Usually when DeAngelo Hall forces a momentum-changing turnover it’s the product of his exceptional cover and ball skills. Rarely do you see him force fumbles with a big hit. That’s exactly what he did though during Sunday night’s 13-7 win over the rival Dallas Cowboys. With just a few seconds remaining in the first half, Tony Romo panicked in the pocket (no huge surprise there) and flipped the ball out to Tashard Choice. The running back caught the lateral and proceeded to try to make Redskins’ defenders miss. Enter Hall, who knocked the ball free from Choice, scooped it up, and then ran 32 yards for a touchdown. The defensive score was the thrid of Hall’s career, and it gave the ’Skins a 10-0 lead heading into intermission.
On Monday, Hall joined Michael Irvin’s radio show on WQAM in Miami to talk about the big play, the importance of starting the year off with a win over a divisional rival, and other topics worth listening to. Below are a few choice excerpts from the interview:
On scoring the touchdown against Dallas:
“I’m a ballhawk, Mike. I always have been. I had a similar play when I was at Virginia Tech against Miami. Roscoe Parrish was running the sweep. I was able to track him down, had him corralled and was able to strip the ball. The same situation with Tashard Choice. I saw a bunch of guys coming towards him to rat pack him. I made the first contact and immediately I felt my hands on the ball. From that point on, I wasn’t worried about the tackle. I was just trying to get the ball out. I didn’t even really notice what amount of time was on the clock. Those guys were driving the whole game. I never really even acknowledged the clock throughout the whole game. I was able to get my hands on the ball and make a big play.”
On how they were planning on defending play with three seconds left in the half:
“We were in a deep zone coverage. I was able to get a read on Tony (Romo) the whole course of the play. I had my guy pretty much covered. I saw him coming out of the pocket. As soon as he started to flip, I started coming down hill.”