A melee breaks out along the Falcons sideline, and who's right in the middle of it?
DeAngelo Hall, of course.
"I was pretty sure," said Atlanta receiver Roddy White, a former teammate, "that he had something to do with it."
What Hall desperately wanted to do yesterday was beat the Falcons. Michael Turner made sure that wouldn't happen with a season-high 166 yards rushing, including two long touchdowns, and Atlanta snapped a two-game losing streak by beating Hall and the Washington Redskins 31-17.
Hall, who made two Pro Bowls playing for the Falcons from 2004 through 2007, yapped away all week about how Atlanta treated him unfairly before a trade to Oakland. He didn't even make it through one season with the Raiders and landed in Washington.
Turner was just too much to handle in Hall's return to the Georgia Dome. He broke off a 30-yard touchdown run to help the Falcons build a 24-3 halftime lead, and then finished off Washington with a 58-yard score early in the fourth quarter.
Hall was the last guy to have a shot at the burly running back on that clinching touchdown, but the cornerback -- giving away more than 50 pounds -- slid right off when he tried to make a tackle around the shoulder pads.
Hall might want to keep his mouth shut the next time he faces the Falcons (5-3), but he was still jabbering away after the game. He threatened to call commissioner Roger Goodell, accusing the Falcons of losing their cool -- coach Mike Smith included -- after LaRon Landry's late hit on Matt Ryan set off a near-brawl in the second quarter.
"Guys just started coming at me," Hall said. "It wasn't any mindset to break the fight up. It was in a mindset to try to get some licks in. Even the head coach came over there. Mike Smith said some stuff, said some words to me, cussed me out. He was grabbing at me, pulling at me."
After a slow start to the season, Turner is getting back to where he wants to be. He followed up a 20-carry, 151-yard effort against New Orleans with an even better performance against the Redskins, who had one of the league's top-rated defenses.
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