Max Hall Shines in Rookie Debut, puts pressure on Leinart

by Staffieri on Aug 24, 2010 10:04 AM PDT

BYU's all time wins leader showed the Cardinals he is in it to win it in front of a rowdy Monday Night Football crowd in Nashville last night. Max Hall came into the game late in the 3rd quarter and started slinging the ball right from the get go. Behind a good chunk of the starting offensive line, Max had plenty of time to survey the field on his first set of downs but after a nice completion over the middle to Gant left the Cardinals with 4th and 2 the end result was a punt.

Three and half minutes later Hall got another shot. After a holding penalty and a run for no gain left the Cardinals with 3rd and 18 Max heaved a pass down the sideline and the Titans safety Schommer made a great play on the ball on picked it off.

With the start of the 4th quarter max seemed to get down to business and settle in. On his next drive Max hit his first three receivers and the Cardinals were moving. On 2nd and 3 from the Titans 22 Max dropped back to pass again and was immediately pressured. Using great footwork and keeping his eyes down field Max threw a strike into the endzone to Gant who just flat out dropped the ball.

All was not lost, however when on 3rd and 2 Max, under pressure again, rolled out right and hit Komar down the middle for a 22 yard TD pass, the Cardinals only TD in the game.

In total Max finished the game 7 of 15 for 101 yards passing with 1 TD and 1 INT. However, the big story here is that the undrafted free agent out shined the #10 pick who has all but been a bust in AZ. Yet another dagger in the PAC 10 that the MWC is king of the hill in football!

For a recap of Arizona and Tennessee's preseason game, visit SBN sites "Revenge of the Birds" and "Music City Miracles."

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No offense. I'm a big Hall fan and watched lastnight to see him play, but

Matty played against first team defenses while Hall played against 3rd stringers. Hall also had one ugly ugly ugly interception. It wasn’t a great play by the defense it was a horrible read by Hall. He threw into double coverage and both the safety and CB could have made the INT.

That being said, Max didn’t play bad. He is far from outshining Matt L though and even he does that’s not saying much. Matt hasn’t been able to win a starting job for 5 years despite being given plenty of chances.

For the Love of the Game

Stockton to Malone- The perfect combination!!

"I think he just said, 'Oh my Gosh,' or whatever they say in Provo."- ESPN talking about QB. Max Hall after BYU defeated third ranked Oklahoma (2009).

MonSTARZ forever!

by ForTheLove on Aug 24, 2010 12:04 PM PDT reply actions

He would of done better

if his receivers didnt drop those passes

by EcERyda69 on Aug 25, 2010 5:37 PM PDT up reply actions

The INT

Was a telegraphed pass to be sure, but the Safety did make a great play on the ball…I don’t think the CB would have gotten it as the WR had inside position on him. Max will learn quickly in the NFL that telegraphing is a no-no more than in college.

As for the D being 3rd stringers…true but so were the WRs for Arizona, so the match-ups were pretty equal. What Max benefited from the most was the fact that he got to play behind to the starting O-Line, pretty rare for a 3rd string QB in the 3rd quarter.

As for Leinhart, no doubt he is a bad QB for Cards. I am surprised that if they don’t know if he is a starter yet, after having watched him for 5 years in the program, they have not cut him. I had to throw that last line in for kicks you know?

by Staffieri on Aug 24, 2010 12:59 PM PDT reply actions

I'm pretty positive

Hall is 4th string, behind Leinart, Anderson and Skelton. Skelton still has the edge over Hall because a) AZ actually used a draft pick on him and b) Skelton had a very impressive outing against the Texans ten days ago, finishing with a TD pass and a 158 rating. Skelton is also just 22 years old and stands 6’6". Don’t get me wrong, I’m certainly routing for Max. I simply doubt whether the Cardinals are currently the best fit for him. If he were to be cut by AZ, I could see him signing with Indianapolis. He already has the relationship with Collie and Curtis Painter, one of Manning’s backups, has been mediocre.

by sroufe on Aug 24, 2010 5:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Why the Cardinals are the best fit

Sroufe, yes Max may be 4th string and yes Skelton may have been drafted, but it was in the 5th round. Having been around the NFL, let me assure you that from the middle of 3rd round on down to the FA signings, there is no loyalty issues. Skelton may have been drafted but he probably only got about $15,000 more in a signing bonus than Max did and their contracts are both going to be very boiler plate, so they are really on even ground.

But why I think Max has a great shot in AZ? They just finished having another short QB take them to the Super Bowl. They know what it is like to have a shorter guy run the system, and they know shorter guys are capable. There is no bias in AZ for height. Even the QB coach said that there are many things the other 3 struggle with because of their height, that Max does not have a problem with.

by Staffieri on Aug 25, 2010 9:16 AM PDT up reply actions

Brief breakdown of Hall's performance from ROTB

“He had a bad start, but after that he settled down and showed that he has a good understanding of the offense and he looked like someone that came from a big program in college. Made some nice throws, and looked good with playaction.”

- Link

by sroufe on Aug 24, 2010 4:56 PM PDT reply actions

Why the MWC vs PAC-10 beef?

I watched some highlights from the game and I will be the first to admit (as a recovering USC fan) that Leinart has not made the transition well from college to pro’s. That said, I’m with ForTheLove – Hall was far from “outshining” Leinart. It was a scrimmage game where you only play your starters briefly, so even if his stats say one thing we all know that stats can be manipulated, right?

I like Max Hall – I really liked the interview they did with him last year after the Utah game, and I hope he makes the cut – even if only as a back up, because we all know as a backup in the NFL you’re only one play away. Given a fair head-to-head shot, I think Max Hall might even be better than Leinart with a little experience.

Now for my complaint about this well written article: why do MWC guys always try to make up a beef with the PAC, where none really exists? Is it an inferiority complex? You guys deserve an AQ, OK? Great, but the last sentence written by Staffieri must have been in jest…. “Yet another dagger in the PAC 10 that the MWC is king of the hill in football!” Come one, for real?! Let me break it down for you: the MWC has 123 kids playing in the NFL, the PAC-10 has 273. I know we have an extra team so lets use some quick stats – the MWC has an average of 13.6 players per team that go to the next level, while the PAC-10 has an avg. of 27.3 kids per team. For you UNM fans (Dad, Steven…) that’s more than double. And, aren’t you leaving the MWC, after all?

You have had success against us in the post season, but can you really say that making it through a MWC season has the same impact on a team (in terms of injuries and general wear-and-tear) as making it through a PAC-10 season… be honest, now! We have WSU (for sure the worst team in major college athletics) but you guys get to play UNLV, SDSU, and UNM – a full 1/3 of your conference. I’d have to say that all three of those teams are maybe only slightly better than WSU, right?

Anyway, good luck going independent. I think you’ll do at least as well as Notre Dame has done. See you Sept. 4th!

by DenneyJD on Aug 24, 2010 8:28 PM PDT reply actions

Just trying to get your goat

Denney,
I have no real beef with the PAC 10, but it’s fun to have a “conference rival.” Each conference has the upper 30% and the bottom feeders, I just wanted had to stick in a jab or two.

by Staffieri on Aug 25, 2010 9:17 AM PDT up reply actions