By Steve Yanda

Redskins veteran DeAngelo Hall spent some time at free safety during Washington’s preseason game last weekend at Chicago and figures to do so again Saturday against Indianapolis. Hall has spent most of his eight-year career at cornerback and said Thursday the adjustment hasn’t necessarily been all that smooth.

“It’s a little different,” Hall said. “You don’t have to single in on one guy. It’s kind of hard to check all 11 guys and try to figure out where they are, as opposed to, ‘Alright, I’ve got this one guy. Let me lock in on him.’ It’s a little more studying. It’s a little different reads and things, just learning them. Taking it all in instead of rushing the process.”

For instance, Hall said, if a cornerback sees something develop, he breaks on it immediately. At safety, where most times he’ll be making decisions in space, Hall has to wait until the ball is thrown to fully commit to heading a certain direction.

On the Redskins’ first defensive play of Saturday’s game at Chicago, Hall bit hard when Bears quarterback Jay Cutler looked to his left, only to watch Cutler change course and throw to his right to receiver Brandon Marshall for a 41-yard gain.

“You’ve just got to patrol your area and be able to make a play when it’s there for you,” Hall said.

Hall noted that at safety, the angles he takes toward a receiver coming out of a break also are different than those he takes when playing cornerback. Hall said Redskins’ defensive backs coach Raheem Morris frequently reminds him that “you’ve got one shot to find the angle,” and that is not an easy task to master at a new position.

“I got a minus on one play [against Chicago] when I didn’t find the angle the right way,” Hall said. “It’s a process. I’ll keep working at it. If I’m asked to go back there, I’ll go back there. We’re just trying to get the best guys on the field. It’s a passing league, so if we can put more corners on the field to combat what the offense is trying to do, that’s what we’re going to do.”

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DeAngelo Hall of the Washington Redskins is also offering his “Hail Yeah I Hate Dallas” wristbands through January 15, 2012 in support of DC Central Kitchen and the rivalry between the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. 15% of all proceeds will be donated to DC Central Kitchen.

Click HERE to order your “Hail Yeah I Hate Dallas” bands!

Meet DeAngelo Hall this Saturday at Walgreens at 22nd and m st, nw in #dc. DeAngelo will be signing autographs from 4pm to 5pm!

First of all the Pro Bowl week as a whole was a great experience. I think sometimes in life you take things for granted. I think this week being back in Hawaii and being around my peers gave me perspective. It really is a huge honor to be named to the Pro Bowl and hopefully God Willing this won’t be the last one.

The weather was great. The sites and experiences were phenomenal with the family and it was just a rejuvenating experience. A lot of people have negative things to say about the Pro Bowl game and how guys don’t play hard but honestly I disagree. I think guys just play smart. We play a brutally physical sport. The odds of some type of injury occurring at full-speed is very likely. I think we all realize what an honor it is to be involved in the game and realize we are all all-stars and we all as players have a huge amount of respect for each other and to go out and possibly injure yourself or one of your fellow peers in an “All-Star” game wouldn’t show much respect for the game or the players. I understand the fans want to see a High Speed High Impact game but I hope they would understand.

When they watch the NBA ALL-STAR game in a few weeks watch the way those guys approach the game. It’s an all-star contest meant to show case All-Star Talent at a High Level. Treating it like a regular season or playoff game just wouldn’t smart. Fans should ask themselves if their franchise player on their favorite team were injured how upset they would be. It’s one of those things where it’s damned if you do damned if you don’t. If we play too hard and someone is injured it’s bad for the game. If we play too casual then we don’t take the game serious. That’s why I said I feel like we play smart. Pick your spots to go hard. I think it’s what you see in all major sports all-star events.

Now that I’m off that. I think I did a good job of picking my spots and it was a HUGE honor to be named MVP of the Pro Bowl. Thanks to the NFL, GMC, The Fans, My Teammates, Coaches and everyone involved. From wire to wire through all the ups and downs, this has been a memorable season. And I appreciate all the support. Hopefully I can build off the momentum. Till next time. God Bless.

-D.Hall