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Coles: Old team is not under my Skin

By JULIAN GARCIA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Even though Laveranues Coles' two seasons in Washington came to an ugly end, the wide receiver says he won't have negative thoughts about his former team when the Jets take on the Redskins in a preseason game on Saturday.
"It's just like having a relationship with a woman," Coles said. "When you break up with her, you remember the good times."

Not that there wouldn't be plenty of bad times to recall if Coles took that route.

After playing the first three years of his career with the Jets, Coles signed with the Redskins as a free agent before the 2003 season. He caught 82 passes for 1,204 yards and six touchdowns in his first year before falling off to 950 yards and one TD in 2004, despite catching eight more balls.

Things got really interesting following that season. After meeting with Joe Gibbs to discuss his role, Coles and the coach agreed the receiver needed to move on. According to Coles, the Redskins agreed to release him if he was willing to give back a portion of his $13 million signing bonus.

When news of that alleged offer leaked, the Redskins denied they had agreed to release Coles, who did not want to be traded. He wanted to become a free agent.

Washington eventually traded Coles to the Jets for Santana Moss, but not before Coles had a conversation with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder that didn't go too well. Though Coles didn't speak specifically about it yesterday, at the time he said Snyder threatened to blackball him, saying: "He was going to mail me a television because that was the closest I would get to an NFL team. 'Because I'm an owner I can make your life a living hell.'"

The closest Coles came to referring to that situation yesterday was when he said, "I've always forgiven but I've never forgotten."

Coles didn't mention Snyder by name but said he still has relationships with some players on the Redskins. As for how much his messy divorce with the Redskins will motivate him Saturday night, Coles said he has too many other things to worry about, like making it through training camp and finding continuity with his teammates, including four quarterbacks competing for the starting job.

If Saturday's game were a regular-season one, it might be a different story, Coles admitted. "You know it would be different," he said. "(The Redskins) have moved on and I've moved on."

The Redskins got the better end of the deal last season. Coles caught 73 balls for 845 yards and five touchdowns while Moss caught 84 for 1,483 yards and nine TDs. He was one of the NFL's most explosive receivers.

Coles had his best season in 2002 - the season before he became a free agent - when he caught 89 passes for 1,264 yards and five TDs. He knows it may be tough for him to reach that level this season, considering the Jets' quarterback situation and the fact that their backfield is in shambles.

Return to Washington for Coles
BY TOM ROCK
Newsday Staff Writer

August 17, 2006


The Jets are big on simulations, but Laveranues Coles won't have to imagine the experience of walking into FedEx Field before Saturday's preseason game against the Redskins.

Coles signed with the 'Skins before the 2003 season, then was traded back to the Jets for WR Santana Moss before last season. Coles said he is looking forward to seeing friends on and off the field on this trip.

Asked if he'll have any extra hop when he takes on the team that threw millions of dollars at him and then traded him away, Coles answered with a question of his own.

"Have you ever watched me play before?" he asked. "Then you know it'll be different."

The closest Coles came to referring to that situation yesterday was when he said, "I've always forgiven but I've never forgotten."

die cowboys die wrote:

The closest Coles came to referring to that situation yesterday was when he said, "I've always forgiven but I've never forgotten."

we need to BREAK this guy on saturday. end his career, or at least his season. as if HE has anything to "forgive". he tried to singlehandedly sabotage our entire 2005 season, and was rewarded for this with MILLIONS of unearned dollars. yet somehow he sees himself as the victim. absolutely pathetic. a truly pathetic human being.

Mursilis wrote:

die cowboys die wrote:

The closest Coles came to referring to that situation yesterday was when he said, "I've always forgiven but I've never forgotten."

we need to BREAK this guy on saturday. end his career, or at least his season. as if HE has anything to "forgive". he tried to singlehandedly sabotage our entire 2005 season, and was rewarded for this with MILLIONS of unearned dollars. yet somehow he sees himself as the victim. absolutely pathetic. a truly pathetic human being.

Are you kidding?!? "Sabotage the '05 season"? He made the ultimate sacrifice! At the end of '04, he sat at home thinking, "This toe injury is really going to be a nagging issue, and it's questionable whether I'll be able to help the team next year. On the other hand that cat Santana Moss is on the verge of a breakout year up there in New York, but he'll never get the numbers with Glass Shoulder Chad and the Carousel of Replacements the Jets have at QB. Hmmmm. . . . . I know, I'll pitch a fit, demand a trade, and get Santana sent down here!!" Worked like a charm, didn't it?