BY BILL COATS Saturday, October 9, 2010 12:20 am
If James Hall needs a publicity agent, fellow Rams defensive end Chris Long is up to the job.
"James has always been a good player, a guy who I think people should know more about," Long said. "So much in this league is based on hype and who's who. He's excelled even on teams ... that haven't done so well."
In Hall's case, "haven't done so well" is a vast understatement. In Hall's 10 years in the NFL coming into this season — seven with Detroit and the last three with the Rams — his teams posted a combined record of 39-121.
That's basically an average finish of 4-12. Over a decade.
But if the 6-foot-2, 281-pound Hall, 33, is worn down by all the losing, it isn't showing. He's already racked up a team-high four sacks this season, a total exceeded by only four players leaguewide.
Hall's career high is 11½, in 2004. He had 4½ sacks last year, when defensive end Leonard Little led the Rams with 6½.
Little didn't return this year, creating a need for a strong pass rusher. "It was just something we knew we had to have," Hall said. "Regardless of whether Leonard was here or not, that was something we had to get, pressure. It's something we continue to work on every day."
Said coach Steve Spagnuolo: "I love Leonard. But in this league, the guys that are here have to step up and play. And we're getting some pretty good play out of our defensive ends."
Hall arrives at Rams Park at about 6 a.m., where he begins a daily ritual that doesn't vary much. "He's a workhorse," rookie defensive end Eugene Sims said. "He's the first one here and the last one to leave."
Hall studies film religiously and spends a good portion of his time devising ways to exploit his upcoming opponent.
"Just working my technique during the course of the week, working my craft," he explained, "and coming up with game plans for guys and then trying to go out and execute it."
Obtained in a trade with the Lions in March 2007, Hall moved immediately into a starting role on the right side, opposite Little. Long now is getting full-time reps at left end, and Hall often slides inside in running situations.
On Sunday in Detroit, Hall will be going against a familiar opponent — a former University of Michigan teammate, Lions tackle Jeff Backus — in a familiar setting.
"I played a lot of football, college and pro, in the state of Michigan," Hall said. "It's always good to go back there to that city and play some ball at Ford Field."
Hall hooked on with the Lions as an undrafted rookie in 2000. He was taught the ropes by veteran defensive end Robert Porcher and five-time Pro Bowler Charles Haley, who coached Detroit's...
-10-09-2010, 01:01 AM
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