OAKLAND — At least two players in Monday night’s Broncos-Raiders game are going to be chirping at each other from the sideline.
What’s that? A little trash talking between bitter rivals?
No, now that you asked. Just two old friends catching up with each other. That would be Raiders cornerback DeAngelo Hall and Broncos corner Drè Bly.
The two have known each other for years, having been raised in Chesapeake, Va. But it’s not just roots that they share. Each went on to become a big-name, big-money cornerback in the NFL.
So when the Broncos and Raiders hook up Monday night, they’ll hear each other’s voices when they’re on the field.
“I know he’s going to be talking to me during the game like he always does,” said Hall. “I remember playing Denver and Detroit separate times in my career and I don’t think Drè sat down the whole game. He was on the sideline talking to me out there on defense and I’m doing the same thing. It’s good going up against guys like that.”
The two have a friendly competition going. Each has earned two Pro Bowl berths, but Hall has been in the league for only four seasons to Bly’s nine. Bly’s contract with the Broncos calls for $18 million in guaranteed money. Hall got $24.5 million guaranteed after being traded to the Raiders from Atlanta.
“When I got into the league, I told him that I was better than him,” said Hall. “But he was still going to Pro Bowls, so I had to get there first. As long as I keep progressing in the league, I kind of get to him. He knows it. He doesn’t say it, I don’t say it, but he knows it.”
On second thought, maybe that was a little trash talk.
Follow Jim Armstrong’s Broncos updates on The Jimmy Page at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. And read his columns on Sundays at .
He can be reached at 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
