Equipment in Tow, USF's Hall Ready to Show

[Ricky the Bull]

With Equipment In Tow, USF's Hall Ready To Show

By ROY CUMMINGS rcummings@tampatrib.com

BOB HANSEN / Tribune

Published: Jan 25, 2006

MOBILE, Ala. - Running back Andre Hall has a few words of advice for the next University of South Florida player invited to play in the Senior Bowl: Don't let the airlines handle your equipment.

Hall, the first USF player invited to this college all-star game, arrived in Mobile on Sunday. His equipment didn't get here until Tuesday. By then, Hall already had been asked to make a first impression.

It wasn't a good one.

Forced to work out in a collection of borrowed gear that included a helmet too big for his head and shoes too small for his feet, Hall's "weeklong NFL job interview" got off to a rocky start.

"I felt like I had a terrible day," Hall said of his initial workout Monday in front of hundreds of NFL coaches and scouts. "I couldn't get comfortable at all. I was nervous and maybe even a little timid. I just wasn't myself."

Hall was more like himself Tuesday. It probably had a lot to do with the fact that he was back in his own gear, but the Bulls' offensive sparkplug was once again showcasing his trademark burst and speed. Good thing, too.

Though they come here in droves, the NFL coaches and scouts that attend this event and chart its participants' every move start to leave around midweek.

Sometimes by Thursday and certainly by Friday, all that's left are the staffs of the two teams that will coach the North and South squads.

To make an impression, then, you have to move quickly. Miss a day because of injury or illness or struggle through a bad practice as Hall did and your stock can drop significantly.

So far, though, Hall's stock seems to be holding steady. The 5-foot-10, 205-pound Dixie Hollins High product arrived here with most scouts projecting him as a third- or fourth-round pick, and the consensus doesn't seem to have changed.

"He's a good player," Bucs scouting director Ruston Webster said. "He's got a nice burst, he's tough and he pass protects pretty well. He's willing in that area, which is good.

"His size is a negative, but there's a lot to like about him. That's why this is a big game for him. [uSF] plays a good level of competition, but this is a real showcase. You do well here and you can move up [in the draft]."

Improving his draft position is what the next three months are all about for Hall. Almost everything he does between now and draft day will be geared toward earning the highest possible draft grade.

Ironically, though, Hall said he's not focused on anything that long term. Right now - and especially after what happened Monday - he said he's focused solely on having good practices and a good game in Saturday's Senior Bowl.

"When this week is over, then I'll start to think a little more about what's going to happen the next few months," Hall said. "But for right now, I'm just trying to stay grounded and make sure I have a good week."

That shouldn't be a problem.

After all, Hall is coming off another great season, one in which he ranked ninth in the nation in rushing and set a school record by running for 1,374 yards.

Hall also led the Bulls with 26 pass receptions and set a school record by rushing for 13 touchdowns. And in only his second season at USF, he became the school's all-time leading rusher with 2,731 yards.

"There's no doubt he belongs here," Bucs running backs coach Art Valero said. "There are a lot of very good football players that aren't the Reggie Bushes of the world, and he's one of those guys.

"He does a lot of things very well and when you're a guy like that it just comes down to, does he fit your scheme? If he does, then the kid has a good chance to flourish."

Hall, who excels as a pass catcher as well as a runner, likely would flourish in a West Coast type of scheme, the kind run by teams such as the Bucs, who just might have their eye on Hall.

With Michael Pittman growing older and pricier, the Bucs might be in the market for a running back behind Cadillac Williams. They're definitely in the market for a kick returner, and Hall does that, too.

A year ago, he returned 16 kicks for 332 yards, an average of 20.8 yards. He's hoping to get a chance to return a kick or two here Saturday.

"Whatever I can do to help a team out, I'm willing to do," Hall said. "That's what I want to show people this week, that I can help make their team better. And I'm sure this experience is going to help me.

"I mean, it's great to be here with all these great athletes. Just to see how they train and do things is helping me. And it's an honor to be the first USF player here. I'm really excited about that, and I know I won't be the last.

"There'll be some Bulls to come here after me. And for those that do, I've got one thing to say: Bring your own [equipment] on the plane with you."

http://www.tbo.com/sports/MGBCGY82VIE.html

[BigShoop]

finally........SOMEthing about Andre and the Senior Bowl....

[bulls96go]

andre rocks!

[ChiTownBull]

Go Andre....hope a team that will utilize him properly drafts him in April.

[applepj]

In Hall we trust and hope the draft will trust Hall also.

[Rabbi Bull]

if andre goes to the bucs, it will be the only jersey or anything i will wear of theirs