Cornerback DeAngelo Hall didn't exactly have a ball facing his former Falcons teammates. Not only did his Redskins lose, but he says Falcons coach Mike Smith "cussed me out" and assistant Jeff Fish and others "put their hands on me" during a fracas on the sideline, adding they wanted to "get some licks in." Hall said he plans to pursue the matter with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The brouhaha capped a week of acrimony in which Hall had ripped Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who traded Hall in 2008. The rift Sunday came at the Atlanta sideline, where Hall said he was trying to calm a teammate who was jawing with the Falcons. Soon personnel from both teams intervened.

"Coach Smith came over to me, talking (expletive) to me, saying they were going to kick my (butt)," Hall said. "I stay in Atlanta during the offseason, so if Mike Smith wants to see me, he can definitely find me."

Smith said, "There were a bunch of guys on that sideline. ... I can't tell you anything more about it."

LOCAL LINE — Normandy High's Laurence Maroney, the Patriots running back who is trying to rebound from an injury-shortened 2008 season, carried a season-high 20 times for 82 yards and a TD in a victory over the Dolphins. He's averaging 4.3 yards a carry, the same he had as a rookie in '06 and just off his career best of 4.5 in '07.

— A knee injury Patriots center Dan Koppen suffered in the second quarter created playing time for Marquette High's Dan Connolly, who is in his fourth NFL season and has had fill-in duty at several positions.

"Connolly has really done a good job for us," coach Bill Belichick told ESPNBoston.com. "... He's really been a solid guy who has taken a big jump. ... He's probably one of our most improved players. ... I think he's getting close to battling for some playing time."

— Ex-Ram Anthony Hargrove recovered two fumbles in less than a minute late in the game, one that he returned 1 yard for a TD, cementing the Saints' victory over the Panthers. Hargrove, suspended all of last season for substance abuse violations, had not recovered a fumble since 2005.

— Jaguars receiver Torry Holt became the 10th NFL player with 900 receptions — 869 of those came as a Ram.

BUFFALO BOUND? — Tony Dungy, an adviser to Michael Vick, said the quarterback could wind up in Buffalo. Dungy, a commentator for NBC, confirmed on the air that the Bills and Vick "talked originally" when Vick was searching for a team after serving 18 months in prison on dogfighting charges. The Eagles signed Vick for 2009 and hold an option for next year at $5.2 million, but he has played sparingly.

"If they want him back, he has to stay there,'' Dungy said. "If they don't, there are some teams looking for quarterbacks: Cleveland, St. Louis and Washington. But I think a dark horse is Buffalo. ... I think that could be a good spot."

(Post-Dispatch news services contributed to this report.)