USAT: Washington Wire audio clip

USAT: Washington Wire

Feb 9, 2022

Outside of Sean Taylor and perhaps Santana Moss, it’s difficult to find a more popular former Washington player during Daniel Snyder’s ownership than former tight end Chris Cooley. - Cooley was a third-round pick in 2004 by Joe Gibbs and spent nine seasons in the burgundy and gold. Cooley was popular with fans as a younger player for his wild hair, blog and overall personality. He also happened to be a good football player, too. - During his nine seasons in Washington, Cooley appeared in 117 games, including 102 starts, and finished his career with 429 receptions for 4,711 yards and 33 touchdowns. - After his retirement, Cooley co-hosted a popular radio show with Kevin Sheehan. Cooley also spent seven years in Washington’s broadcast booth but wasn’t retained in 2020 under the new regime. Later that year, Cooley and his family left Virginia as he returned to his home state of Wyoming, where he is now raising his family. - Washington fans miss Cooley on the radio, so it’s a treat when he joins Sheehan for one of his podcasts. Last week, Cooley joined John Keim’s podcast, the “John Keim Report,” where he discussed several topics, such as what he’s doing now to the new name. - So, what does Cooley think of the new name? - “I hate it,” Cooley said. “I don’t like it. I saw the logo; it looks so weird. It’s so different. I don’t like it. I’m sorry.” - Cooley admitted since he moved across the country, he hasn’t felt the same connection to the team, but he’s not in danger of rooting for another team. Like most Commanders’ fans, winning will make everyone feel a lot better about the name and logo. - Another topic Cooley discussed was the quarterback position. Like most Washington fans, Cooley would love to see Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson come to D.C. One quarterback Cooley isn’t too high on is Jimmy Garoppolo. - “Jimmy’s inaccurate; he lacks anticipation,” Cooley said. “I think he’s got a phenomenal release, super quick with it and he can throw a great ball. - Before moving on to another topic, Cooley again mentioned Garoppolo’s accuracy issues. - Another interesting portion of Keim’s discussion with Cooley was if you trade for Garoppolo, you have someone who can get you to a certain level while buying time to find someone to get you beyond that level. A perfect example was how Kansas City had Alex Smith but eventually identified and traded up for Patrick Mahomes. - It was a terrific listen for Washington fans. Keim is fantastic as always, while Cooley always brings excellent and thoughtful analysis to the discussion. - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Washington Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Washington Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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