A Blond Bombshell

Cooley may be done for season

An innocent-looking stumble on a cut-and-go route turned out to be anything but routine for Chris Cooley.

The Redskins tight end broke his right ankle after rolling it on the first play of the second quarter of Monday night's loss to the Eagles. And he did it without getting hit -- without even being touched -- by an opposing player.

Coach Jim Zorn said the break was on the inner side of Cooley's tibia, according to the Washington Post.

"He will be out for a while now," Zorn said. "I don't know if it's going to be season-ending."

Cooley will have surgery Wednesday on his broken ankle. If the procedure goes well, Cooley might not be placed on injured reserve.

He gave his own update via Twitter, saying: "3 pins go in the ankle tomorrow. Hopefully be back in 4 weeks. Thanks for all the support."

Cooley sported a freshly dyed blond haircut before the game, but the new 'do did little to change the offense's luck.

The news is another blow to a Redskins offense that already was without starting linemen Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas. Washington (2-5) has failed to score more than 17 points in any game this season.

"When it rains, it pours," center Casey Rabach said. "We just keep taking hits on the offensive side of the football."

Cooley entered Monday's game with a team-high 27 catches for 311 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Jason Campbell's first four throws against the Eagles on Monday were to Cooley.

Cooley went to the Pro Bowl after each of the last two seasons and never has missed a game since entering the NFL in 2004.

"Losing Chris is big," Campbell said.

Those who have a bright outlook on life will say this allows second-year tight end Fred Davis to show off his skills in game action.  He made the most of his first opportunity Monday night, scoring a touchdown and pulling in several big catches. 

But his blocking ability is suspect, at best.  His lack of blocking skills can't bode well for Campbell, who needs all the help he can get with a mangled offensive line in front of him.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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