worth what we'd have to pay him.

by queler on Feb 22, 2008 6:29 PM EST up reply actions

Yes!

They said the same things about Plaxico. Personality issues and history, could never get along with Coughlin, etc. That worked out just fine, I think. Adding Hall will vastly improve the secondary.

by ThePresence on Feb 22, 2008 10:13 AM EST reply actions

The idea of getting Hall is unsettling

On the other hand, Reese's judgement to date has been superb. I'm sure he has done some vetting as he did with Bradshaw. If he's comfortable making the deal, I'm more than willing to see how it turns out. It might be a good idea to keep his current salary package intact and make the '08 season a probationary period. S is the position I'm most concered about.

by george cronin on Feb 22, 2008 10:23 AM EST reply actions

Hall (again)

If we do get him, it might be a good idea to extend a hand to him by putting him on the player group that meets regularly with TC to discuss concerns, etc.

by george cronin on Feb 22, 2008 10:31 AM EST reply actions

We have to remember the Pats are the Pats

Just because they can get away with malcontents on their team doesn't mean the Giants will automatically be able to just because they won a SB. The Pats get away with it because they have won A LOT & who is going to question BB and Brady? Who knows if players see TC and Eli that way yet.

Also, on queler's point ... I've also read several articles that suggest the same thing ... that Hall is VERY overrated. Yet he thinks he is the best, so he has the attitude to go with it. Maybe I'm wrong about the guy, but I think his ego and talent do not equal a number one pick.

by potroast on Feb 22, 2008 10:53 AM EST reply actions

The more

I read and think about this move, the more I think it would be a bad idea. Why rock the boat for a guy who has been a headache for his current team, who has a history of selfish acts and who probably isn't as good as his reputation indicates? It doesn't really make sense.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 22, 2008 11:46 AM EST up reply actions

yeah...but...

Hall is a proven commodity. Look no further from the two Wills (Will Allen and William Petersen/James) to see how a guy drafted early at CB can be a complete bust.

With the strong personalities and proven stars on the Defensive side of the ball, like A.P., Strahan (if he returns), Osi, etc., I think D Hall could be held in check.

Besides, look at what happened when Plax came to the Giants? That worked out ok.

A guy like Hall doesn't come around often. He's very young and highly skilled. You simply cannot get a better player with the last pick in the 1st round. I'm all for this trade.

by CK on Feb 22, 2008 11:56 AM EST reply actions

The difference of opinion

is what makes this such an intriguing situation. It still comes back to whether or not you want to gamble on upsetting a locker room you just got under control. We've seen how locker room issues can disrupt a team, and we now know what can happen when everyone is on the same page.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 22, 2008 12:14 PM EST up reply actions

2nd chance players sometimes

work out really well for the Giants.

Reading the article, it doesn't sound like he did anything THAT bad - he had a really bad game and got frustrated, and he got down on the coach publicly AFTER the coach bailed on the team. And what he got on the coach about was bailing on the team.

My guess is that the deal won't happen, as Atlanta will get a better offer from a more desperate team

What I don't understand, is why a 1st rounder? If Randy Moss could only get a 4th round? and we all pretty much agree that there is no way to get a 1st round for Shockey - how could this guy possibly be worth a 1st? Even if it is a pretty low first round

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by NYERinSF on Feb 22, 2008 12:26 PM EST reply actions

One instance

The article gives only one example of Hall being a pain in the a*&, but he definitely has done more than that. I can't think of specific examples, but when he had that blow up last year I remember thinking that I wasn't surprised.

by potroast on Feb 22, 2008 12:55 PM EST up reply actions

Hall

There are a couple things I know of. One is that he apparently owns pit bulls and was a Michael Vick supporter. The other was something about holding up a sign during a game begging to be elected to the Pro Bowl, very selfish and amateurish. I don't know the details, but he does come with baggage.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 22, 2008 2:20 PM EST up reply actions

Great opportunity for the Giants!

I don't know if Hall is the best corner in the league (doubtful) but at 24 years old with 2 pro bowls under his belt he is a talent worth gambling on. Cornerback is a need and it is unlikely the Giants could draft someone with as much talent.

As far as the character issues are concerned I believe Hall would be delighted to join the Superbowl Champions after enduring the circus that was the Atlanta Falcons. Tom Coughlin will have the 100% backing of the organization and will be in a position which will demand respect from any newcomers no matter how talented they are. Furthermore the Giants have so many leaders on their defense I can't imagine Hall disrupting anything.

by johnnutz on Feb 22, 2008 3:24 PM EST reply actions

If

the Giants make the move for Hall I hope you are right.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 22, 2008 3:40 PM EST up reply actions

Get him!!!!!

There in no way NO WAY you get someone as good as Hall with the #31 pick. NO WAY. Thats a no brainer trade. The only thing to be concerned about is his attitude and that only came out when his team imploded. Can anyone blame him for hating being on the Falcons? He is the veteran leadership in ATL. Here he'd have lots of vets to keep him in check and he'd be happy to be in the mix to win every year in the NFC East.

I think that if the only thing holding this trade up is a late pick you just give them what they want. If we can get away with giving them a 6 RD pick great because we got one of those for Ryan Grant. If it cost our 5 RD pick though DO IT! Its well worth getting one of the best CBs in football.

I just hope this goes through because the newspapers and ESPN blow it up before it happens I get worried about it falling through. Especially ESPN because as much as they are the sporting network standard they tend to get everything wrong and dig so much that they blow deals up that would have happened if they had just left it well enough alone.

Man I hope we get Hall. I've seriously called for us to trade for him since the first time he argued with Paterno and EVERYONE called me crazy. Now it seems to be happening and I'm freaking out! Oh please let us get him. I dont care what lower pick we have to add in with our #31 I think we HAVE TO MAKE THIS TRADE.

by gianthinker on Feb 22, 2008 3:43 PM EST reply actions

Breathe, man, breathe!

Hope you have a paper bag nearby in case you start to hyperventilate. LOL!!! BTW, why would we have to give up a second pick for Hall? Giving up the No. 1 should be plenty. Why give up two picks? He's not Deion Sanders.

by Ed Valentine on Feb 22, 2008 4:36 PM EST up reply actions

of course

if u look at previous drafts on nfl.com u see that most 1st round picks that still play or dont play uve never heard of them y... b/c they r busts... the average length of an nfl football player's career is 3 years hall is already an established cb who will play for alot more than 3 more years unlike a 1st rounder who can be a bust so go ahead jerry n take a young 24 year old veteran who cant do u much harm in getting n will benefit the team unbelievably n then release madison n mcqaurters n then u got a nice group of corners out of hall, ross, webster, n dockery but if u dont there is only so long a team can last w/o good corners n lets face it madison n rw r DONE thy r both old n madison is always injured

by shenkthetank on Feb 22, 2008 4:04 PM EST reply actions

Ranking him as a CB

It is so difficult to rank who the best CB is. Typically, great CBs have fewer opportunities to demonstrate their ability, because good offense schemes throw away from them. I only saw two Falcon games this year:

1.Gmen: He had some really good open field tackles and his speed was awesome.

2. Colts: Peyton didn't even throw his way.

I feel like those are two decent indicators. Also, at VT he was an unbelievable PR. Total gamebreaker. I don't know if he still returns punts, but I don't think we can pass over that part of his game.

As for the behavior issues, I pretty much assume that 80% of the guys have serious attitude problems and with the market on CBs like it is this year, I think the gmen should take a chance. With all of the strong personalities on defense, I think they can manage it.

by losangelesmets on Feb 22, 2008 4:39 PM EST reply actions

I heard Dallas, redskins and Bucs want him.....

Dallas just wants to drive the price up for their rival.

Tampa makes no sense because incase no one knows they play a Tampa 2 where you NEVER pay a lot for CBs so No.

The Redskins could get him because they can offer him crazy money but the contract would be back loaded and he'd know he'd just be cut or have to rework the deal before he really got paid and ATL could care less how much he makes that doesn't help them in a trade. Again, drives the price up for their rival.

by gianthinker on Feb 22, 2008 6:08 PM EST reply actions

ETVal ----> Answer to your question

ETVal-We'd have to give up a second pick to push us over the top with our offer. We have the #31. If say the Cowgirls offer the #28 we're outbid. Now, if we trade our #31 AND a 5RD pick we should be able to get him despite MANY other teams who will surely be in the race for him.

by gianthinker on Feb 22, 2008 6:11 PM EST reply actions

then let the cowboys have him

a first-rounder is as far as the giants should be willing to go.

plus, hall couldbe the 14th pro bowler for the cowboys. this way their fans can have another player to watch in hawaii after their team fails to win a playoff game for the 13th straight postseason.

by SBakerTheTouchdownMaker on Feb 22, 2008 9:47 PM EST up reply actions

Yup!

Throwing money at a draft pick..is not always the best. Look at all the Giant failures over the years..no need to list them all. In regards to hall in the locker room, hey petrino was a cowardly jerk and the players were seeing threw him. that a wash right there. Also remember Harry Carson changing the defensive signals on the field from what Rod Rust D coordinator and his passive "read n react defense"called. All you guys got to fight the "we are champions" rosey outlook on everything, the season starts and everyone will be winless and gunning for us. Hall has film and experience where spags and crew can correct shortcomings and adjust what he does. Atlanta will want way more than a 31 in the draft though..way more..Mcqaurters is old so is madison they should both be gone. The draft is very weak this year on secondary especially at 31st position.

by tapu2 on Feb 23, 2008 9:57 AM EST reply actions