As if things couldn’t get any worse for the Redskins, the Washington Post is reporting that tight end Chris Cooley suffered a broken right foot in Monday night’s loss to the Eagles and will miss the remainder of the season.
Cooley broke his foot in the second quarter after he caught a pass and tried to change direction. He had not missed a game up until this point, but will now land on injured reserve for the first time in his career.
Fred Davis will start in Cooley’s place, which could be a good or bad thing for the Redskins. Davis has great hands and a solid receiver, but he’s a major liability as a blocker and that’s the last thing Washington needs right now considering the pass protection for quarterback Jason Campbell hasn’t been great as it is.
The NFL is cracking down on uniform infractions, and Chris Cooley provides an overview on his blog.
Just for fun I figured I would list some of the fines mentioned in our meeting and different amounts.
$5000 fines
- High/Low whites on socks
- Pants not covering knees (no skin should show below the waist)
- Bandana
- Wrong nasal strip
- Hand towel alterations – towel must be 7 to 8 inches and have no tape on it
- Tape not the same color of the shoe.
- Jersey untucked (usually there is a warning for this one)
- Jersey cut too short
- Sleeves coming out of jersey – only QB can have this and only a certain amount can come out
- Chinstrap undone ($7500)
$10,000 fines
- Personal messages
- Any second offense fine
- Wrong attire 90 minutes previous and after a game – clothes must be Reebok apparel
- Tinted visor – must have a doctors note for a tinted visor
The entire post is an interesting read. Cooley is a character.
- STET SPORTS has the trailer for the new Chris Cooley reality show, “The Cooley Zone” (which features his lovely wife, Christy, pictured). Chris and Christy — how cute! Count me in!
- THE SPORTZ ASSASSIN details a rumor that says that top high school prospect John Wall might be eligible for the NBA Draft this year.
- YARDBARKER has video of a ridonkulous soccer goal. It doesn’t look that odd in real time, but wait for the slo mo.
- Rick Reilly shadowed Kobe Bryant for a (game)day and ESPN has his report.
- SPORTSBYBROOKS laments that the two new NY ballparks have separate VIP areas for Very Important (a.k.a. Rich) People.
- In light of the news/rumor that he won’t return to ESPN next season, AWFUL ANNOUNCING pays respect to Emmitt Smith by listing his top 10 “Emmittisms.” Good stuff.
- SPORTSBYBROOKS has photos of Lance Armstrong fending off “Syringe Man” at the Tour of California cycling race.
- CHRIS COOLEY describes having to fend off overzealous fans during his night out with Alexander Ovechkin at a UWC fight.
- DEADSPIN chimes in on Jim Calhoun’s run-in [video] with a freelance journalists/rabble rouser. Calhoun was right, but he was condescending about it.
- I defy you to watch this touching story about a high school basketball game in Wisconsin without getting misty eyed…
- SPORTSBYBROOKS has the story of a hot New Jersey Nets dancer who claims to be a direct descendant of one Abraham Lincoln.
- If you didn’t catch the Pro Bowl (and really, who would?), Larry Fitzgerald dissed Chris Cooley in the end zone. CHRIS COOLEY’S BLOG has the first hand account, and YARDBARKER has the video.
- Female DEADSPIN writers deconstruct the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
- THE LOVE OF SPORTS has a great list of the one-hit wonders of the NBA All-Star Game. You know, guys who made the team and didn’t really deserve it.
- DEADSPIN comments on Mitch Albom’s comments on bloggers who comment on…whatever it is that bloggers comment on. (I wouldn’t know.)
- Remember that video we shared with you a few days ago of the Florida Gator fan (right) that paid tribute to her favorite team’s national championship with a pole dance? Well, LARRY BROWN SPORTS tracked her down and did an interview with her. Fascinating stuff.
- A Knicks fan over at ROOT ZOO provides 10 reasons why LeBron James will NOT be playing for the Knicks in 2010.
- That fan’s argument that the Knicks have no supporting class for LeBron is contradicted by the post at HOT STOVE NEW YORK about why David Lee should be an All-Star.
- CHRIS COOLEY posted some pictures of the notes he took before the Redskins’ games against the Ravens and Eagles. It’s an interesting peek inside the mind of a NFL player.
- Remember Kevin Pittsnogle? You know, that 6′11″ sharpshooter from West Virginia a few years back? Well, THE BIG LEAD has an update on what he’s doing now, and it may surprise you.
- SPORTSbyBROOKS has the story of the college basketball coach’s wife who is suing a cab driver for ruining her sex life with her husband. You read that right.
Over at his blog, Chris Cooley relates a funny story about how he and the Redskin offensive linemen get along. Here’s how it starts…
There is no better way to celebrate a win than getting grabbed and punched in the balls by a bunch of offensive lineman on the bus. Lesson learned though, if you go back and try to mess with one of them then the rest are gonna gang up on ya. To their defense, I guess I kind of had it coming…
Here are a few fantasy observations from Thursday night’s game…
1. Clinton Portis was not involved in Washington’s passing game. He was targeted on one pass, which he caught, but it was negated by a penalty. For a player that caught 47 passes last year (that’s almost three a game), this is pretty worrisome, especially for Portis owners in PPR leagues. 84 yards on 23 carries isn’t great (3.7 ypc), but at least we don’t have to worry about him not getting enough touches. It’s clear that he’s the centerpiece of the offense, even to a fault.
2. Chris Cooley was targeted twice. He had an 18-yard gain negated by a penalty, so he didn’t get his first official catch until late in the second half. Jason Campbell spent most of his time looking to Santana Moss (5-37-1) and Antwaan Randle El (7-73). No other player caught more than a single pass. It’s important to note that Cooley has had poor games in each of the last three seasons, and he’s bounced back each time.
3. The Redskins’ new West Coast Offense looks rough. The running game is okay, but Portis was behind the eight ball a little bit because the Giants were daring Washington to throw the ball. The Redskins’ season depends mainly on how quickly they can learn and execute the WCO. In fairness, they faced a tough Giants defense in an emotional road game, and they should fare better in their next two games, which are against the Saints and Cardinals (and are both at home).
4. Eli Manning is still erratic. He seemed to hook up with Plaxico Burress (10-133) at will, but he didn’t throw for a score (though he did run for one), had one pass picked off and had three or four more that were almost intercepted. Eli is a bit of a gambler, and it doesn’t look like a Super Bowl win has changed that at all.
5. Derrick Ward is Brandon Jacobs’ backup. There has been a lot of talk about a “Thunder and Lightning” combo with Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, but Bradshaw didn’t get a carry in the game. Ward carried the ball nine times and had two catches, so he’s the better handcuff for Jacobs.
6. Both defenses looked pretty solid. Admirable job by the Redskins to hold a pretty good Giants offense to 16 points despite getting no help from their offense. The Giants flew around the ball and seemed to pressure Campbell on just about every play. The injuries at DE are a concern, but the Giants DT looks good as a whole.
