Prowl33 wrote:Why dont you think Hall could do FS? his instincts in coverage have often been great, especially as hes gotten older, he jumps a lot of routes and rarely gets burned.
I have heard the coaches asked about him moving to safety and they havent shut that down... I think they are just being careful, they want to see how he has recovered, how he looks on the field, and then may try that out as they get into OTA's and position drills.
As far as I can tell, the coaches were asked about it because Hall's made noise about it. It doesn't surprise me that they haven't flat-out said "no" to it. But the fact that they basically said "we'll see" tells me all I need to know. Ask any child what "we'll see" means when it comes to getting ice cream later.
Here's why I doubt we'll see Hall at FS: this is the kind of thing that we hear about every few years. Old Man Corner has lost a step so the team is "looking at" the possibility of switching him to safety. Sometimes even the coaches are behind it and the guy gets some practice time, just in case. I remember really well when this was
a popular prediction for Shawn Springs. Then later we heard
the same things about Fred Smoot. Champ Bailey was widely rumored to be someone
that would transition toward the end of his career. And I could pull up articles for you on Carlos Rogers too, though he had been out of Washington for years by the time it was suggested. While I was trying to find sources for the guys I could remember, Chris Culliver's name came up on SF fan boards in topics suggesting that he be moved.
Those are all just cornerbacks associated with the Skins. Across the league you get all kinds of discussions among fans about how this or that aging CB should switch to safety to extend his career and help add depth. If you do a little google searching you'll quickly see what I mean.
Here's the thing though: when has this ever been successful? Can you think of anyone in, say, the last 5-7 years who did it and actually helped their team in the process? Or is this just something that fans and players who have unfailing confidence in themselves suggest, while coaches mostly blow it off as unrealistic? I suspect the latter is true. The whole idea seems, more than anything else, like a gimmick to me.
The skillset required to play FS is actually quite different than it is for CB. To play at a high level at both positions would require a world-class athlete in his prime, not a 32-year-old accomplished vet just trying to milk a few more dollars from the league. I really don't see any advantage to be gained by plugging Hall in back there that we couldn't get with a random FA picked up by McCloughan.
Maybe I'm wrong, but the thing I'd have to see before giving this another thought would be some serious interest on the part of our coaches or GM.
