It was his performance in a 2005 Monday Night Football game against the Eagles when I first became impressed with cornerback DeAngelo Hall.

Only in his second year as a member of the Falcons, Hall drew the responsibility of covering Terrell Owens one-on-one, which was a difficult task considering the game would be nationally television and T.O. had just helped lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance the year before. While Owens did rack up 112 receiving yards that night, Hall held his own in coverage and kept the Philly receiver out of the end zone. For a player that young and inexperienced, Hall’s performance was impressive.

But that memory has faded over time, mostly due to the fact that Hall’s talent has never matched his oversized ego. Yes, he’s talented, which is why he’s gone to three Pro Bowls and is still a top-12 corner. But it’s his manner that has always rubbed people the wrong way.

Take his latest outburst for example. While appearing on a radio interview for WJFK-FM in Washington, Hall called the Bears’ Jay Cutler “a clown” and went on to talk about how “unreal” it was to intercept the QB four times during a mid-season victory in Chicago last season.

Granted, Cutler did fuel Hall’s comments by stating, “I’ve played against [Hall] before, there’s no reason to shy away from him…I’d go at him every time if we could,” after the game. Still, if you’re Hall, where’s the benefit of calling Cutler a clown now? You’ve already bested him – let your four interceptions do your talking. Calling him a clown (six months after the fact, no less) does nothing good for your character. What’s wrong with being modest in that situation?

Read the full article at the Washington Post.