D. Hall. Again

What don't the Atlanta Falcons understand about rest? This has to be the most eventful bye week in the NFL's storied history.

In case you haven't heard by now, Falcons cornerback DeAngelo Hall was at it again Wednesday, calling out the Falcons coaching staff, namely head coach Bobby Petrino. The criticism this time had to do with the sudden and surprising release of starting defensive tackle Grady Jackson on Tuesday. Hall, obviously upset about the event, reiterated Alge Crumpler's comments from two weeks ago, hinting at the possibility that Petrino is trying to phase out the Falcons' veterans.

And Hall didn't stop with a couple comments here and there, like his somewhat short rant of a few weeks ago when he originally called Petrino out. Hall seemed to go on and on and on about his grievances with the coaching staff.

Here's the gist of it:
- He said he was playing his butt off every game and would continue to do so until his contract ran out and defended Jackson by saying he was doing the same thing. Well, Hall's contract is up at the end of this season and he is likely moving on to bigger and better money... err, things.
- If Jackson was cut, Hall said, the staff might as well cut the rest of the 53 players on the roster.
- At 1-6, the Falcons are making all the wrong moves.

Hall's comments raise a ton of red flags. It's one thing for one player to come out and accuse Petrino the way Crumpler did. It's a completely different thing when another player comes out and basically says the same thing. This team is in trouble; no doubt about that. But when players start an uprising the way the Falcons have this season, the problems extend far beyond the abilities of anyone, especially Petrino, to try to fix. And with Hall stepping forward to back Crumpler up, it's time to start thinking that what they're talking about is true. Even Warrick Dunn couldn't come up with any sort of answer as to why Jackson was let go or the coaching staff's philosophy on veterans. And when you can't get a stock, damage-control quote out of Dunn, something is up.

The cutting of Jackson was perplexing. My head is raw from all the scratching I've done over this one. It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to cut the leading tackler from the defensive line just because Petrino wants more playing time for former backup Trey Lewis. Lewis, to be fair, showed a lot of promise and potential earlier this season as one of Rod Coleman's backups, but to cut Jackson simply because Lewis needs more time is, as Hall put it, asinine.

Throughout the season, I've placed blame on Petrino for a lot of things - from play-calling to questionable roster moves (this definitely falls in that category), but not once did I think he was the type of coach that would throw his veterans under a bus like that. If you go back to my last blog (Your Questions), I defend Petrino and basically say that anyone thinking Petrino is purposely driving a wedge between the veterans and the younger players is loony. I have been swayed the other way on this; perhaps too easily, but swayed nonetheless.

If what Hall and Crumpler are saying is true, Petrino might be the most underhanded coach in NFL history. In fact, he should get into politics. Only a politician could compete with Petrino's say-one-thing, do-another policy as of late. Jackson was a truly character guy for the Falcons, and with such a shortage of that in the NFL these days, it's sad to see him suffer the fate he did. And what's even sadder is the state of the Falcons now that he's gone.