Hall gets another chance at dream with Eagles

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Chad Halls dream finally came true last year. He not only made it to the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Air Force, he got to play in eight games for the Eagles. Caught 11 passes, carried nine times, scored a touchdown against the Cowboys, played in the playoffs.

After working so hard to achieve his dream, he saw it all end when he was released on final cuts this year and relegated to the Eagles practice squad.

It was difficult, he said. You want to be out on that field. Thats why we play this game to compete and make plays. You want to help (the team) every way you can on Sundays, in front of everybody.

The hardest thing about life on the practice squad was that the team was losing and Hall felt helpless. The Eagles are 3-6 going into their Sunday night game against the Giants at the Meadowlands.

It definitely (hurt), because the main thing I want is for us to be winning, he said. So the losses hurt a lot worse than anything else.

After playing in eight games last year, Hall spent the first 10 weeks of this season on the practice squad. Instead of suiting up on Sunday afternoons and performing in front of 60,000 people, he watched road games on TV and home games on the sidelines.

Every weeks the same, he said. I wanted to be out there.

Last year, Hall was activated on Oct. 9. This year, the bye week came and went and still Hall didnt get called up.

You can either look at it and get down about it and be bitter or I took it every day to get better and have the (attitude) that every day the next day could be the time where they call me up, he said. So I stayed ready.

On Wednesday, Hall finally got the news that he was being promoted to the active roster. He actually found out about his promotion when he saw half a dozen writers congregate at his locker. He knew there was no other reason theyd be visiting.

The Eagles signed Hall Wednesday and released safety Jarrad Page. Hall will wear No. 16.

With Jeremy Maclin banged up and questionable for Sundays game against the Giants with shoulder and hamstring injuries, Hall is insurance as an extra wide receiver, punt returner and kick returner.

Hall was a running back in college and played both tailback and receiver last year, although with Ronnie Brown and Dion Lewis both backing up LeSean McCoy, hell likely stick mainly to receiver this year.

Last year, coming in, it really was my first time actually playing receiver, he said. So getting off the line, running routes, everything, I was learning something every day. This year I dont think about it, I just play, and I just have a lot more confidence out there. ... Whatever they ask me, I was ready last year and Im even more ready this year.

The Eagles signed Page on Aug. 2, and he started the first five games of the season at strong safety, first in place of Nate Allen, who struggled late in the preseason while trying to return following knee surgery, then in place of Kurt Coleman, who was benched after the Giants game.

Page, a sixth-year pro whos also spent time with the Chiefs and Patriots, was inactive the next three weeks, first because of a stringer he suffered against the Bills and then as a healthy scratch. He played in the Arizona loss, mainly on special teams.

E-mail Reuben Frank at rfrank@comcastsportsnet.com.

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