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.
Standard disclaimer — this isn’t our video, and have no control over the advertising content within it.
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.
Former Navy FB Kyle Eckel manages to get back in the news
February 10th, 2011 | Football Navy | Posted by Phil Creed
Kyle Eckel didn’t play a down in the NFL this past season, but he’s managing to make news around the league lately, thanks to a Facebook posting about his onetime team, the Philadelphia Eagles.
The former Naval Academy star apparently posted last Sunday or Monday that he’d heard a rumor that Jon Gruden would be replacing Andy Reid as coach of the Eagles. As things occasionally do on the Internet, the hard-to-believe rumor managed to go viral on the Web and was picked up by various media outlets.
The Gruden/Reid rumor turned out to be completely false, of course. ESPN and others shot it down, and the Eagles themselves even released a statement calling it a load of bunk.
Eckel, who graduated from the academy in 2005 and won a Super Bowl ring last year with the New Orleans Saints, went on the radio in Philly earlier this week and said he was just having fun, and that he never expected his post to trigger such a media storm.
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)
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:
Chad Hall appears to be losing ground in fight for Eagles roster spot
August 29th, 2010 | Air Force Football | Posted by Phil Creed
Air Force Lt. Chad Hall had unspectacular performance for the Philadelphia Eagles during their 20-17 win against Kansas City on Friday. It’s the second preseason game in a row in which Hall has failed to stand out, bad news for a player considered to be a longshot to make the Eagles 53-man roster.
Hall had no catches in the game against the Chiefs, and just five yards on two punt returns. A week ago against Cincinnati, Hall had two catches for only nine yards. And after getting two carries as a running back in the Eagles first preseason game, Hall has not had a chance to carry the ball since.
Local sportswriters are starting to speculate that he may be the odd man out in the battle for one of Philly’s wide receiver roster spots.
“He was a nice story for a little while in camp but I think it’s safe to say Chad Hall won’t make the roster,” DelawareOnline.com’s Geoff Mosher wrote Sunday. “His best value is in the return game but he didn’t show enough to make anyone think DeSean Jackson should take a seat to him. As for being a slot receiver, the Eagles don’t need him there badly enough to keep a roster spot for him.”
The Trentonian’s Bob Grotz also predicts Hall will not be picked for the last wide receiver spot.
The Eagles have relied solely on Hall as a punt returner so far in preseason, but the little lieutenant hasn’t been able to break out a big play. Making thing harder for Hall is that, barring injury, starting wide receiver DeSean Jackson is considered one of the more dangerous punt return men in the NFL. Jackson has been banged up in the preseason, and many teams are wary of using a #1 receiver as a punt returner because of the punishment players take in that role. But Jackson’s injuries don’t sound too serious, and it doesn’t sound like Hall has done enough in the return game for Philly to keep him solely to catch punts.
Two weeks ago Hall’s performance in Philadelphia’s first preseason game briefly made him the buzz of Eagles training camp. But going into the final week of the preseason, there may be little he can do to improve his stock. Teams have to cut down to 75 players by Aug. 31, with final cuts coming on Sept. 4. If he can make it past Tuesday’s roster trimming, he’ll have one more chance to shine when the Eagles play the Jets on Thursday.
Big weekend for the little lieutenant
August 16th, 2010 | Air Force Football | Posted by Phil Creed
Chad Hall couldn't hang on to this pass during the Eagles exhibition game against the Jaguars on Friday night. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Air Force Lt. Chad Hall is still a long way from making the Philadelphia Eagles 53-man regular season roster. But he’s a lot closer than he was last week.
The undrafted free agent put together a strong performance in Friday’s preseason victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, making big plays at multiple positions. Hall was so impressive that could very well be turning into one those determined underdogs (think Vince Papale) who endears himself to a city, judging by weekend headlines in some Philadelphia-area papers:
“Free agent Chad Hall steals the show in Eagles first exhibition game”
“Air Force veteran Chad Hall off to high-flying start with Eagles”
“Bubble-guy Hall knows he has a chance to make Eagles roster”
Hall played wide receiver, running back, punt returner and kickoff returner against Jacksonville, and excelled in every role. After pulling in a long pass from third-string quarterback Mike Kafka, Hall used his speed and some sharp moves to turn the play into a 57-yard catch-and-run (watch it here.) As a running back, the 5-foot-8 Hall showed his explosiveness again on a 22-yard run. And on special teams, Hall returned two punts for seven yards — not “wow” stats, yet he was singled out for praise by head coach Andy Reid for showily sound judgment on deciding what punts to field. Hall returned kickoffs as well after Philly’s regular returner went down.
According to Hall of Fame sportswriter Ray Didinger, Hall’s breakout performance means he’s crossed the line from a longshot roster-filler to a guy coaches now have to take seriously.
“Right now, the Eagles’ coaches are looking for reasons to keep Chad Hall,” wrote Didinger. “That’s not to say he is a lock to make the final roster. He still has a lot to overcome, including his size (5-foot-8) and the fact that the Eagles have a surplus of receivers. But Hall has crossed that all-important point where the coaches now want to give him the benefit of the doubt.
“He had an impressive debut in the preseason opener against Jacksonville. Coach Andy Reid singled him out for praise. Of course, this all could go out the window if he muffs a punt or drops a pass in the end zone this Friday in Cincinnati, but for now the former Air Force lieutenant has the coaches stroking their chins and wondering: ‘What can we do with this guy?’”