Green
is back in NFL
By: Larry Fitzgerald
Minnesota
Spokesman-Recorder
Originally posted 1/16/2004
The winningest head coach in the decade of the '90s,
Dennis Green, is back in the NFL. With those Arizona
Cardinals? Yes, the same Cardinals that beat the Vikings
18-17 two weeks ago, handing the NFC North to the Green
Bay Packers.
Arizona made Green their 39th head coach in the team's
history. The Cardinals have been around a long time, since
1932. They are one of the league's oldest and most
traveled franchises, last winning a championship in 1947.
They've had stints in Chicago, St. Louis, and now Arizona.
Green, the second-winningest head coach in Vikings history
with 101 wins in 10 years, led the Vikings to the playoffs
eight times. He won the NFC Central four times and reached
the NFC title game twice.
Green is the last Vikings head coach to take the team to
the playoffs. ''He is a proven winner with an outstanding
track record of success everywhere he has coached,'' said
Cardinals President Bill Bidwell. Green signed a five-year
contract.
Green is the NFL's record fourth Black head coach, joining
Tony Dungy of Indianapolis, Herman Edwards of the New York
Jets, and Marvin Lewis of Cincinnati.
According to Green, ''When I got off the air a week ago
Monday on ESPN Monday Quarterback on ESPN News, I had a
message from my agent that Mike Bidwell, the senior vice
president of the Arizona Cardinals, wanted to contact me
and talk, and they had just released Dave McGinnis as head
coach.
''So right from the start, Arizona really wanted to
establish a relationship. So I did go in and visit with
them at Arizona on Wednesday. And then they came out here
to our house in San Diego,'' Green said.
''Then we did the second part of the interview in my home
here in San Diego. I think they really felt really good
that we could come in and bring a real positive attitude
and positive approach to getting them back in that win
column. So I think that was the difference, knowing what
someone wants and what they are willing to do. So we are
off and running,'' said Green.
Arizona will have the third pick in this spring's NFL
draft. They tied New York (Giants), Oakland, and San Diego
for the league's worst record at 4-12. Green has never
drafted a player higher than the 11th pick of the first
round.
He has established that he can draft great players: Randy
Moss, Daunte Culpepper, Matt Birk, Robert Smith, Michael
Bennett, Korey Stringer, Todd Stuessie and Robert Griffith
are all Pro Bowl players that Green drafted or signed.
''Because I've coached for 30 years and been involved in
the game, I felt that if the right opportunity came along,
then I was going to indeed take it and get back in the
game. I think it's great to see Joe Gibbs back in the game
also, with Washington, because he brings that kind of love
for the game, but he's also a guy that vouches for
coaches,'' Green said.
Can Green turn this program around that has had only one
playoff appearance and winning season in 16 years? ''What
it comes down to is going into it with a positive attitude
to begin with,'' Green said, ''and making sure that
everybody understands that the way to win is to work in
the same direction -- get everybody working on the same
page.
''We've got some good players. We have some big offensive
linemen. We have some fine receivers. We have some
outstanding running backs, and some guys on defense that
can run.
''And we have some salary cap room, and I think that cap
room gives you an opportunity to recruit players into an
area that players like to go and live because of the warm
weather,'' Green said. ''And if you look at some of the
teams that have done well in free agency, it's some of
those areas where the area and location itself presents a
great opportunity for players.''
I remember Dennis Green inviting me to his home in South
Minneapolis three years ago after his successful 10-year
reign ended here. Green and Richard Solomon, his longtime
friend and associate, and I reflected on what he
accomplished here under a hostile media environment. All
three of us had cigars, and Green said, ''I think I'll get
another opportunity in a year or so, and if it happens,
we'll start it up again.''
Green is back and ready to coach. ''They [Arizona] have a
brand new stadium on the way that's fantastic. The field
actually moves in and out with a retractable ceiling. I'm
really looking forward to it, along with my wife Marie and
the kids Vanessa and Zachary, my older children Patty and
Jeremy -- everybody is really excited and fired up about
this new opportunity and this new challenge.''
Fitz Notes & Quotes
The AFC and NFC Title games are this weekend, and will
feature two great rematches.
Philadelphia (13-4) is in the NFC title game for the third
year in a row. The great Donovan McNabb survived the
racist remarks of the pill-popping right-wing extremist
Rush Limbaugh to lead this team back.
They won nine straight during the regular season,
including a 25-16 win over Carolina (13-5) in November at
Carolina. I like the Eagles again 22-17. In the AFC title
game, Tony Dungy is back again with a new team,
Indianapolis (14-4), and Peyton Manning, who's on fire at
quarterback.
Manning has thrown 37 touchdown passes this season with
only 10 interceptions. He's thrown eight TD's in the
playoffs. New England (15-2) has been white hot, winning
13 straight games, including 5-0 versus playoff teams, 8-0
versus teams with winning records. They beat the Colts in
November at Indianapolis in a 38-34 thriller.
The winner of this game will be the favorite in Super Bowl
XXXVIII.
