Now, the scale is clearly unbalanced against him. Quarterbacks have gone after Hall with great success all season. He is tied for the most targets (passes thrown at receivers with Hall in coverage) among cornerbacks, according to STATS LLC. Quarterbacks are completing almost 70 percent of their passes against him.
The entire starting defensive backfield — Hall, fellow cornerback Josh Wilson and safeties Madieu Williams and Reed Doughty — has struggled. Still, Hall has drawn the lion’s share of the fans’ ire.
“The plan is to go out there and shut teams down, stop big plays and all that kind of stuff,” Hall said. “That’s always the plan. Sometimes the plan doesn’t always work out.”
Hall disagrees with the notion that his skills have eroded. “All of a sudden, the fans say I can’t play anymore,” Hall said. “I could care less what fans say . . . what anybody in the media says. As long as the coaches see me doing what I’m supposed to be doing out there, and the [general manager] and the front-office guys and my teammates, that’s all I care about.”
Hall is quick to point out that he’s only 28 and that some cornerbacks are productive well into their 30s. Denver Broncos star Champ Bailey, 34, immediately comes to mind. Bailey still sticks to receivers as if they stole something from him.
Redskins Hall of Famer Darrell Green played until he was 42. Green and Bailey, however, are among the greatest players at their position in league history. Hall is not.
Next season, Hall will be owed $7.5 million. If the Redskins release him before the season, he would receive nothing and they would not take a salary cap hit.
As the first eight games have shown, the Redskins need to get younger and better in the secondary. Parting ways with Hall would make sense. But as long as Hall remains on the Redskins’ roster, he needs to start acting like he understands what leadership entails.
For previous Jason Reid columns, visit washingtonpost.com/reid.
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