Redskins DeAngelo Hall Rants in Locker Room

Beaten on the field on Monday Night Football, the Redskin's DeAngelo Hall had plenty to say off the field.

The defensive back went on a profane locker room rant with reporters, taking shots at officials and the team's own play calling.

After getting flagged for a facemask penalty, Hall said, "I told the ref after that call, that might have been his worst call of the game.  He's going to get demerit points for that call. Because that wasn't no facemask.''

Regarding the defensive alignments that let Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant average almost 16 yards a catch on Monday, Hall said, "Sooner or later, somebody's gonna ---- figure it out."  He continued, "You don't have to be a ---- rocket scientist to figure it out."

For audio of Hall's rant, click here.

 

Sorry, Snooks: Christie Nixes "Jersey Shore" Tax Credit

MTV's "Jersey Shore" won't get a New Jersey tax break because Gov. Chris Christie says the show hurts the state's image.

Christie on Monday blocked a $420,000 film credit that was approved for the show last week by the state Economic Development Authority.

The money was supposed to cover production costs for the hit reality series' inaugural 2009 season.

Christie suspended the film tax credit program in 2010 to close a budget deficit, but the 2009 season still qualified for the credit.

"I have no interest in policing the content of such projects," he said in a statement. "However, as chief executive I am duty-bound to ensure that taxpayers are not footing a $420,000 bill for a project which does nothing more than perpetuate misconceptions about the State and its citizens."

The show's production company, 495 Productions, based in Burbank, Calif., declined to comment. MTV spokeswoman Noelle Llewellyn said she wouldn't comment on the tax issue but wanted to reassure the show's fans. "'Jersey Shore' itself will not be affected," she said.

The show centers on the cast living and partying along the beach and boardwalk in Seaside Heights. "Jersey Shore" has made stars of its cast — 20-somethings with nicknames like Snooki and The Situation — and tourist destinations of their haunts. But it's been bashed by officials who are sensitive about New Jersey's image since it debuted nearly two years ago.

Lawmakers have expressed outrage about the credit since the Statehouse Bureau of The Star-Ledger of Newark and The Record first reported on it earlier this month.

But New Jersey Policy Perspective, a liberal think-tank, says some of the anger may be misplaced: The group says other businesses are getting millions in tax credits through the Economic Development Authority and aren't necessarily bringing jobs to the state in return.

COMMUTE ALERT: Track Work Slows NJ Transit

Some NJ Transit rail passengers are facing delays because of track repairs near Secaucus Tuesday.     

One track is open.     

Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line trains are running up to 30 minutes late.

Midtown Direct trains are being diverted to Hoboken.

PATH is honoring NJ Transit rail passes and tickets.     

Man Dies in Custody of SEPTA Police

Philadelphia Police are investigating the death of a man while in the custody of SEPTA police on Friday night.

Police say two SEPTA officers found 49-year-old Willie McCray walking the tracks while responding to a report of someone stealing copper in the Logan section of the city.

McCray allegedly grabbed one of the officers, forcing the other to take action with pepper spray.

The officers rushed McCray to Albert Einstein Medical Center after he complained he was having difficulty breathing, according to authorities.

He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Philadelphia homicide detectives are investigating the man’s death because he died in official custody.

SEPTA says the officers have been assigned to desk jobs, per agency policy.

 

Redskins Not Quite Ready for Prime Time, Loss to Cowboys

Being force-fed a dose of humility by your biggest rival isn’t exactly what the Redskins were hoping for against the Dallas Cowboys. Yet Monday night’s heart-wrenching 18-16 loss serves as a reality check for a team who might have been garnering a bit too much attention in the early stages of this season.

It's all too familiar. Instead of currying favor with a breakthrough victory on prime time television, the Redskins have no choice but to settle for playing under the watchful eye of those cynics who had hidden in the woodwork following a 2-0 start.

However, don't expect the pressure from the critics to affect the organization’s mentality. Washington might not be ready to impress a national audience quite yet, but Mike Shanahan's guys are closer than you might think.

Yes, the Redskins are unquestionably a work in progress. But they're also better than the 2010 edition, hanging tough against the Cowboys in a defensive struggle. Ultimately what cost them was that they couldn’t find a way to make those few extra plays that often separate good teams from great ones.

That’s not to say Dallas is a great team, but this was a game within the Redskins’ grasp and they let it get away. They had a 16-9 lead in the third quarter on a Tim Hightower touchdown catch, but eventually lost it on one of Dan Bailey’s six field goals. Rex Grossman had a chance to head up a comeback, but fumbled on Washington’s final drive to end the game

“It’s frustrating,” said Kedric Golston. “You prepare all week, you fight your heart out for the majority of the game and it always comes down to one [play], but that’s life in the NFL.”

The 2-0 start quickly erased all the doubts many had regarding the Redskins at the beginning of the year, but now they all resurface. Wins can hide flaws, but after a loss it’s easy to point out what went wrong.

Grossman now has five turnovers in three games and his fifth couldn’t have come at a worse moment. Kyle Shanahan abandoned the run while leading in the fourth quarter, the red zone woes continued and the special teams unit botched another field goal.

"At the end of the day you either find a way to win or you don't,” Mike Shanahan said. “[We] had our opportunities there in the fourth quarter and obviously didn't get it done."

Oh, they had opportunities and none bigger than a chance to bury the Cowboys on third-and-21 late in the fourth quarter.

Jim Haslett brought the house on the blitz to put a killshot on both Tony Romo and the Cowboys hopes of winning the game. The aggressive playcall backfired as Dallas picked up the rush and Romo delivered a strike to Dez Bryant who was matched up one-on-one with DeAngelo Hall. The play moved the chains and ultimately led to the game-winning field goal.

“You got to keep points off the board, bottom line,” Hall said. “At the end of the day, whether it’s a field goal or a touchdown it’s points on the board and as a defense we got to keep points off the board. We didn’t do a good job of doing that.”

The third down gaffe wasn’t the only point where the Redskins missed a chance to seal a win. After Hightower’s go-ahead touchdown, Grossman had three drives to extend the lead and burn some clock. All three possessions ended in punts and totaled just 13 snaps -- two of them running plays.

“This team has to learn how to say ‘were going to win. We’re going to win right now,’” Cooley said.

That ability to close out games is part of the learning curve facing this team. It’s tough to win a divisional showdown on the road, but if the Redskins want to be considered a good football team, they can’t allow games like this one to slip away.

As far as Cooley's concerned, they won't.

“Anytime you lose a game it tests character,” he said. “This team expects to win. It’s still early in the season. We’ll rebound and we’ll play good football going into St Louis.”

Thanks to Sky Kerstein and Grant Paulsen of 106.7 the Fan for the quotes.

President Obama Talks about Jobs, Fairness

Large swaths of Beverly Hills closed to traffic Monday night, as President Obama's motorcade departed a pair of  fundraisers in West Hollywood.

His first stop was the House of Blues, 800 supporters paying at least 250 dollars apiece, apparently including one man  who interrupted moments after the President took the stage.

 

"Christian God is the one and only true living God, the Creator of Heaven and the Universe," shouted the heckler, as the President calmly paused, and waited for authorities to take the man away. Supporters chanted "four more years" as the man was led away.

 

Once the heckler was escorted out by The Secret Service, the President continued, touting his administrations accomplishments and pitching for another term.

 

"What this election is about is whether everybody gets a fair shake," said President Obama, "And whether everybody does their fair share. That’s what I've been fighting for since I got to Washington."

Outside, some protesters criticized President Obama for supporting America's overseas wars. Others held placards critical of the Administration for other reasons. But inside, the President tried to stay on message.

"We've still got a long way to go, we've got a lot of work to do," said President Obama. "To make sure every American has a shot at success, I need your help."

 

NBC4 political analyst Sherry Bebitch Jeffe listened, and concluded that the President may need to do more.

"I thought this was some indication he felt frustrated, wistful," said Sherry Bebitch Jeffe. "He was looking back at 2008 rather than quite frankly looking forward to 2012."

Arlington Group Performs on "The Sing-Off"

The Arlington group Pentatonix hopes to make it big on NBC's "The Sing-Off."

Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying and Kirstin Maldonado grew up performing at Theatre Arlington, which hosted a watch party attended by their family and friends.

Todd Hart, executive director, said he knew it was only a matter of time before the trio made it big.

"They're all three individually amazing musicians, and when you put them together, they're crazy," he said.

Hart said the trio flew out to Los Angeles earlier this year to audition for the show. However, producers told them they needed at least five people to make a group.

Hart said the teenagers went on YouTube and found beat-boxer Kevin Olusola and bass Avi Kaplan.

"When they came out here to film all their backstory stuff -- I had not really heard the group sing before," Hart said. "They blew me away. ... And I don't get blown away that often. I was really amazingly dumbfounded."

Pentatonix made it through the first round of "The Sing-Off," performing Katy Perry's "E.T." Hart said he has no doubt the group will make it to the finals.

"It's really interesting -- a lot of acapella groups have one front person and the rest of the backup," he said. With this group, anyone can step out at any time and be a star. It's really cool."