Chris Cooley is a frustrated guy right now. Like Santana Moss, he's been with the Redskins for a long time and has lived through a lot of mediocrity. Finally, it appears Cooley has reached a bit of a breaking point. After a 17-16 loss to Tampa Bay in which he didn't have a catch until the final drive, Cooley vented a bit during his weekly Monday segment on "The LaVar Arrington Show With Chad Dukes" on 106.7 The Fan.
The conversation began with a question about the Redskins' lack of fan support in the loss and slowly morphed into Cooley letting off some steam about not being involved in the passing game. It began with this line and snowballed into more venting.
I think if people are real fans of the Redskins, find something to cheer for. If you like me, go to the game and cheer for me. I mean, watch me block. Who knows?"
Make the jump for more. HT to Dan Steinberg for transcribing.
I just can say that I wish there was a way to find a way to get you the ball. Playmakers need to get the ball early in the game and get into a rhythm; guys that make plays for this team should have touches. And I'm not blaming it on anybody. There were plays called where I could have got the ball. It just didn't work out."
Cooley is right. But here's the issue: the Redskins' offensive line is awful. There's an element of truth to the "watch me block" line, because Cooley is doing a lot of blocking in max protection schemes. Kyle Shanahan does need to find a way for Cooley to get the ball, but he also needs Cooley to protect Donovan McNabb. I'm very critical of Kyle, but I understand his perspective.
Still, Cooley does have a point here.
"First of all, I have as as many catches as almost any tight end in the league. I think I'm second or third. Which is great. What I would like is I want third-down catches, and I want catches in the red zone. I mean, I want to be able to make plays for this team. And getting to know everyone better and getting to know how I fit into this scheme, I feel more confident going into our quarterback or going into our offensive coordinator and saying, look, this is where I feel I can contribute. I know I can beat him. I know I can do this."
Cooley should speak up, because this offense's red zone execution has been awful. Why not get the ball to the team's most sure-handed pass catcher?