Nov 06 2008
Al Davis’ House Cleaning – Oakland Raiders Cut DeAngelo Hall
The madness continues for Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders. First, they hire then fire coach Lane Kiffin. Now, the cut one of their best players
Raiders cornerback DeAngelo Hall was the first player released by team owner Al Davis on Wednesday, a move expected to trigger a major shakeup of Oakland’s roster.
Angered by the Raiders’ 2-6 start, Davis asked his front-office staff to explore the possibility of releasing several players. By releasing Hall, who was acquired from Atlanta before this season, the Raiders are washing their hands of a seven-year, $72 million contract after only eight games.
“I’ve never been in a situation where you cut one of the best players,” said safety Gibril Wilson, another of the team’s offseason acquisitions. “That’s strange to me. It’s almost like we’re throwing in the towel.”
Throwing in the towel? Yes, that is exactly what this sounds like. I can almost hear Al Davis saying, “We are not a good franchise, and we are losing money. Let’s cut salary as quickly as possible”.
The Raiders are a franchise with rabid fans and a storied past: they deserve better.
Perhaps Hall is not worth all that money:
In his eight games in Oakland, Hall was beaten 40 times for 552 yards on 66 passes thrown his way, according to data compiled by STATS LLC. He gave up more yards than any defender this season and was tied for third worst in catches allowed.
Hall said earlier this season it took him time to get used to Oakland’s man-to-man style of defense after being able to freelance frequently while playing zone with the Falcons. He had 17 interceptions in his four seasons in Atlanta, making the Pro Bowl in 2005 and ’06. He had three interceptions this year, but frequently got beaten on big plays.
Hall got about $8 million of his contract for playing in eight games. But by releasing him now, the Raiders can use some of the money they planned to give Hall to try to keep Asomugha.
$8 million for 8 games; that’s good work if you can find it. I suspect this is just the beginning of the Al Davis yard sale. Perhaps other teams can take advantage of a guy who clearly passed his prime over a decade ago. Good luck Raider fans.
