Last night, I received the following text message from my buddy Jay:
DeAngelo Hall...please? Anybody but Jacques Reeves.
Some of you have already begun debating the merits of pursuing Hall, who was unceremoniously dumped by the Raiders a day or two ago, in the Comments to the latest PGB. I think the debate deserves its own thread, so here we go.
As many of you will remember, Hall was the player many Houston fans were hoping would fall to the Texans back in '04. At the time, it seemed to be a foregone conclusion that Hall or a dude named Dunta Robinson would be the selection at No. 10. Needless to say, I'm pretty happy with how that worked out. Question is whether you, as a Texan fan, want DeAngelo Hall now. He's cleared waivers, so Hall could theoretically be signed for a low-risk, incentive-laden contract.
The negatives to signing Hall? By nearly all accounts, he's been a locker room cancer in Atlanta and Oakland. Plus, there's a fine argument to be made that Hall is vastly overrated. And don't forget that you already have Fred Bennett and Antwaun Molden waiting in the wings. Wouldn't you want to get those guys on the field instead of adding a player who could take snaps away from them?
The positives to signing Hall? He's not Petey Faggins or Jacques Reeves, which by definition would make him an upgrade to what the Texans currently trot out to start each game at CB.
Personally, I'm not interested in Hall, primarily because I want to see more Bennett and Molden, so I'm opposed to bringing someone on who could give Richard Smith an additional excuse to avoid playing the youngsters. Secondary reason, of course, is that Hall seems to be a problem child; that doesn't seem like it'd help a 3-5 team.
Discuss, BRB. Pursue DeAngelo Hall or not?