Jason Snelling will not play
Atlanta Falcons running back Jason Snelling (44) is tackled by Seattle Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin (51) on a run in the first half at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports
Atlanta Falcons No. 3 running back Jason Snelling missed practice on Wednesday with a knee injury, returned to practice on Thursday, and then he abruptly missed Friday’s practice. That led some to believe that Snelling had suffered a setback on his knee injury, because that’s usually the case when a player misses a day of practice after practicing the previous day. But then we learned that Snelling missed practice on Friday because he was arrested for possession of marijuana, as opposed to a setback on his knee injury.
A setback would have caused Snelling to miss this week’s game against the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it looks like the weed bust will also cause him to miss today’s game. Even though the Falcons cannot discipline Snelling for substance abuse (only the league can discipline players for substance abuse, which happens after the legal process plays out), he will still miss this game. Why? Well, Snelling wants to take the week off.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter, Falcons head coach Mike Smith stated that Snelling told him he wants to take “some personal time” to deal with the arrest and will miss today’s game as a result. I really hope Snelling, who was always questionable to play today, figures things out, because he tried to eat the marijuana in order to avoid getting caught by the police. Dirk Koetter wants to get the ball to Steven Jackson more often and Jacquizz Rodgers’s big-play ability has shown up well, so the Falcons will be fine without Snelling (both Jackson and Quizz are better players anyway).