Wide receiver Chad Hall stood out from the first moment he arrived at the NovaCare Complex in March.
It is not often that you will see a newly signed Eagles player decked out in a military uniform, but that was the case with Hall who spent the last two years in the Air Force fulfilling his commitment before he could chase his NFL dream.
Hall has been one of the more intriguing players here in training camp and the preseason. While he's listed as a wide receiver, Hall's ability to play running back and return specialist has provided the coaches a number of ways to utilize him. On Thursday night, Hall will see extensive playing time as he hopes to find his way onto the team's 53-man roster. But as much as he wants to impress the coaches, Hall knows that he can't force big plays.
"Those thoughts do come in my head, but at the end, I'm just trying to do what I should do," Hall said. "The good thing is the big plays will happen on their own. Just go out there and do my job, but do it fast. Play real fast."
So far this preseason, Hall has four catches for 69 yards, which includes a 57-yard reception where he got wide open down the seam. He also carried the ball twice for 22 yards. As a returner, Hall is averaging 4.3 yards per punt return and 18.5 yards per kickoff return.
Even though he's taken part in three and a half weeks of practices at training camp, three preseason games and another couple weeks of practice at NovaCare, Thursday night's preseason finale is the last opportunity for him to state his case for a spot on the roster. As important as each play will be, Hall doesn't want to add any pressure on himself.
"No. I did that in training camp. I remember there was a span of three days where I had probably six drops and those were the only drops I had all training camp. For those three days, I put so much pressure on myself," Hall said. "Then I learned from it and until (Tuesday), that one, I haven't had a drop since. I learned from it in training camp. I did. It's almost like I have this mental block before every play. I got rid of that, you know, three, four weeks ago and I've done great; just playing. Just going out there and playing like I always have and I don't even worry about it."
-- Posted by Chris McPherson, 10:00 a.m., September 1
