John Harbaugh tells his players to let their light shine.
Nobody lets it shine brighter (or louder) than defensive tackle Bryan Hall.
In an informal locker room poll of who has the biggest mouth on the team, Hall won in a landslide. The player teammates call “Cee-Lo,” after the rapper, even nominated himself.
“I think I’m blowing everybody out of the water,” Hall said after doubling over in laughter.
I won’t lie, Hall can be a tad much. For example, he likes to play a game in which he tries to get his teammates to laugh during interviews by just shouting random things at them. So it results in either terrible or inaudible quotes.
But for the most part, Hall cracks me up – along with just about everyone else he’s around. For example, he was doing a special “Big Mac” dance in the locker room the other day, mimicking a tired Bryant McKinnie with his hands on his hips.
Believe me, it’s a good thing to have during these dog days of training camp.
“I do it mostly to have fun with everybody,” Hall said. “Especially in this business, it can get stressful.”
Hall acts as if it’s a choice. It’s not. He was born to be a loudmouth. Hall’s mom is one of 15 kids. The second-year player has three sisters and a brother himself.
“My whole family will talk your head off,” Hall said. “If you want to talk you have to be extra loud.”
Hall’s that kid who probably got detention every other day. He’s been told to pipe down so many times by Defensive Line Coach Clarence Brooks that all Brooks has to say now is, “Hey, hey, hey, Bryan.”
Hall responds with, “I know Coach, shut up.”
“When he talks it’s like a buzz in your ear,” Brooks said. “I’m like, ‘Bryan, do you ever shut up?’ He’ll shut up for like 30 seconds and then he’s right back at it again.”
Kidding aside, Brooks gushed about his young lineman, saying his personality is “infectious” and that he’s one of the most well-liked players on the team. He talked about his tireless work ethic (Hall nearly had perfect attendance this offseason).
Head Coach John Harbaugh called Hall an “exceptionally explosive player.” But not before talking about his personality.
“You love being around him,” Harbaugh said. “I think he’ll be an entertainer when he gets done playing football.”
The other nominees for the award of biggest mouth were outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, nose tackle Terrence Cody and cornerbacks Lardarius Webb and Chykie Brown.
“Chykie’s voice is irritating,” defensive end Pernell McPhee said. “When you hear him talking, you’re like, ‘[Dang], why we start him talking?’”
