Tight end not complaining, but wants more chances
ASHBURN – He made a joke, but he also made a point. Chris Cooley is the Redskins’ second-leading receiver. He also was held without a catch for nearly the entire game Sunday.
So when asked on his weekly radio show on 106.7 “The Fan” about why fans should come to games, Cooley cracked, “Come watch me block.”
OK, then. Cooley likes to talk about his blocking, even said he’s coming off one of his best games in that department. However, he’s earned consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl because of his pass-catching ability.
“But I’ve had a lot of catches,” he said a day later. “I’m not going to go back and complain to anyone about not catching balls. I might give a persuasive nudge.”
Cooley is tied for second in the NFC among tight ends with 62 catches. However, in the 17-16 loss to Tampa Bay he was held to two catches — both on the Redskins’ last drive. He was targeted two other times.
“I had a lot of opportunities where I was open,” Cooley said. “It’s frustrating for me to run routes and be open, but on a lot of those routes Santana [Moss] made plays.
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“I don’t have complaints with not catching balls. I’m catching a lot of balls. Sometimes it’s frustrating when you don’t catch balls until the end of the game.”
The real problem? His red zone production — or lack thereof. Washington has unofficially attempted 50 passes inside the opposition’s 20-yard line. Cooley has been targeted on only seven of those throws. He’s caught six of them, and neither of his two touchdowns have come on throws in this area. Against Tampa Bay, quarterback Donovan McNabb bounced a pass to an open Cooley in the flat that would have resulted in at least a first down and possibly a score.
More plays in the red zone and more plays on third down — that’s what Cooley wants.
“Those are premier situations for a tight end,” Cooley said. “I feel I can excel there.
“I’m surprised with the amount of catches and the amount of plays I’ve had in this offense that I haven’t scored more than two touchdowns.”
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said teams aren’t focusing on Cooley more in the red zone.
Cooley did talk to Shanahan this week about his frustration, but he again emphasized that he likes the offense. He also likes how often he goes in motion — about 60 percent of the time — something he also did for two years when Al Saunders was Joe Gibbs’ offensive coordinator. It gives him better blocking angles, and it provides him leverage in the passing game.
“He’s got the ball a lot this year,” Shanahan said. “The coverage hasn’t brought it his way as of lately. … I don’t think he has any frustration with his involvement and how he’s being used. Chris is cool. You never know how it will be distributed.”
