Any Washington Redskin fan has heard of him. He’s one of the goofiest players in the NFL, a 2-time pro bowler and has been a major threat at the tight end position for his last 8 seasons.

I’m talking, of course, about the legendary Chris Cooley.

“Cooooo-leeeey”

And the crowd goes wild!

With 429 receptions to this date, Cooley is the Redskins’ all-time leader in most catches at his position. Stats aside, Cooley has the unique ability to be the “go-to guy” on a 3rd down pass to convert for a 1st, being almost flawless at this job.

Throughout his tenure on the Skins, every QB (Brunell, Collins, Campbell, McNabb, Grossman, Beck) has learned to trust the ball in the hands of this man, knowing he will get the job done.

Let’s take at this season, however; 1 catch, 9 yards???

Who does this Shanahan guy think he is?? (Besides bringing the team from a 3-6 season to 10-6, that is)

It all started when Cooley broke his finger in Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles 2 seasons ago. Upon further inspection, it was found his knee was worse off than he had thought from a surgery the season prior.

He was put on injury reserve the rest of the 2011-2012 season.

However, leading up to the 2012-2013 preseason Chris Cooley voiced how excited he was to get back into his routine of being awesome.

Then came the very controversial move just days before the final preseason game of the 2012-2013 season that Cooley was released from the team.

“I’ll take some time and make sure what I do in the future is exactly what I want to do.” – Chris Cooley

Fans reacted instantly and were angry to see the way Shanahan treated Cooley and called it unfair. They (and so did I) believe that by waiting until the last preseason game, it greatly hurt Cooley’s chances of being brought to another team that season.

Well, wouldn’t you know it? Shanahan’s golden boy, Fred Davis, became injured against the New York Giants prompting him to re-sign Cooley. 

Fans from everywhere, he’s back!!!!

In Cooley’s first game back in Week 8, fans chanted the usual “Cooooo-leeeey” in excitement to see their idol perform like the old days.

But he got no catches.

And this brings us back to the stats of this season. 1 catch, 9 yards.

Will Cooley bring it back this next season? Will he get playing time with other tight ends, Niles Paul and Logan Paulson?

If Davis comes back, will Cooley receive the same cruel treatment from Shanahan back in the preseason?

Only time will tell, but as a die-hard “Captain Chaos” fan, I truly hope this is not the last we’ve seen of this great man and player.