FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. - Rookie cornerback DeAngelo Hall might seem to be an obvious target for the St. Louis Rams' cast of experienced receivers.

Then again, Hall showed in the Atlanta Falcons' last game that he's not easily intimidated by big-name receivers.

Hall drilled Seattle's Jerry Rice with a forearm and knocked him to the ground. Then, Hall returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown in the Falcons' 28-26 loss on Jan. 2. Rice did not have a catch in the game.

While Rice is nearing the end of his career, St. Louis receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce are still at the top of their game.

"I don't think he has seen anything that we would bring to the table on a consistent basis for four straight quarters," Holt said of Hall. "No knock against him. We think he's a tremendous athlete, a tremendous player."

Holt and Bruce combined for 2,619 yards receiving and ranked as the league's top receiving tandem.

Hall missed the first six games of the season with a fractured hip, so he watched when the Falcons beat the Rams 34-17 in Atlanta on Sept. 19, despite a combined 223 yards receiving by Holt and Bruce.

"We will see where he is as a defensive back and he will be challenged," Holt said. "And he'll challenge us."

Hall and his teammates in Atlanta's secondary can't wait.

"We're very ready," Hall said. "We're the most focused we've been in a while. We know these guys are going to come out here and throw the ball. That's what you want as a secondary. We want to get tested. We want an opportunity to make plays."

With Hall, Jason Webster, Kevin Mathis, Aaron Beasley and Allen Rossum, the Falcons have improved their depth at cornerback. As the least-experienced member of the group, Hall expects the Rams to throw in his direction.

"I think that's the mind-set of any offensive coordinator: Come at the rookie. Come at the player with the least experience," Hall said. "That's me. But I feel real comfortable in this scheme and real comfortable in our game plan, so I feel like we're going to be successful no matter what, whether it's coming at me or whatever."

Hall, the eighth overall pick in last year's draft, had 37 tackles and two interceptions in 10 regular-season games, including nine starts.

Mora said Hall's showing against Rice "shows you that we made the right pick when we picked DeAngelo."

"The guy's got a tremendous amount of ability," Mora said. "He just keeps getting better and better."