Hall brings more to Bucs than measured

[ChiTownBull]

thanks for the link on your blog Greg

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/05/07/Columns/Hall_brings_more_to_B.shtml

By GARY SHELTON, Times Sports Columnist

Published May 7, 2006

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TAMPA - A man stands in the middle of a field and waits for a dream to grow. It is fair to say he sees possibilities where others do not.

Andre Hall turns around and squints in the afternoon sun, as if to examine the odds that surround him. Beneath the helmet, his teeth are clenched. Beneath his shoulder pads, he has stuffed a giant chip.

Over there are the teams, 32 of them, that did not draft him. And there? Those are the players, 255 of them, whose names were called on draft weekend. Across the way are the general managers and the scouts and the stopwatches and the measuring tapes, and none found him special. In the distance are the 14 college tailbacks taken ahead of him and an imposing depth chart and vague explanations and friends who try to console him by mentioning other players whose careers started as long shots.

That, just that, awaited Hall on his first day as a Buc on Friday. Technically speaking, Hall was a professional football player, but it should be remembered that the NFL did not exactly sound the bugles as he approached.

"Yeah, the odds are against me," Hall said quietly, sitting on a weight bench outside the team locker room. "It's been that way all my life. People have always doubted me. It's nothing for me to hit bottom and come back up. It's what I do."

You want an opinion? The NFL messed up this time.

You want an observation? The Bucs had a running back fall into their laps.

You want a prediction? Hall is the back who will finally return a kickoff for a touchdown for Tampa Bay.

One practice in, perhaps this sounds a little bold. If you spent any time around Hall during his time at USF, however, it's easy to believe in him. The kid has a knack for the game. Before he's done, he's going to leave a footprint.

"Yeah, I think the NFL got it wrong," Bulls coach Jim Leavitt said. "I was surprised he wasn't drafted. From what I had heard, he was going to go anywhere from the second to the fourth round. Scouts were sure he would be drafted."

Hall was, too. He expected to go sometime in the third round. Art Valero, Bucs running back coach, said he expected the third or the fourth. Most of the draft publications suggested the same.

He didn't go at all. And no matter how many coaches or scouts you talk to - and the Bucs have asked around - no one seems to have a definitive answer for why he fell through the cracks.

Size? After all, Hall is only 5-8. But of the 14 tailbacks drafted, six were 5-10 or shorter.

Speed? No. Hall ran a good time at the combine. At the time, scouts said it would help his draft status.

Durability? Nope. Hall never missed a game at USF.

Production? Please. Hall gained 1,374 yards as a senior, better than nine of the 14 tailbacks drafted. In fact, he had more yardage than the two fourth-round backs - FSU's Leon Washington and Georgia Tech's P.J. Daniels - had combined. He also had more rushing yardage his last two years than USC's Reggie Bush had in his, although Hall's pro contract probably won't be as large as the one Bush had in college.

Competition? That's not it, either. Whatever you may think of the Big East, Hall had six games against top 25 rushing defenses and eight against top 40, and all of them were stacked to stop him. In his finale, Hall rushed for 118 yards against an N.C. State defense that included three No. 1 draft picks on its defensive line.

Character? We aren't talking about Marcus Vick here. At USF, they rave about Hall and his work ethic.

"I have no idea why I didn't go," Hall, a St. Petersburg native, said. "I think it was the Lord's work. My parents need me right now."

It's as good an explanation as any. During draft weekend, Hall's mother, Carol Barthel, was in critical condition in the hospital with kidney and liver problems (she has improved since, he said). His father, Captain, has limited vision because of glaucoma.

"It was fate," Valero said.

Of course, the Bucs could have helped fate along a little. They had 10 picks of their own, and they didn't draft Hall, either, though they only had four backs rated higher.

In some ways, that speaks to the difficulty Hall will face. The Bucs have Carnell Williams, the rookie of the year, and Michael Pittman, a favorite of Jon Gruden because of his versatility, and Earnest Graham, a special-teams standout, and Derek Watson, who impressed the staff last year. It is probably the team's deepest position.

"I believe strongly he'll make whatever team that gives him an opportunity," Leavitt said. "I'm excited the Bucs gave him an opportunity. I appreciate Jon Gruden's comments that the Bucs are about playing whoever earns it.

"I don't have a negative on him. He's a great kid. Over two years, he never came to a practice with less than eight cylinders. He has a passion for the game like I've never seen, and he loves to compete. He loves for people to tell him he can't do it so he can prove them wrong."

For Hall, one of the keys will be how well he can return kickoffs. If he can crack one during the preseason, it may go a long way toward making a believer out of Gruden. Remember, this is a franchise that has gone 30 years, 468 games, 132 returners and 1,734 kickoffs without scoring a touchdown.

So why think that Hall is the Chosen One? After all, he didn't return kickoffs for USF last year (he was the team's best returner, Leavitt said, but he was too valuable to risk). He returned only 16 as a junior. Again, you get down to a knack for the game. You get down to measuring what a player meant to a program as much as his height and weight. You get down to whether you believe or not.

As for Hall, he looks straight ahead, and he does not blink. Doubt him at your own risk.

After all, in the fight against odds, fate and faith are fairly strong weapons.

[Last modified May 7, 2006, 01:11:11]

[Brad]

You want a prediction? Hall is the back who will finally return a kickoff for a touchdown for Tampa Bay.

Bold.  

I hope he is right, but if I look into my magic ball, I see Hall leaving the Bucs - not quite catching on as a returner - and ending up with a franchise that needs to develop a back for 07 or 08.  If he makes the NFL it will be a as a running back where he is best suited.

[usf97]

I also agree that it's unlikly Hall will make the 53 man roster unless he really does well on special teams. Otherwise, he'll have to beat out Ernest Graham and he's at a disadvantage there in that he still has to learn Gruden's system. I could see him on the practice squad but I think he could make one of the other 31 teams 53 man rosters.

[bull2468]

I was out there today, Hall looked good.  A few nice punt returns.

Josh Newberg

[South_Florida_Flip]

He also had more rushing yardage his last two years than USC's Reggie Bush had in his, although Hall's pro contract probably won't be as large as the one Bush had in college.

;D Beauty!!

[Rabbi Bull]

josh, how long were some of his returns?

[CoolBull1]

If he stays, I could actually turn into a Bucs fan with Andre  there.

[SANJAY]

Hall returning a kick for a touchdown.  That would be phenomenal.

[Ricky the Bull]

From Sunday's practice:

[bull2468]

he had a couple nice returns for about 15 yards, but one time he beat three defenders to the corner and returned it about 35-40 yards.

Josh Newberg