Catching up with ... DeAngelo Hall

Chesapeake's Deangelo Hall  got what he wanted in the offseason, a trade from a rocky situation in Atlanta to the Oakland Raiders and a seven-year contract worth some $70 million.

Now Raider fans are waiting for Hall, a two-time Pro Bowl cornerback at 24, to deliver value along with the 2-4 Raiders. Hall is waiting, too.

“You see these fans and you respect the way they go about loving this team,” Hall says. “And the job we’ve been doing thus far hasn’t been acceptable. We need to turn it around and that’s the bottom line.”

Maybe that’s begun. In interim coach Tom Cable’s second game – Lane Kiffin was fired Sept. 30 – Oakland beat the New York Jets last week. And Hall, a 5-foot-10, 195-pounder out of Deep Creek High and Virginia Tech, collected his third interception of the season.

Hall, who’s cultivated a cocky, flamboyant playing style, debuted poorly in Oakland; Denver, led by rookie and fellow ex-Hokie Eddie Royal’s nine catches, blitzed Hall and the Raiders 41-14 in prime time.

Hall was widely lambasted for his effort, but says now, “I didn’t feel any different coming out of that game than any other game. . . . They get paid like I get paid. You just gotta have a short memory and try to make plays back.”

Hall remains a target of quarterbacks – “More chance for me to make plays,” he says – even though his three picks have raised his career total to 20. It’s been a slow process, but Hall, who’s excelled in zone schemes, says he feels more comfortable with the man-to-man “press” coverage Oakland wants from its corners.

“I’m feeling good, feel like I’m challenging, feel like I’m in shape,” Hall says. “I feel like I’m getting my swagger back.”

Hall, whose team plays Sunday in Baltimore, spoke Thursday to The Pilot during his drive from Raiders’ practice to his home in Oakland Hills, Calif.

The Raiders start 1-3 and Lane Kiffin is fired. Are you thinking, 'Uh oh?’

“I think my time in Atlanta kind of prepared me for anything. When I first came out here, I didn’t expect to be losing the head coach and getting another one and all the media circus and hoopla, but you take the good with the bad. Along with the good money comes some bad situations. I’m just trying to take it full stride.”

No second thoughts? The other day, you said one thing you’d change is you’d ask for more money.

“(Laughing) Yeah, had I known I was gonna play this much man-to-man, I’d have asked for a little more. I was just joking. . . . It was the best move for me at the time, and I still feel like it was the best move for me.”

So it’s been hard to pick up this defensive philosophy?

“There’s been a learning curve, on the job training. I played seven snaps in the preseason because of a torn ligament in my hand. I was a little banged up early, but I’m starting to understand the defense. I know what I can do and what I can’t do. . . . It’s about knowing when I can take my chances, and just being comfortable. And I feel a lot more comfortable now than I did.”

Still, you recently publicly graded your play as D-minus. Is that a little harsh?

“Come on, they’re paying me $70 million. I haven’t been playing the way I have to play. I’m a very tough critic, and I’m not gonna BS and say I’m playing great when I’m playing average or below average ... Guys are catching balls on me on routes that I’ve usually dominated.”

What’s so different?

“I’m a ballhawk . . . but I’m playing more with my back to the quarterback. I still have a hard time doing that because I want the ball so much I kind of always have to look at the quarterback.

“That’s kind of how I got the pick on Brett Favre last week. I had my eyes in the backfield, watching Brett and I saw him throw the deep ball when the receiver ran a 10-yard stop route. Had I been playing those 'man’ concepts, I’d have been right there with the receiver instead of being able to catch the overthrown ball.”

Has the 'learning curve’ changed your playing personality?

“I’ve been trying not to come off too brash. I haven’t wanted to step on anybody’s toes. I felt like I’ve been a little too passive . . . instead of being that fiery ball of emotion that got me where I am. I know I played with that last week.

“I was out there flying around, trying to hit guys as hard as I could, make every play, trying to have as much fun as possible. If I (ticked) anybody off, I apologize. I told my agent, I might get fined, I might lose some money, but I gotta be me.”

Where’s that 'swagger’ come from?

“I just feel if it’s me vs. you, me vs. anybody, I feel like I can win, bottom line. I’m gonna continue to feel like that till someone consistently beats me.”

Tom Robinson, (757) 446-2518 tom.robinson@pilotonline.com