Chris Cooley, Its been fun
Written By: Matthew McCracken
Sports Editor
In a recent interview, Chris Cooley told reporters that his season-ending injuries are a result of the NFL Lockout. Having a broken finger along with a knee that has been injured since training camp, Cooley ended his seventh season with the Redskins early. He finished the year with only eight catches for 65 yards.
His replacement, Fred Davis is leading the team with 28 receptions for 423 yards with two touchdowns. Davis, a talent out of University of Southern California, came into his own this year after playing and learning from Chris Cooley’s reign as the Redskins leading tight end.
Now, you are wondering why all of this matters. We have a tight end that can replace Cooley this year. Cooley will get healthy, and next year, we will have two tight ends that are able to tear apart defenses. Wrong. Cooley has played his last game in a Washington Redskins jersey.
Yes, it is sad.
Yes, it is unfair.
And yes, that is the NFL.
Cooley ends his Redskins’ career placing eighteenth all time for tight ends with 428 receptions. He takes first place among receptions for a tight end in Redskins history. He is a two-time pro bowler who has stuck with the Redskins through thin and thick. No matter who the head coach or starting quarterback was, Cooley was the only player on the Redskins roster who brought consistency to the game.
That is, when he was healthy.
This year isn’t the first that has ended early for Cooley. In 2009, he suffered a fractured foot that required surgery. Don’t get me wrong though, Cooley is nowhere near soft. Playing fullback at times, Cooley loves his physical contact as much as the monster Mike Sellers.
I guess when it comes down to it, I’m just writing this column out of respect for Cooley. I wish there wasn’t a word count on Microsoft Word so I could just go on and on about how much I appreciate what Cooley did for me as a Redskins fan. He stuck with us through all the close losses against the Dallas Cowboys. He didn’t give up on us after starting every season well, and then ending sub-par. He never held out for more money, or ran his mouth to the media.
A fourth round pick out of Utah State became the face of the Washington Redskins for a little less than a decade. His random No. 47 flooded the stands of FedEx field. The roar of his last name rumbled the ground underneath the grass of the stadium.
If I was famous enough to contact Cooley, I would tell him not to worry because your legacy will always outlast any new tight end or receiver to succeed you. I will always remember how many times you bailed out Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb and others. I’ll always remember how you would turn a two-yard reception into a first down conversion.
I wish there was something I could do to keep you on the team, but at the first sign of injury, you know Daddy Snyder gets scared and gets rid of it. I will always remember you. I don’t care if the Redskins go undefeated next year without you. I will always say they would’ve been a better team if you were on it.
Do me a favor. Go to another team, preferably not in the NFC East, do your thing and get yourself a ring. Get your feet wet in the pool of success. You deserve it. Don’t turn back, just remember us screaming your last name out, losing our voices.. And when you do big things in a future Super Bowl, don’t forget where you came from because we will never forget you. Good luck Cooley.
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