I Hope Jason Snelling Bought Artose Pinner Insurance

The Falcons cut Jordan Beck, a move I don't agree with. I will say that I can at least see the impetus behind it with Tony Taylor sewing up the backup spot, but depth at linebacker never hurts. I can disagree with the coaching staff, but I'm not going to get my red and black pantaloons in a bunch over it. At least the Falcons made some good depth moves by signing a defensive tackle and a guard with French names. Those are the types of moves that only savvy contenders make.

But it can't be all sunshine at Flowery Branch, because the Falcons had to go and make a move that I find so exceedingly dumb that it defies explanation. I'm talking about the release of Jason Snelling and signing of Artose Pinner. Normally I'd say something like "I don't know where to begin" before launching into this, but in this case I know exactly where I stand.

It is an indefensibly archaic idea, this having veterans as backups. Artose Pinner has never once proven himself to be a capable back at the NFL level. He's a decent third option, and that's fine. Up until now he just got his paycheck, rushed for maybe 200 yards a season and in no way interfered with my life. But then Pet Rhino flew in the face of logic by releasing Snelling and bringing in Pinner. Again, Pinner is a capable enough third back--but it looked like Snelling could be, too. He's also younger, cheaper and dabbled in fullback work. Snelling also was the team's only really effective rusher in the preseason and had survived the first set of cuts. He looked like a look to be the third back, and he certainly won me over by showing way more speed and power than any fan had any right to expect from him. And for all that, he gets cut for a veteran with absolutely zero potential.

I realize it's likely he'll come back to the practice squad, but I don't really think that's good enough. Snelling earned a shot with the Falcons, and they could've easily signed somebody like Pinner later on in the season. This is the kind of move that makes me wonder if there wasn't something else going on behind the scenes that made this happen. I can't imagine that from a football perspective Jason Snelling is any less capable than Artose Pinner of soaking up a few goal line carries and occasionally lurching forward for four yards.