Zac Boyer will be entering his third season covering the Washington Redskins for The Free Lance-Star this fall. Make sure to follow Zac on Twitter (@ZacBoyer) for the latest updates or e-mail him with any questions at zboyer@freelancestar.com.
Man-To-Man Coverage Allowed DeAngelo Hall To Hold Dez Bryant In Line
By ZAC BOYER
ASHBURN – Dallas receiver Dez Bryant caught four passes for 71 yards against the Washington Redskins on Sunday while being covered nearly exclusively by cornerback DeAngelo Hall.
Hall
Bryant entered the 28-18 loss averaging 115.4 receiving yards in the previous seven games with 10 touchdowns, including nine catches for 224 yards and two touchdowns against New Orleans the week before. He also had eight catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns against Washington on Thanksgiving, but was held to just four catches for 71 yards on Sunday.
In a departure from the first matchup, Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett had Hall play man-to-man on Bryant the entire game matched Josh Wilson up with Miles Austin.
“He showed us the D-Hall that all of us knew was in him,” Wilson said Monday. “He took Dez Bryant out of the game. Dez never really got into a groove. Even the catches he had, he worked for every yard he got. That’s what D is capable of doing. He has that ability, and it was just exciting to see him come in and step up the way he did last night.”
Hall, after the game, credited the Redskins’ pass rush for forcing quarterback Tony Romo to make quick decisions and get rid of the ball.
“I just tried to be as physical with him as possible,” Hall said after the game. “I know he made a couple of plays, you know, early in the game … but you know what? We played a good game. Obviously, we wanted to be a little bit better, but honestly, we played a pretty good game.”
