Earlier today I said to count me among those who think that Washington CB DeAngelo Hall is overrated. Which isn't to say he's bad, but nobody should confuse him Champ Bailey. He might be good match up for the St. Louis Rams receivers to get their reputation out of the mud when the team takes on the Redskins this tomorrow. His coverage numbers from last week, were less than impressive.
According to ProFootballFocus.com (hat tip to Will at Rams Herd for turning me on to that site), Hall had a very so-so outing against the Giants. New York targeted Washington's pricey CB eight times, completing six of those attempts for a total of 73 yards and an average gain of 9.1 yards per catch.
The Giants stayed away from Washington's other starting CB, Carlos Rogers, targeting him twice for no completions.
Fred Smoot, their third CB, was Manning's friend, targeted three times and allowing two completions for 37 yards. Of course, one of those completions was Mario Manningham's 30-yard TD catch in the second quarter.
All of this info comes with one huge caveat: cornerback play rises and falls with the quality of opponent. The Rams have the ability to do better than they did last week, and the receivers will have to work better into their routes and getting separation from defensive backs. Then, and only then, can they take advantage of a mediocre CB.
One more interesting note. Last week, the Seahawks had default #1 CB Ken Lucas covering Rams WR Laurent Robinson and Josh Wilson on Donnie Avery. Hmmm. Is the report out of the bag that Bulger and Robinson have established a connection? Has Robinson become the Rams #1 WR by default? Watch the matchups this week. It should be Hall covering Avery and Rogers on Robinson, which could set Avery up for a nice game IF he plays like the WR we expect him to be. Of course, if Washington follows the Seahawks, then it could be a real breakout day for Robinson...if they can keep the pass rush from disrupting the game...and if they can establish the run. So many ifs...