Here is what you need to know on this Wednesday, August 29, two days before the Redskins cut to 53 players.
Game chat starts at 6:30
It’s the Redskins backups vs. the Bucs backups tonight at 7 at FedEx Field. The battle will be on for the handful of roster spots that are still up for grabs. You can catch the game in HD exclusively on Comcast SportsNet and if you’re still using rabbit ears you can get standard definition on your tube on NBC4.
We’ll start our live blog and game chat at 6:30 and you will want to drop by to talk about the game and what will happen in the 48 hours after the game as the Redskins cut their roster to 53 by 9 p.m. on Friday. I’ll unveil my prediction for the final roster during the chat and we can argue and disagree about that.
See you right here at 6:30!
The timing of Cooley’s release
There was a lot of cyber ink and talk radio air time spent on this yesterday and I don’t want to do a full breakdown on what happened. I just want to suggest a possibility that may explain why the Redskins cut Cooley at a time when almost 1200 other NFL players will be flooding the market as the 32 teams all cut their rosters from 90 to 53 in a five-day span.
I do know that the Redskins and other NFL teams have gone to players who, like Cooley, are slated to make salaries that will far exceed their expected contributions to the team and asked them if they wanted to be released in the spring or if they want to go through the offseason and training camp to try to make the team.
Let me emphasize that I don’t know if this happened with Cooley. All I know is that it does happen and it would not be surprising if Cooley, who has spoken passionately both on and off the record about how much he loves being a Redskin, would value having a last chance to make the team over signing with the Bucs, Bengals, or Raiders in March or April.
Again, this is sheer speculation and I don’t know if things went down this way or not. But it would not surprise me to learn that it did.
And it's also entirely possible that Mike Shanahan just made a cold, calculated business decision and cut Cooley out of the blue. We may never know.
Today’s schedule
Redskins vs. Bucs—Redskins Kickoff on Comcast SportsNet at 6:00, Real Redskins chat and live blog at 6:30, kickoff at 7:00, Postgame live on Comcast SportsNet after the game.
In case you missed it
Billy Cundiff landed on his feet in Washington and he’s happy to get the chance.
20 in 20 looks at the possibility of Leonard Hankerson having a breakout season.
Must-see video: Cooley says “it’s been a great ride; it’s been a pleasure.”
Days until: Final cuts 2; Redskins @ Saints 11; home opener vs. Bengals 25; RG3 first division game @ Giants 53
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