For all you D Hall lovers

are you serious? his father played in the NFL. The springs family is loaded, with or without Shawns help. And shawns father has nothing to do with the fact that he'll miss a game if there's a stiff breeze - they guys #1 priority is money and he's not going to play (to earn his money) if he doesnt want to. he has no "heart" and he sets a bad example for the other players. Im sure Carlos has learned alot from him the past 4 years and observing his attitude could very well have contributed to Carlos attitude now in demanding a trade.

I'm sorry but you are mistaken. When his father played he made a decent salary, I wouldn't say he broke the bank. As for injuries, the guy is injury prone; trust me, I'm not trying to cover for him.

Who are we to say that Springs has no heart? Who are we to judge that his calf injury was some made up excuse. Who are we to act like just because he's an NFL player with money that flying nearly cross country every week to visit your comatose father, dealing with your stepmom's breast cancer, and his own impending divorce and custody battle. He has no heart? Please. He nearly gave up his career (including the money) to donate his kidney to his ailing father. A man with no heart doesn't do that.

Where was all this talk of "no heart" when Springs played all 16 games in 2007 and had 4 INTs in the last month of the season to help catapult us into the playoffs?

Well said. Thank you!!

Hall was only 19 when he came into the league, so it shouldnt come as a surprise that he had some maturity issues early on in his career. but for goodness sakes, hes 25 now. most guys do ALOT of maturing in that time period. He's gone on the record saying he was miserable in Oakland and the experience showed him money isnt everything. He was as close to a model citizen as you want your starting corner to be. every corner gets a personal foul now and then - i seem to remember the "beloved" carlos rogers getting a couple this year - yet why is no one talking about his character and maturity? Hall has also gone on record saying how much he looks up to Fletcher and asks him for advice. Hall is saying and DOING all the right things. He has done enough to show most - if not all - of his maturity problems are a thing of the past. He's certainly done enough to show he's more mature than Carlos Rogers is at this point, with all his complaining about his contract, playing time, and even demanding a trade.

And what about our other corner, Springs? He's as selfish and greedy as they come - yet no one criticizes his character. Looking at our corner situation, we have two young, talented guys in Hall and Rogers. Some people say its an either/or situation - but i dont think we should have to chose between them. I think we should extend Hall and keep Rogers, atleast one more year... but if given a choice, i'd pick Hall in a heartbeat and not look back. He is - by far - the better (and more mature) corner.
I agree with alot of what you say BHA. As I said I expected more of a reaction on the play where Springs messed up his INT but he didn't get bent out of shape and throw his teammate under the bus. A good sign to me. If Gray wants to sign him I'm all for it. I just don't want to break the bank on him. I've watch D.Hall all through HS and college. I live 5 minutes from Deep Creek High School where we both graduated. I hope he has matured. He had a lot of maturing to do. He was a great HS player but even then he was a selfish prima donna who cost us the state championship one year. Granted we couldn't have got there without him, but a dumbass selfish mistake contributed alot to us losing the game. With that said, I believe he is in the best situation for him in his entire pro career. I believe he's in a locker room that is condusive to him being more of a team player. As for Carlos and Springs, I think they've both taken their share of critizism and rightfully so. All I'm saying is we need to give him a good contract but not an unreasonable one. If he's gone on record as saying money isn't everything as you say, then we shouldn't have to break the bank on him. He's also stated he wants to play here. So I wouldn't necessarily treat him like we need him but he doesn't need us.

Who are we to say that Springs has no heart? Who are we to judge that his calf injury was some made up excuse. Who are we to act like just because he's an NFL player with money that flying nearly cross country every week to visit your comatose father, dealing with your stepmom's breast cancer, and his own impending divorce and custody battle. He has no heart? Please. He nearly gave up his career (including the money) to donate his kidney to his ailing father. A man with no heart doesn't do that.

Where was all this talk of "no heart" when Springs played all 16 games in 2007 and had 4 INTs in the last month of the season to help catapult us into the playoffs?

i was speaking of his play on the field and his contributions to the team when i said he has no heart. His personal life is irrelevant. 2007 is irrelevant. I'm talking about now. players who really care about the game and the team play through minor injuries because they know their team needs them. If Springs had heart, perhaps he would have done more to help the team get to the playoffs in 2008. By all appearances, Springs milks any injury he has for whatever its worth. Its also been confirmed (or if not, its widely beleived) that he was the mole leaking info to the press a couple seasons ago, bad-mouthing the team. Before the 2008 season, Springs said he seriously considered retiring but was talked out of it. Maybe he'll save us the trouble of cutting him and retire this year. By all appearances, his heart is no longer in the game and he's only playing for the money.

I think there is no way to say with confidence that someone has or doesn't have heart on the field. If I recall correctly, when Brunell was playing hurt back in 2004 (or maybe it was '06) he was being ripped for being selfish and refusing to sit out when he was clearly hurt. But I guess he had heart.

Selfishly, I'd like the team to keep Springs. He can still play the game and is one of our best and smartest players when he's on the field (which is more often than not). But I also know that from a monetary standpoint it may be best to let him go. And I know that Shawn Springs has too much going on with his life to need to put up with fans accusing him of having no heart every step he takes.

I think there is no way to say with confidence that someone has or doesn't have heart on the field. If I recall correctly, when Brunell was playing hurt back in 2004 (or maybe it was '06) he was being ripped for being selfish and refusing to sit out when he was clearly hurt. But I guess he had heart.

Selfishly, I'd like the team to keep Springs. He can still play the game and is one of our best and smartest players when he's on the field (which is more often than not). But I also know that from a monetary standpoint it may be best to let him go. And I know that Shawn Springs has too much going on with his life to need to put up with fans accusing him of having no heart every step he takes.

I think there is no way to say with confidence that Springs gives a crap what fans say about him... unless you or I are shawn springs, we cant know for sure what is going on in his head. all we have to do is look at the evidence as we see it and make our own judgements. this isnt a court of law. its a court of public opinion. Springs has done nothing to endear himself to fans. He has done nothing to earn his salary last year and he has done nothing to show he's worth 8.5M in 2009. If Springs were making the vet minimum and pushed himself to be in games, that would be one thing. But he's been making an insane amount of money to do next to nothing. If springs choses to restructure and extend his contract to stay here at a reasonable rate for a guy with his history of making the team wonder whether hes going to play or not all week, every week, then my opinion of him will change. If he retires, my opinion of him will change.

However, when he refuses to restructure, gets cut by the Skins, and then signs with Dallas within a week for a fraction of what he would have made here, then we'll see how you feel about him then. I can feel sympathy for Springs as a person with his off-field trials just like i can feel sympathy for Reed Doughty... but at the end of the day, its what they do on the field that counts. If you cant get on the field, or if you don't play well when you are on the field, you cant expect to be on the team and you certainly cant expect fans to love you. If feeling that way makes me a cold-hearted sob, then i guess thats what I am.

Hall is in some very good company there. Why anyone wouldnt want him is beyond me.

The same reason no one wanted TO when he was cut by the iggles a couple years back, yet you could hold his stats up w/the best in the biz too. The cowpokes were the only team that would pay him. Likewise, Hall wasn't claimed off waivers by anyone when the raiders cut him, so NO nfl team thought he was worth the deal he signed w/oakland.

Hall is the TO of db's. I hope the dude has matured & isn't such a self absorbed prick, but I think he played well this year for one reason - he wants a big contract. He could be the best in the biz but he doesn't want to be coached & he alienates his teamates.

C. Mortensen reported that the week before he got cut the raiders were hosting atlanta. He had a cookout for some of his old teamates, but "had a lot of food left over." This guy seems to be almost universally hated everywhere he goes, and its a shame cause he has the physical ability to be great. I would hate to see us sign him & trade Rogers, it could impact chemistry in a very bad way.

I think there is no way to say with confidence that Springs gives a crap what fans say about him... unless you or I are shawn springs, we cant know for sure what is going on in his head.

Sure, but I'm not the one who said he had "no heart" or even brought such an intangible factor into the discussion.

all we have to do is look at the evidence as we see it and make our own judgements. this isnt a court of law. its a court of public opinion. Springs has done nothing to endear himself to fans.

Nothing? Really?

He has done nothing to earn his salary last year and he has done nothing to show he's worth 8.5M in 2009. If Springs were making the vet minimum and pushed himself to be in games, that would be one thing. But he's been making an insane amount of money to do next to nothing.

He was hurt last year, but you'd like him to give back the money due to him in exchange for the vet min?

However, when he refuses to restructure, gets cut by the Skins, and then signs with Dallas within a week for a fraction of what he would have made here, then we'll see how you feel about him then.

I'd always thought he would end his career in Arizona actually (but Dallas is a possibility I suppose). If he does that, I'd miss him as a player on the Redskins but I'd wish him the best as he'd be closer to home and family.

I can feel sympathy for Springs as a person with his off-field trials just like i can feel sympathy for Reed Doughty... but at the end of the day, its what they do on the field that counts. If you cant get on the field, or if you don't play well when you are on the field, you cant expect to be on the team and you certainly cant expect fans to love you. If feeling that way makes me a cold-hearted sob, then i guess thats what I am.

But you don't seem to want to evaluate his performance on the field.

The same reason no one wanted TO when he was cut by the iggles a couple years back, yet you could hold his stats up w/the best in the biz too. The cowpokes were the only team that would pay him. Likewise, Hall wasn't claimed off waivers by anyone when the raiders cut him, so NO nfl team thought he was worth the deal he signed w/oakland.

Hall is the TO of db's. I hope the dude has matured & isn't such a self absorbed prick, but I think he played well this year for one reason - he wants a big contract. He could be the best in the biz but he doesn't want to be coached & he alienates his teamates.

C. Mortensen reported that the week before he got cut the raiders were hosting atlanta. He had a cookout for some of his old teamates, but "had a lot of food left over." This guy seems to be almost universally hated everywhere he goes, and its a shame cause he has the physical ability to be great. I would hate to see us sign him & trade Rogers, it could impact chemistry in a very bad way.

I'm sure the same things were brought when NE traded for Moss. Although it is funny that anytime I mention Moss, people say "well they were winning in NE, so he behaved". Well, when Hall came to the Redskins, we were not winning, and he played extremely well.

I hope the dude has matured & isn't such a self absorbed prick, but I think he played well this year for one reason - he wants a big contract.

This is a damn if you do/damn if you don't situation. If he had sucked...or not contribute much at all to the defense, what would you be saying now? If you were up for a raise in your job, wouldn't you want to do your best?

I'd think that most rational Redskins fans would agree that we'd be best served going into next season with a defensive backfield that contained Springs, Hall, Rogers, Smoot, Horton and Landry. Whether we're able to make that happen is a big question mark but if we are able to re-sign Hall and we don't trade Rogers then starting Hall and Rogers at CB with Springs and Landry at the safety spots would give us the best DB grouping the league.