Flags, tempers fly in Redskins' ragged first half

ATLANTA -- Well before DeAngelo Hall got involved in a sideline tussle with his former Atlanta Falcons teammates late in the second quarter Sunday, discipline was an issue for the Washington Redskins. By that point, they had six penalties -- two of them offsides infractions on defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, one of which revived a stalled Atlanta drive. Chaos had clearly crept in. Hall, though, has a penchant for drama, and though there were more costly plays in the Redskins' 31-17 loss to the Falcons at the Georgia Dome, none better typified Washington's utter loss of self-control than Hall's mix-up with the Atlanta coaching staff and players. The near free-for-all started when Redskins safetyLaRon Landry hit Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan out of bounds. It included Redskins Coach Jim Zorn traveling nearly all the way across the field to extract his players from the mess, and it ended after the game, when Hall said he would call NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in protest because he believes Falcons Coach Mike Smith physically threatened him.