Angry Hall Rips Into Falcons Coach Petrino Over Release Of Grady Jackson

October 24, 2007 6:59 p.m. EST

Atlanta, GA (AHN) - DeAngelo Hall is becoming the mouth that roared for the Atlanta Falcons. Hall, already fined $100,000 and benched half a game earlier this season for a confrontation with Falcons coach Bobby Petrino, was at it again on Wednesday, seriously questioning the team's release of lineman Grady Jackson.

Jackson was let go by Atlanta on Tuesday, despite leading the defensive line with 21 tackles, including five for losses. The move upset Hall, who said the team is giving up on the season.

"I don't know what kind of message is being sent to let Grady go," the Falcons All Pro cornerback told AP. "I'm trying to go [all] out on every single snap. But a lot of guys feel like everyone from the top down is kind of turning it in."

Petrino denied his team is tanking the season by releasing Jackson, however. "It had nothing to do with anything but football," the coach said. "It was just the way we wanted to go. We felt like for our best opportunity to win games, the next nine games that we played, this was the right move to make and that's really all there is to it."

Hall said he is disappointed with the team's 1-6 record, but said cutting players isn't the answer. "If that's the case ... they can probably cut me too," Hall said. "They need to cut all 53 of us. Nobody is playing the way they should be playing right now, obviously. I mean, we're 1-6. To sit there and single out Grady is just asinine. It's ridiculous."

Rookie Trey Lewis will take over for Jackson, whose now former teammates try to figure out what happened. "It's a shock," running back Warrick Dunn said. "We're all asking the question why? Did he do something wrong? I don't know."