Raiders cut ties with Hall after eight games

ALAMEDA, Calif. -- DeAngelo Hall's disappointing stint with the Oakland Raiders came to an early finish.

The Raiders waived Hall on Wednesday, less than eight months after they traded for the former Pro Bowl cornerback and gave him a $70 million contract.

The acquisition of Hall from Atlanta in March was a big part of Oakland's plans to rebuild its defense. But the move has backfired. The Raiders gave up a second-round pick to acquire Hall and also gave him a seven-year contract.

But Hall never played up to that level. He struggled with nagging injuries throughout training camp and was picked on constantly by rookie receiver Eddie Royal and quarterback Jay Cutler in a 41-14 season-opening loss to Denver.

With most teams choosing to avoid throwing at standout cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha on the other side of the field, Hall became a frequent target. In his last game, he was beaten for a 37-yard touchdown pass to Michael Jenkins on the opening drive of a 24-0 loss to his former Falcons team.

In his eight games in Oakland, Hall was beaten 40 times for 552 yards on 66 passes thrown his way, according to data compiled by STATS LLC. He gave up more yards than any defender this season and was tied for third worst in catches allowed.

Hall said earlier this season it took him time to get used to Oakland's man-to-man style of defense after being able to freelance frequently while playing zone with the Falcons. He had 17 interceptions in his four seasons in Atlanta, making the Pro Bowl in 2005 and 2006. He had three interceptions this year, but frequently got beaten on big plays.

Hall got about $8 million of his contract for playing in eight games. But by releasing him now, the Raiders can use some of the money they planned to give Hall to try to keep Asomugha.

Oakland placed the franchise tag on Asomugha this year and would like to sign him to a long-term deal in the offseason.

In other moves, the Raiders placed safety Tyvon Branch (shoulder) and linebacker Robert Thomas (hamstring) on injured reserve with season-ending injuries. The Raiders signed defensive back Michael Waddell, who was released in training camp, and linebacker Marquis Cooper to contracts.

Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press

Raiders | Hall not critical of team
Sat, 8 Nov 2008 06:07:48 -0800

Bill Williamson, of ESPN.com, reports Washington Redskins CB DeAngelo Hall was not critical of the Oakland Raiders after being released by the team. Hall took the high road during an interview on SIRIUS NFL Radio. "You know what? I'm still a firm believer in they're really not that bad," Hall said. "It was definitely unfortunate the way things worked out for me but I still don't think it's a bad place. I still think they're going to somehow get it turned around. I've got a lot of respect for Al Davis. He talked to me like a man, told me I was the last one to come so I'm the first one to go. And I respect that. Gave me the opportunity to go where I wanted to go and that's all I can ask for."

November 6th, 2008

You know how they say that it's better to let people think you're an idiot rather than open your mouth and remove all doubt? Well, Al Davis opened his mouth.

ess than eight months after acquiring DeAngelo Hall from Atlanta for a 2nd round pick and rewarding him with a huge new contract the Oakland Raiders have already released the much-maligned cornerback. The final tally? $8 million for 8 games. I really don't know where to start with this whole situation but I guess the thing that bugs me most is the utter waste of a premium draft choice. Oakland gave up the 34th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft for Hall and less than a year later they have absolutely nothing to show for it. They should have been able to turn that selection into an immediate starter! Even though Hall has the sheer talent to be one of the NFL's best cover guys he also has a history of character issues, which is one reason why he was available to begin with. That, combined with the draft pick compensation and new contract, made the deal very risky and the Raiders ultimately got burned in a big, bad way. There is no question that Hall has been a disappointment but why not give him time to turn it around? He's still arguably one of your best players and considering what you have invested in him was eight games enough time to justify writing him off completely? If you need proof that Hall is still a quality player just watch and see how long it takes for another team to pick him up. Apparently money was a key factor behind Hall's release and the Raiders stand to save up to $16 million by cutting him now but what kind of message does that send? If you were a free agent would you want to sign with Oakland knowing they will cut you at any time? Sure Hall got a lot of money for just a handful of games but it was still only about 1/3 of what he was supposed to get. This is why players fight to get as much money up front as possible and after this who could blame them? Word has it that other disappointing veterans like Javon Walker and Tommy Kelly could be on the chopping block as well and while some call it shedding dead weight you can bet players in their locker room and around the league view it as disloyal and cheap.

This offseason will start yet another round of rebuilding in Oakland and they will be in the market for their sixth head coach in eight years. Wow, while typing that the phrase "Are you kidding me!" kept bouncing around my head... The Raiders will most likely have a Top 5 pick in the draft as well but the prospect of playing in Oakland is probably sending shivers down the spines of guys like Andre Smith and Michael Crabtree. It's hard to fathom an underclassmen passing up tens of millions of dollars to go back to school but the chance that they could wind up a Raider on Draft Day might be enough to give them second thoughts. Regardless of who they hire to be the next head coach, what they do in free agency and who they draft Oakland is clearly doomed to fail as long as Al Davis is in charge but it doesn't look like that is going to change anytime in the near future. Just when you think it isn't possible Al Davis manages to set the crazy bar one notch higher and the release of DeAngelo Hall is a prime example. I've been in this business quite a while and I was a fan long before that but this has to be the most dysfunctional franchise I have ever seen.