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Hall's talent translates in full
By LORI NICKEL
Green Bay - Even Korey Hall is a little disbelieving.
Just a few months ago, he was preparing himself for the possibility that the draft would come and go and he would latch on somewhere as a free agent linebacker.
Instead, the Green Bay Packers drafted him to be a fullback, a position he hasn't played since high school.
The move wasn't totally out of the blue - Hall tested for both positions at his pro day - but he should have been a long-term project. Though he was lumped in with a veteran and two other rookies fighting for the job, Hall was the only one who had to learn an entirely new position.
A realist, Hall won't look for permanent housing in Green Bay yet until "I'm sure I make the team." He said this even after playing fullback for the majority of both exhibition games.
"For a guy like me, that's not set in stone," said Hall. "You don't really have a chance to take anything for granted."
From the looks of things, it is time for Hall to start house-hunting. Hall's transition has gone so well that he may have, after about four months, locked up the starting job.
That means the job William Henderson once held for more than a decade could be filled by a rookie from Boise State who was perhaps too small to play linebacker in the NFL but too good not to get on the field some way, somehow.
"We thought he was a heck of a football player, and we'd figure out a way to (make the transition)," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "But he seems to have taken up the position pretty well and has played pretty good. Played very well in this most recent game. We'll see how it comes out."
Before this summer, Hall's only fullback experience was at Glenns Ferry High, where he also played linebacker and running back. He had 2,802 yards rushing for his prep career, but it was an experience he doesn't draw much from now.
"Especially the high school I came from, it would be hard to take anything away from that," Hall said
The transition for the 6-foot, 236-pound Hall began when he met Packers running backs coach Edgar Bennett to work on his technique. Hall really had to lower his pad level.
"It's something I've really picked up in full pads in practice," said Hall. "It's forced me to stay low or else you get run over."
In the meantime, Hall decided to make the most of three advantages he has over lifelong offensive players: One, he's already programmed to attack, so blocking giants might actually be fun. Two, he can recognize the defensive fronts and stunts a little quicker and a little better because he's played them. Finally, Hall said that it was easier to play fullback because he already knows the play.
"You don't do a lot of reading, and that's something that's a little bit easier," he said. "And fullback is probably one of the easier positions (to learn) on the offensive side of the ball in general, just because you have to be able to make contact. That is one of the things that can transfer from me being a linebacker, being able to make contact."
It does help that Hall is smart. He scored 25 on the Wonderlic and he's learning on the job at an impressive pace.
"Very bright kid. Very diligent. Very serious about his work," said Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. "He's got a great attitude, he's a positive guy. If he runs a route wrong, by the time he gets back, he will say to 'E.B.' or me, 'I should have had a flat route or I should have run a hook route.' Though he may make a mistake, he usually knows it before he gets back and gets an earful from the coach.
"You like that in a player, it shows a guy's got instincts and he can correct himself. We're real impressed so far. Good kid. He's got a long way to go but he's come a long way awful fast."
One of the things Hall has been working on has been switching with fellow rookie running back Brandon Jackson in their pass protection.
Jackson gave this example: protecting against a three-four front, Jackson would normally have the strong side linebacker on the edge. But he and Hall can switch, to allow Hall to move over and Jackson to take the middle linebacker. The benefit? Hall takes the bigger linebacker, and Hall, being a former linebacker, loves the hit.
"I have no doubt that he can block and hit that guy because he's really a linebacker, so he knows how to fill the hole," said Jackson. "We'll have no problems there."
Hall has also ascended the depth chart by managing to stay healthy. Third-year fullback Brandon Miree, returning to action this week, has missed most of training camp with injuries and Ryan Powdrell injured his knee in the exhibition game against Seattle. That leaves Hall, newly signed free agent Erryn Cobb and Corey White, who has been used more as a running back with 21 carries for 47 yards in two games.
Of the lot, Hall has received the majority of snaps at fullback, playing 2 1/2 quarters of the Pittsburgh exhibition game and about three in the Seattle game.
"He's getting better and better," Bennett said. "He's making tremendous progress. I love his attitude, his toughness, his physicality, his smarts. He very rarely makes mistakes. He's got good hands. He had so many attributes for playing the fullback position, it's been an extremely pleasant surprise."
Though the Packers ran for only 79 yards against the Seahawks, Hall was on the field blocking for a couple of Jackson's better runs last Saturday. He also had a catch for 8 yards.
"He's instinctive in the run game, he understands his reads and he understands his assignments and he's becoming more consistent with his footwork," Bennett said. "The kid has truly come along at a rapid pace."
By LORI NICKEL
Green Bay - Even Korey Hall is a little disbelieving.
Just a few months ago, he was preparing himself for the possibility that the draft would come and go and he would latch on somewhere as a free agent linebacker.
Instead, the Green Bay Packers drafted him to be a fullback, a position he hasn't played since high school.
The move wasn't totally out of the blue - Hall tested for both positions at his pro day - but he should have been a long-term project. Though he was lumped in with a veteran and two other rookies fighting for the job, Hall was the only one who had to learn an entirely new position.
A realist, Hall won't look for permanent housing in Green Bay yet until "I'm sure I make the team." He said this even after playing fullback for the majority of both exhibition games.
"For a guy like me, that's not set in stone," said Hall. "You don't really have a chance to take anything for granted."
From the looks of things, it is time for Hall to start house-hunting. Hall's transition has gone so well that he may have, after about four months, locked up the starting job.
That means the job William Henderson once held for more than a decade could be filled by a rookie from Boise State who was perhaps too small to play linebacker in the NFL but too good not to get on the field some way, somehow.
"We thought he was a heck of a football player, and we'd figure out a way to (make the transition)," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said. "But he seems to have taken up the position pretty well and has played pretty good. Played very well in this most recent game. We'll see how it comes out."
Before this summer, Hall's only fullback experience was at Glenns Ferry High, where he also played linebacker and running back. He had 2,802 yards rushing for his prep career, but it was an experience he doesn't draw much from now.
"Especially the high school I came from, it would be hard to take anything away from that," Hall said
The transition for the 6-foot, 236-pound Hall began when he met Packers running backs coach Edgar Bennett to work on his technique. Hall really had to lower his pad level.
"It's something I've really picked up in full pads in practice," said Hall. "It's forced me to stay low or else you get run over."
In the meantime, Hall decided to make the most of three advantages he has over lifelong offensive players: One, he's already programmed to attack, so blocking giants might actually be fun. Two, he can recognize the defensive fronts and stunts a little quicker and a little better because he's played them. Finally, Hall said that it was easier to play fullback because he already knows the play.
"You don't do a lot of reading, and that's something that's a little bit easier," he said. "And fullback is probably one of the easier positions (to learn) on the offensive side of the ball in general, just because you have to be able to make contact. That is one of the things that can transfer from me being a linebacker, being able to make contact."
It does help that Hall is smart. He scored 25 on the Wonderlic and he's learning on the job at an impressive pace.
"Very bright kid. Very diligent. Very serious about his work," said Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin. "He's got a great attitude, he's a positive guy. If he runs a route wrong, by the time he gets back, he will say to 'E.B.' or me, 'I should have had a flat route or I should have run a hook route.' Though he may make a mistake, he usually knows it before he gets back and gets an earful from the coach.
"You like that in a player, it shows a guy's got instincts and he can correct himself. We're real impressed so far. Good kid. He's got a long way to go but he's come a long way awful fast."
One of the things Hall has been working on has been switching with fellow rookie running back Brandon Jackson in their pass protection.
Jackson gave this example: protecting against a three-four front, Jackson would normally have the strong side linebacker on the edge. But he and Hall can switch, to allow Hall to move over and Jackson to take the middle linebacker. The benefit? Hall takes the bigger linebacker, and Hall, being a former linebacker, loves the hit.
"I have no doubt that he can block and hit that guy because he's really a linebacker, so he knows how to fill the hole," said Jackson. "We'll have no problems there."
Hall has also ascended the depth chart by managing to stay healthy. Third-year fullback Brandon Miree, returning to action this week, has missed most of training camp with injuries and Ryan Powdrell injured his knee in the exhibition game against Seattle. That leaves Hall, newly signed free agent Erryn Cobb and Corey White, who has been used more as a running back with 21 carries for 47 yards in two games.
Of the lot, Hall has received the majority of snaps at fullback, playing 2 1/2 quarters of the Pittsburgh exhibition game and about three in the Seattle game.
"He's getting better and better," Bennett said. "He's making tremendous progress. I love his attitude, his toughness, his physicality, his smarts. He very rarely makes mistakes. He's got good hands. He had so many attributes for playing the fullback position, it's been an extremely pleasant surprise."
Though the Packers ran for only 79 yards against the Seahawks, Hall was on the field blocking for a couple of Jackson's better runs last Saturday. He also had a catch for 8 yards.
"He's instinctive in the run game, he understands his reads and he understands his assignments and he's becoming more consistent with his footwork," Bennett said. "The kid has truly come along at a rapid pace."
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