Farewell, 47

[Ax]

From Mike Wise in today's WP.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...131-11e1-a612-3cfc842a6d89_story.html?hpid=z5

He won’t tell you that he knew a couple of days ago that the team actually wanted him to wait till Friday to reveal the news so his release could be announced with the rest of the final cuts, but that he couldn’t stomach the charade that long because of what this place and these fans meant to him. But someone close to him told me that.

He won’t tell you that he knew his days were numbered last spring, when Shanahan started comparing second-year tight end Niles Paul to Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe.

He won’t tell you the Redskins barely let him run a route in the preseason even though he was perfectly healthy. He won’t dispute Shanahan’s statement that he released Cooley now so he could start somewhere else, even though any sane football observer would question it.

So, people can try to apply "class" to Shanahan all they want. The class was Cooley's, alone.
**** Mike Shanahan.

 

[tshile]

So glad Cooley's release made way to resign.... Cromptom

i don't think one has anything to do with the other, but who knows.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

I'll agree that Boone said it best. Isn't that always the case? The players who fans connect with more on a personal level are always the ones we hate to see go. Monk, Green, ST, Portis...

Yes, my opinion only.

Two Hall of Famers who played here 13 and 20 years respectively vs. a solid performer that has been here for 8 but hurt much of the past 2.

I just don't understand people who come in here and try and **** on others for celebrating a fan favorite, I just don't get it. Do us all a favor and can it, would ya? We get it, Cooley was not such a big deal to you. No need to pee on the parade. Sheesh.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

From Mike Wise in today's WP.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sport...131-11e1-a612-3cfc842a6d89_story.html?hpid=z5

So, people can try to apply "class" to Shanahan all they want. The class was Cooley's, alone.
**** Mike Shanahan.

Yeah, the more I hear, the more disappointed I am about how Shanahan handled this whole thing. I wish Bruce Allen had stepped in; he's supposed to be all about the "core Redskins" and all.

 

[Bulldog]

I really can't believe this board.

In the offseason after the cap penalties were levied so many folks were in favor of looking at freeing up cap space to sign free agents.

Chris Cooley and Santana Moss were often discussed at the time.

I guess if the Redskins could have jettisoned Cooley's salary to bring in VJAX a lot of you would have jumped for joy.

But because the team released him to start Davis and develop Paul now Shanahan is being villified.

In the end if Davis and Paul perform I will have no problem with these changes.

It's ironic that there is so much name calling in re Davis and Jackson as 'bad guys' while a lot of the same fans cheered when this team acquired Haynesworth.

Haynesworth was more destructive to this franchise than Davis or Jackson could ever be.

And if Davis gets suspended during the season or fails to achieve?

We go into the draft or free agency and sign another TE in 2013.

Cooley was not going to be the answer here going forward in any event.
Posted via BGO Mobile Device

 

[tshile]

Yeah, the more I hear, the more disappointed I am about how Shanahan handled this whole thing. I wish Bruce Allen had stepped in; he's supposed to be all about the "core Redskins" and all.

Mike Wise's column is absurd, don't buy it. His entire shtick is to be anti-redskins and inflammatory; his radio show is impossible to listen to if you have any common sense.

Just be careful what you take from his columns/rants and believe or go around repeating.

It should come as no surprise that the 'sports junkies' and 'lavar and chad' shows are going along the same lines. 106.7 the fan could not be more predictable if they tried.

 

[Miles Monroe]

i don't think one has anything to do with the other, but who knows.

No, the didn't cut Cooley to resign Crompton, but the used the open roster spot to do so with a player that will likely never see actual game action. Hard to convince me that there weren't any players cut from other teams we could take a look at for some depth in a position of need

 

[Miles Monroe]

I really can't believe this board.

In the offseason after the cap penalties were levied so many folks were in favor of looking at freeing up cap space to sign free agents.

Chris Cooley and Santana Moss were often discussed at the time.

I guess if the Redskins could have jettisoned Cooley's salary to bring in VJAX a lot of you would have jumped for joy.

But because the team released him to start Davis and develop Paul now Shanahan is being villified.

In the end if Davis and Paul perform I will have no problem with these changes.

It's ironic that there is so much name calling in re Davis and Jackson as 'bad guys' while a lot of the same fans cheered when this team acquired Haynesworth.

Haynesworth was more destructive to this franchise than Davis or Jackson could ever be.

And if Davis gets suspended during the season or fails to achieve?

We go into the draft or free agency and sign another TE in 2013.

Cooley was not going to be the answer here going forward in any event.
Posted via BGO Mobile Device

Just to make it clear, I haven't jumped you or anybody else, and just clarified my original post. The move is the right one for the team, we all know that deep down inside. Sure there could have been a way to keep him on the team, but if the statments are true that he wants to start, there was no option but let him go.

I've known you for a long time, and you have never been the type that involved any emotional influance in your assesments. That's what I've always liked about ya Reaper....

 

[Ax]

I really can't believe this board.

In the offseason after the cap penalties were levied so many folks were in favor of looking at freeing up cap space to sign free agents.

Chris Cooley and Santana Moss were often discussed at the time.

I know you didn't single anyone out here, but I'll respond, since I am one who has criticized Shanahan over this. So, for the record...
I never have advocated releasing Cooley to create cap space. I think releasing Moss would be a mistake too. They would both be on MY 2012 team.

I guess if the Redskins could have jettisoned Cooley's salary to bring in VJAX a lot of you would have jumped for joy.

I never wanted VJAX, even if we got him without getting rid of Cooley.

But because the team released him to start Davis and develop Paul now Shanahan is being villified.

I vilify him cause I think he's a liar. This was a money move. Sack up and say so. They were smart enough to play the PR game and give the appearance that he had a shot at making the team. His time here was over when they IR'd him last year.

In the end if Davis and Paul perform I will have no problem with these changes.

I hope Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen do so well that they make Davis expendable. I will not root against Davis, as I will never root against my team. I just hope Niles and Logan do better.

It's ironic that there is so much name calling in re Davis and Jackson as 'bad guys' while a lot of the same fans cheered when this team acquired Haynesworth.

I never wanted Haynesworth. But, he was here, and Shanny mishandled that situation too. Just like the whole McNabb cluster****. We didn't have to worry about Cooley getting busted for smoking dope, or DUI, or smackin' his Mama. He was a character, with character. Davis has an off field IQ that has, to date, bordered on retardation. Jackson and Meriweather don't seem much better.

Haynesworth was more destructive to this franchise than Davis or Jackson could ever be.

To date? Absolutely. They're not done yet. time will tell.

And if Davis gets suspended during the season or fails to achieve?

We go into the draft or free agency and sign another TE in 2013.

And Shanahan should give total GM control to Bruce Allen, right? What's good for Cooley...How bout Mikey giving up half his salary?

Cooley was not going to be the answer here going forward in any event.

An opinion, not shared by all.

 

[Jimbo]

Crompton is back to spell Cousins for 1 1/2 to 2 quarters in the final preseason game. That's it. He will be gone by Friday. That's just the way it works.

I hate to see Cooley go but you CAN'T pay him starter money if he's not gonna start. I'd "like" to keep him but... A) Would he take less money? B) Would he be "happy" with a reduced role? C) Is it "better" for the team to keep him over a younger guy, especially one who plays Special Teams?

I don't know, for certain, the answer to ANY of those questions and those are pretty much business decision questions. It's easy to fault Shanahan in this situation but the guy has a WHOLE TEAM to run and I'm sure he struggled with this decision whether you think so or not.

As for me, I'll do what I always do........bitch about it, be sad and move on.

 

[tshile]

as many have said, we've had 2 decades of piss poor football for this fanbase.

the only thing we've had to cheer for are individuals.

it should not surprise you guys about the response. it is truly sad to see cooley go; he never complained and was one of the few reliable guys on the team.

the emotional ties i felt towards cooley are much stronger than I could have guessed - going into this training camp I assumed he'd be cut, traded, or his contract would be reduced significantly. here it is, it happened, and it still makes my stomach turn. this was not the way this guy was supposed to go out. not this guy. everyone else? sure, we had a bunch of bums. but this guy had real potential and quality. i look at him the same way I look at fletcher, except he's 100% redskins - drafted and raised.

it really bothers me he's not on the roster, and i know it's stupid to care this much

just can't help it.

my best guess is that it's not him leaving that bothers me. it's not that he left this way. it's that he never once had success here, and as the pages are starting to turn he's going to be left out. he's not just leaving, he's leaving an unsuccessful stint right as the team is on the verge of being successful. he even said it himself - the team is going in the right direction, and will accomplish some really good things in the near future. but he wont be a part of it

 

[Jimbo]

Well said tshile! This is why we buy jerseys. The emotional attachment is all part of being a fan. The first jerseys I bought my teenage son were Portis and Cooley. Now both are gone and it's sad, for me, that my son won't be wearing those jerseys while cheering for those players anymore.

We all have our reasons for attachment to certain players. It's never easy to see them go. Being emotionally detached, to me, isn't really being a fan.

 

[Ax]

as many have said, we've had 2 decades of piss poor football for this fanbase.

the only thing we've had to cheer for are individuals.

it should not surprise you guys about the response. it is truly sad to see cooley go; he never complained and was one of the few reliable guys on the team.

the emotional ties i felt towards cooley are much stronger than I could have guessed - going into this training camp I assumed he'd be cut, traded, or his contract would be reduced significantly. here it is, it happened, and it still makes my stomach turn. this was not the way this guy was supposed to go out. not this guy. everyone else? sure, we had a bunch of bums. but this guy had real potential and quality. i look at him the same way I look at fletcher, except he's 100% redskins - drafted and raised.

it really bothers me he's not on the roster, and i know it's stupid to care this much

just can't help it.

my best guess is that it's not him leaving that bothers me. it's not that he left this way. it's that he never once had success here, and as the pages are starting to turn he's going to be left out. he's not just leaving, he's leaving an unsuccessful stint right as the team is on the verge of being successful. he even said it himself - the team is going in the right direction, and will accomplish some really good things in the near future. but he wont be a part of it

Very well put t.

 

[Neophyte]

Blog worthy there, t.

 

[Fear The Spear]

I totally agree, as well, t.
But the truth is, there are quite a few "true-Redskins", and "drafted and raised", and character guys, dating all the way back to Ken Harvey, who never got a sniff of glory.
But I see the difference with Cooley, that many believe we are on the cusp of greatness, and he was tantalizingly close to being a part of that. But if he can't be a part of it here, I'm sure he'll have an equal or even better opportunity to be a part of it elsewhere, as long as it's not with Dallas, NYG, Philly, or the Bucs

 

[servumtuum]

I really can't believe this board.

Posted via BGO Mobile Device

Bulldog, I've visited scores of NFL fan sites and this exists everywhere, I think it's just part of being an NFL fan and concentrates most heavily on your favorite team and favorite players.

Feelings run deep on this and when those feelings are hurt tempers flare and comments get pointed and sometimes nasty directed at players, coaches, GMs, owners and other fans as well. Many find this disturbing, and I'll include myself here, but I've had to reconcile myself to the reality of it. I will add an observation-this board is better than most in this area, some are frightfully filled with ugly comments that would likely earn a vacation from posting here.

 

[tshile]

at the game last night they did their 'move of the game' where stubhub moves some fan into one of the (many) empty club level seats.

they moved two people, some woman and her husband/boyfriend/friend/brother/whoever. he was absent when the camera went, but she was there.

the camera went to her and she waved.

then she picked up a (rather large) white cooley jersey and held it up. the stadium went nuts for a good minute or so with whistles and cheers, which eventually turned into the 'cooooooley' chant.

was nice to see and be a part of. i really hope they do something to honor him at the home opener. i wish he could have seen the response.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

Chris Cooley on whether or not the Redskins treated him fairly:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...c30cce6-f2b4-11e1-892d-bc92fee603a7_blog.html

From his own mouth:

“I think the idea of being released earlier was a thought of mine,” he admitted. “I had mentioned to some people that that would be good for me. It wouldn’t have. Not that they made the decision [earlier] — nothing about their decision. Just spending the time in training camp, trying to prove that I was healthy, practicing every day — I never missed a day, I never missed anything — I proved to myself that I’m healthy.

 

[Bulldog]

The trouble is no one or at least very few know when it is time to go.

Theismann convinced himself he could still play even after the gruesome leg injury against the Giants. He was released and went to the Raiders and tried to come back in the offseason in 1986 with them but failed.

Riggins griped about being dumped by the side of the road like a spare part after 1985.

Monk left and then joined on with the Eagles and Jets in forgettable stints with both before retiring as a Redskin.

Cooley IMO will end up in Oakland, Miami or another town for a year or two and then will be out of the league by 32.

But I would seriously doubt that he is ever going to have a 77 catch season again like he did in 2010 for the Redskins.

And really that's the point.

 

[Neophyte]

Bulldog brings up a very, very good point. Very few leave the NFL on the their own terms. He has already pointed out 3 all time greats for the Skins but the reality is it was that way for nearly all of our favorites.

Samuels, Jansen and Portis to name 3 more recent guys. None left on their own terms. Samuels was risking severe life altering injury to continue playing so really had no choice in it while Jansen and Portis both thought they could continue to get it done when no one else did.

Only Darrell Green sticks out to me as a guy who left on his own terms and I think it is worthy to note he is the only defender on this list of guys mentioned here. Youth and speed seem to beat out experience on offense more often than they do on defense which appears, at least to me, to allow defenders to hang on longer.