The headline might be "Hometown kid makes good" after Max Hall walked off the field as a winner in his first NFL start as an undrafted free agent Sunday in the Arizona Cardinals' 30-20 win over defending Super Bowl champion Saints.
His teammates rallied around him in the heat of battle and afterward, there was an army of pats on the back and fist bumps from Cardinals teammates for Hall from the sidelines to the locker room.
"It was a lot of fun for us and for Max," said his father, Mark, who didn't have to travel far from Mesa to Glendale, Ariz., to see his son's debut as an NFL starting quarterback.
The tale of Hall's NFL start is top-shelf storybook stuff for the former Cougar, whose last start in football was leading BYU to a win over Oregon State in the Las Vegas Bowl last December. Since that time, he was generally ignored by the NFL when 15 quarterbacks were drafted last spring.
Media folks said he was too small, not strong enough. Some agents and draft gurus said he just didn't have the goods to play in the NFL.
On Sunday, before his family and friends, Hall looked every bit the part of an NFL quarterback. He was poised and confident, and — as he did a school record 32 times at BYU — he won.
"In college and the NFL, you take a win whenever it comes," said Mark, who took a lot of pride seeing Max walk across the field and shake hands with Saints' starter Drew Brees after the game.
Hall didn't throw any touchdown passes or make plays that won the game. But he didn't do anything to cost the Cardinals a win, which keeps Arizona atop the NFC West. Luckily, Arizona recovered both of his fumbles, one for a TD.
"I need to fix my mistakes," Hall said, "but I think those guys trust me, and I think when they look at me they know we have a chance to win."
On his second play, he threw a pick, forcing the ball into coverage while facing a seven-man blitz from the New Orleans defense.
"He made enough plays. His teammates did, also, and without a strong running game the defense played great, just great enough to deliver the victory," said his father.
BYU quarterbacks coach Brandon Doman, who has been in this situation with San Francisco, keeps in touch with Hall almost daily. He was pleased to see Hall help deliver a win in his debut.
"I am very proud of Max," said Doman. "He was so fun to coach and compete with. I am confident the Cardinal coaches and players would agree. It will be fun to watch his progress from week to week."
Although undrafted, Hall was very fortunate to sign with Arizona, a playoff team with a veteran defense and perhaps the best receiver in the league in Larry Fitzgerald.
It's a situation John Beck or even Alex Smith would envy.
Hall is starting quicker than any undrafted QB since the strike year of 1987. He got the job when the Cardinal coaching staff benched starter Derek Anderson, who replaced former Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart in August.
In Hall, the Cardinals saw something in his moxie and confidence that others didn't display. Players saw it immediately in training camp. Things escalated from there.
"It's just the tip of the iceberg for our offense," said Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who said Arizona will continue to ramp up the script for the rookie.
Hall showed his trademark gutsy play just before halftime when he drove the Cardinals into scoring position and then attempted to score, darting out of the pocket and diving towards the end zone. Thing is, he got smashed inside the 4-yard line by three defenders and the ball popped out just before his helmet rolled toward the goal.
A teammate, offensive tackle Levi Brown, hopped on the fumble and rolled into the end zone to tie the score at 10.
"Sometimes the ball just rolls your way," said his father.
Hall looked wobbly with the air knocked out of his chest.
It wasn't only time Hall was hurt during the game. Twice, he limped off the field, once after a sack and the last, with 7:30 left in the game when one of his linemen stepped on his foot, likely spraining it.
By halftime, Hall shook off the pick to start the game and completed an impressive 8 of 15 passes for 92 yards.
"This is a lot of fun, it always is when you win and we're going to enjoy it while we can. The NFL can be a flavor of the month kind of thing. We know it, and so does Max," said Mark.
e-mail: dharmon@desnews.com