Redskins' Hall heated after scrum

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By Guy Curtright SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES

ATLANTA | Already having been booed lustily by Atlanta Falcons fans in his return to the Georgia Dome, DeAngelo Hall burned more bridges Sunday.

If his problem wasn't with Falcons coach Mike Smith before, it is now.

Hall was involved in a second-quarter altercation in front of the Atlanta bench after LaRon Landry's hit on Matt Ryan out of bounds and took plenty of verbal swipes at Smith following the Redskins' 31-17 loss.

The cornerback accused the Atlanta coach of "putting his hand on me in a harmful way" and said he planned to call NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to complain about what happened.

"It's different when a coach comes over to break guys up," Hall said. "When a coach puts his hands on you and says that he is going to kick your [butt], that's different.

"I stay in Atlanta in the offseason. So if Mike Smith wants to see me, he can definitely find me. We'll save that for another day."

Smith said he didn't even know it was Hall who was part of the melee.

"All I was trying to do was restore order," Smith said. "It was very, very hectic. ... I can't tell you who was on that sideline."

Hall, often referred to as "MeAngelo" by Atlanta fans because of his perceived selfishness, was traded to Oakland before the 2008 season and generally has been on his best behavior since joining the Redskins. But he's at the center of controversy again after verbally taking on the Atlanta coach.