Washington Redskins tight end Chris Cooley, in a show of either political savvy or downright admiration, said Friday that while any team could win the brutal NFC East, the Philadelphia Eagles have landed on everyone's radar after their aggressive offseason.
"I think Philly's the team to beat, looking at what they've done right now," Cooley told WJFK-FM. "But when you look at the NFL and you look at the East, everyone can be very good. I wouldn't be surprised ... to see New York and Dallas both being excellent football teams. It's a tough division and it always will be, but when you look at what Philly did and when you look at the players they have and coming off the year they had last year, I think they're a very good football team."
Cooley held back on anointing the Redskins, saying: "Obviously, we're not the team to beat based on the way we played last year and what we've done over the past couple years."
Cooley is still dealing with a sore left knee, but he reiterated he hopes to be on the field in Sunday's season opener against the New York Giants.
"Obviously that's what I hope to do," he said, adding that he feels ready to play: "There's a little bit of swelling, but nothing that I'm even concerned about right now. ... If I were to play, I'd play at 100 percent. I'm not slowed down. It's not like a sprained ankle. The concern for me is if it blows back up."
Cooley had surgery on the knee at the end of last season to repair torn cartilage. He said in August that the cartilage is fine but that a bruise developed around the joint and caused some irritation and swelling.
"It's getting better, getting better every day," Cooley said. "I've been so happy about the treatment and about how much it's gotten better every day."
