Video: Chad Hall breaks two tackles to score 1st TD of season
January 3rd, 2012 | Air Force Football | Posted by Phil Creed
Former Air Force wide receiver Chad Hall scored his first and only touchdown of the 2011 NFL season on Sunday, and he did it in pretty impressive fashion. The Eagles wideout caught a pass from quarterback Michael Vick at the two-yard line and broke the tackles of two Washington Redskins — cornerback DeAngelo Hall (look closely, he gets earholed by Hall) and linebacker Perry Riley.
A second-year pro, Hall finishes 2011 with three catches for 20 yards and the TD. He also ran the ball three times for 13 yards, and he had seven punt returns for 76 yards.
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Rough weekend for service academy grads in NFL
September 4th, 2011 | Air Force Army Football Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
The final three service academy graduates battling to make NFL teams were all released Saturday ahead of the league’s mandatory deadline for cutting squads to 53 players. The Eagles cut Air Force grad Chad Hall, New England cut Navy grad Eric Kettani and Detroit parted ways with Army grad Caleb Campbell.
But the news isn’t all bad. Hall, who led the Eagles in receiving in the preseason, will be signed to the Philadelphia practice squad, according to Philly.com. And Kettani, who missed much of the Patriots training camp with an injury, is a strong candidate to be signed to the New England practice squad according to the Boston Herald,
Hall and Campbell are both second-year players who saw limited action with their respective teams last year. Kettani, a 2009 Annapolis grad, is only recently removed from active-duty service in the Navy.
Campbell, who was also cut just before the start of last season and spent most of 2010 on the Lions’ practice squad, sounded on Sunday like he will continue pursuing his NFL dreams, but that his time with Detroit was over:
If Campbell never plays another NFL game again, he can always say he went out with a bang:
Reports: Air Force vet Chad Hall cut by Eagles
September 3rd, 2011 | Air Force Football | Posted by Phil Creed
Multiple news outlets are reporting that the Philadelphia Eagles have released second-year wide receiver Chad Hall, a 2008 graduate of the Air Force Academy. The move comes as NFL teams are trimming their rosters down to 53 ahead of tonight’s 6 p.m. ET deadline.
Hall led the Eagles in catches this preseason and scored a touchdown in the Eagles’ final game on Thursday. However, he also muffed two punts, losing one, in the victory against the Jets.
In 2010 Hall appeared in eight games for the Eagles. He caught 11 passes for 115 yards including a touchdown in the final game of the season.
Catching up on Twitter, NFL lockout edition
July 25th, 2011 | Football nfl | Posted by Mike Hoffman
The NFL lockout is over so ESPN can mercifully retire the same photo of the locked gate holding back the dirty snow we saw over and over and over again. But this also means our favorite former service academy stars can return to the field and NFL teams can invite recent graduates who will try to catch a coach’s eye before returning to active duty.
Sure, this is probably the lazy way to go but let’s see what the players are up to via the Twittersphere now that the NFL’s has announced that football’s back and we can go back to ignoring women’s soccer.
Former Zoomie running back/wide receiver and current Philadelphia Eagle Chad Hall tweeted that he drove up to Philadelphia on July 22 in anticipation that the lockout would end. July 23, he got “Back in Philly!” where he made the accurate observation that it is “So hot!” but still completed a “Good track workout [July 23],” before making “time for some good food.” Maybe a good ole’ Philly cheese steak?
Then Sunday night, Hall saw the movie Horrible Bosses, which he said was “hilarious.” On Monday, he had “good workout with some of the teammates this morning.” On Wednesday he and the rest of the Eagles will report to training camp at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa.
Former Army Black Knight and current Detroit Lions linebacker Caleb Campbell was less generous with his schedule and thoughts on the lockout. He’s happy to get back on the field, though. Monday afternoon he wrote, “Time to go to work. Blessed to have another opportunity to play the game that I love.”
Campbell hasn’t made it back to Motown quite yet. He spend Monday visiting a church in Tulsa, Okla., according to his Twitter account.
The players who might have been the most nervously anticipating the end of the lockout were the players who didn’t get drafted and had to wait for the lockout to end before teams could sign them. Many of these players included service academy stars who often receive invites from NFL teams, such as former Air Force Academy defensive lineman Ben Garland. Most players use the entirety of their leave to attend the camps.
This year another Air Force star, Reggie Rembert, is likely to get a few calls from NFL teams. According to his Twitter feed he hasn’t heard from any teams, although he retweeted ESPN reporter Adam Schefter’s tweet that the lockout had ended.
Hard times in NFL have Chad Hall looking at the restaurant business
April 20th, 2011 | Air Force Football | Posted by Phil Creed
Former Air Force standout and current Philadelphia Eagle wide receiver Chad Hall isn’t standing around waiting for the NFL lockout to be resolved. He needs money, like right now, so he’s taking some measures to maintain a decent income, ESPN’s Rick Reilly reports.
First, Hall is offering his services as a personal trainer for his friends’ kids. But on the more adventuresome side, Hall is also looking into opening a wing joint in Atlanta with Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, who happens to be dating Hall’s sister.
And if the restaurant thing doesn’t work out, Hall may fall back on plumbing.
“If we don’t have a season, I’ll be waiting tables and bartending there,” he says. “Plus, my uncle says he has a plumbing job for me. Pays $15 an hour, so that’s not bad.”
I wonder if going back on active duty is an option?
Chad Hall’s surprising season comes to an end
January 12th, 2011 | Air Force Football | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Air Force alum Chad Hall beat the odds and found a home on the Philadelphia Eagle's roster after spending two years out of football. (AP photo)
Air Force alum and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Chad Hall has to describe the ending to his first season in the NFL as bittersweet only because it ended in such disappointing fashion. Outside maybe a deeper run into the playoffs, Hall couldn’t have imagined a much better start to his NFL career.
Considered a long shot by most to even make the Eagles practice squad, Hall took advantage of injuries in the Eagles wide receiver corps and made the active roster, suiting up for his first NFL regular season game Oct. 10 against the San Francisco 49ers. He caught one pass for nine yards in his first game.
The diminutive receiver, who stands 5′ 8″ and weighs 187 pounds, finished the season with 11 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown. His best game was undoubtedly the regular season finale, when he tallied six catches for 84 yards, including his first and only touchdown of the season, which was punctuated with a “Linc leap.”
Not a season statistics line that will have NFL GMs falling over themselves trying to sign Hall, but it’s damn impressive for an undrafted service academy graduate who spent the past two years out of football. The maintenance officer sat out two years to fill his service commitment and will continue to serve as a reservist.
We’re working now to speak with Hall to get a wrap up on his first season in the NFL. Leave any questions you want answered in the comments box or e-mail them to me at mhoffman@atpco.com.
Chad Hall could see time against Packers in playoff game
January 6th, 2011 | Air Force Football | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Philadelphia Eagles' Chad Hall reacts after catching a touchdown pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Air Force alum and Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Chad Hall got so fired up over his touchdown catch in the Eagles regular season finale that he fired up his Twitter account for the first time since Oct. 7.
“Playoff week baby! Win or go home!” Hall tweeted on Jan. 4 .
While most Eagles starters sat out the team’s last regular season game because the Eagles had already locked up their playoff position, Hall took full advantage. He caught six balls for 84 yards and even took a direct snap at quarterback against the Dallas Cowboys.
What might be most important, though, is his punt returns. He returned three punts for 31 yards, including one for 14 yards. This is important because the Eagles put their kick and punt returner on injured reserve after Jorrick Calvin got hurt in the Giants game. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson returns punts in special situations (just ask Tom Coughlin and Matt Dodge) but often had Calvin return punts to protect Jackson from injury.
Don’t know if Halls’ three punt returns against the Cowboys earns him some real time Saturday in the Eagles’ playoff game against the Packers, but it sure seems to increase his odds. Despite his size, the Air Force alum who serves as the Eagles’ fifth wide receiver continues to find ways to stay on the Eagles’ active roster and contribute on the field for the NFC East champions.
Philadelphia Eagles' Chad Hall (16) leaps into the stands after catching a touchdown pass in the first half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Jan. 2, 2011, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)
Andy Reid: ‘Why is the ball boy in the huddle?’
October 27th, 2010 | Air Force Football | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid delivered Air Force Academy alum Chad Hall what seemed like a compliment this week minus the fact he said his wide receiver/running back had the face of a 15-year-old.
“He looks like he’s 15, but he’s a talented kid. You’ve got to get past his face and then he’s well-built for his size, and he’s very intelligent and tough. He gives you a little flexibility in some packages to do some things,” Reid said.
Hall remained on the active roster this week against the Tennessee Titans this week fending off Kelly Washington, who the team brought in last week for a try out. He took four carries against the Titans for 19 yards and caught a pass for five yards.
While Hall is probably going to take some extra ribbing from his teammates in Philadelphia and former teammates from his Air Force days, we have to side with Reid. If you walked past the 5-foot 8-inch Hall, you’d be hard pressed to say decisively that , yes, Hall earns a living playing in the National Football League.
Chad Hall making a case to stick on Eagles’ active roster
October 19th, 2010 | Air Force Football | Posted by Mike Hoffman
Air Force alum Chad Hall notched his second catch this weekend in the Philadelphia Eagles' win over the Atlanta Falcons. (AP photo)
Air Force Academy alum Chad Hall just keeps catching passes in the NFL.
A week after he caught his first NFL pass against San Francisco, Hall had another catch and a five-yard carry Sunday in the Eagles’ victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Last week reports came in that the Eagles had tried out receivers to potentially take his place last weekend, but there he was again, all 5-feet 8-inches of him.
After wide receiver DeSean Jackson suffered a concussion and left the game, Eagles coach Andy Reid called Hall’s number on multiple three receiver sets.
It looked like Hall might lose his spot on the active roster because rookie Riley Cooper is scheduled to return to practice Wednesday after he suffered a concussion of his own earlier this season. Now with Jackson out for an indefinite length of time after that vicious collision, it appears Hall will have more snaps to impress the Eagles coaching staff who showed a lot of trust in his ability Sunday.
Colorado Springs Gazette columnist David Ramsey caught up with Hall after his NFL debut last week.
“That’s what I’ve been waiting to do since my last game at Air Force. It was a great feeling, It made me feel capable, made me feel I can do it,” Hall told Ramsey.
He also spoke with former Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry and Hall’s former running backs coach, Jemal Singleton. He has a great anecdote about Singleton racing out of his “man cave” to alert his wife to Hall’s first NFL catch in the third quarter.
I admittedly missed Hall’s first catch, but I did listen to it thanks to a friend’s investment in XM radio. It’s clear that famed Eagles broadcaster Merrill Reese has taken quite a liking to Hall. Anytime he entered the game, Reese made sure to alert the radio audience, which doesn’t happen for 5th string receiver.
We here at After Action have just one request of Hall: Update your Twitter feed, man. You just started your first two games in the NFL. If you are going to have a Twitter account, I would think you’d have a few thoughts on your first NFL catch.
Air Force grad Hall to make NFL debut Sunday
October 9th, 2010 | Air Force Football | Posted by Phil Creed
The Philadelphia Eagles have signed Air Force 2nd Lt. Chad Hall to their 53-man roster, according to a report on the team’s website. He is expected to be active for the Eagles’ game with San Francisco, which will mark his regular-season NFL debut.
The signing makes Hall, a 2008 graduate of the Air Force Academy, the first service academy grad to make a team’s active roster this season (Army grad Caleb Campbell is on Detroit’s practice squad). Hall has been on the Eagles practice squad since getting cut by the Eagles at the end of the preseason, and has reportedly shown continued progress working as a wide receiver.
An injury to backup wideout Riley Cooper left Philly with only three healthy players at the postion, necessitating the signing of Hall. The report on the Eagles website indicated Hall may get a chance to return punts, but it’s unclear how else he will fit into the team’s offensive plans.
Hall hinted at his possible activation earlier this week on Twitter, saying he was traveling with the team to San Fran. However Hall left out crucial details about what traveling with the team entailed — specifically, his duty to provide the veterans with fast food. The Eagles website reported that Hall “arrived on the team plane Friday afternoon with his hands full of Popeyes chicken for the rest of the receivers, a rite of passage for young players on the Eagles.” As far as rookie hazing goes, that’s not too bad — unless Hall was not able to enjoy the delicious Cajun goodness himself.
The Eagles are coming off a loss to the Washington Redskins last week, and will be without quaterback Michael Vick, who injured his ribs and chest against the Redskins — much to the delight of many sports fans and dog lovers:
