Last month, Raiders DB DeAngelo Hall complained after getting two unnecessary roughness calls, saying "I always get the short end of the stick." Failing to take responsibility is a bad sign.But there are signs that Hall realizes that being accountable comes with the territory. It's also a sign that Hall recognizes that taking responsibility is the first step toward making things happen.
With 25 percent of the season now gone, a reporter asked Hall this week to give himself a grade. His response: "Probably a D or a D-minus."
According to one columnist:
"This humility is refreshing, I think, for one of the alleged negative aspects of Hall's reputation was denial of his shortcomings. Word around the league is that Hall, in his fifth season, is prodigiously gifted yet less than the sum of those gifts. He is widely perceived as overrated, a selfish, trash-talker whose propensity for the big play cuts both ways. He gives 'em up as easily as he makes 'em.
Of a team's highest-paid player there not only is the expectation of excellence but also the presumption of leadership. Hall's salary suggests the Raiders are placing faith in him to handle much of the heavy lifting for a franchise trying to dump five seasons of accumulated garbage."
Says Hall:
"I'm the first one to tell you that obviously I haven't been playing the way I think I should play, no matter what the fans say or the coaches say or the media say. I know my own level of play, my ability. And it ain't been there so far."
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