It is a FACT Ball went right by Hali, yes? Hali saw Ball spin off of Dreesen; he tried to lunge as Ball went by him for the TD: He just COULDN'T. Because he was locked up with Dreesen. Yes, Hali pushed him back a fair amount, which I never disputed, but "dominated"? If he'd dominated Dreesen he'd have made the tackle, probably would've taken Ball down with the guy supposedly failing to block him at all.
Here's how that would've looked: http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-h...ted-by-Angerer THAT'S a defensive lineman dominating a TE blocker, but it's not Joel Dreesen: It's Julius Thomas. So, no, I don't think Thomas would've done as well as Dreesen; Erik Walden's nowhere as good as Tamba Hali, yet Dreesen still blocked better than Thomas.