azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Green: A man with a plan
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 28, 2004 12:00 AM
Green speaking
A sampling of Dennis Green's favorite sayings:
• Philosophy of the three D's:
Desire: How badly do you want something?
Dedication: What price will you pay to earn it?
Determination: If you fail once, will you keep trying?
• SMART assessment:
Are the goals:
Specific?
Measurable?
Attainable?
Realistic?
Timely?
• Three ways
to evaluate a player:
Does he play hard?
Does he play smart?
Does he play physical?
One of Dennis Green's favorite sayings is that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. And he takes that to extremes.
Green is always making lists, charts and schedules. If he's going fishing, he has a schedule and a strategy: the time he's going to leave home, what part of the lake he's going to fish first and a backup plan in case that doesn't work.
That planning, that preparation is part of what makes Green good at his job. He turned around college programs at Northwestern and Stanford and went to the playoffs eight of his 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
And those who have coached with Green believe he'll have the same success as coach of the Cardinals.
"I'm as biased as anyone because of what he's done for me," said Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick, a former assistant of Green's at Stanford and with the Vikings. "He's just an outstanding coach, and he will put together a winner there."
Green is brash, opinionated and tends to search for the positive in most situations. When he evaluated the Cardinals job, he looked for reasons to take the job, not to turn it down.
There was a young roster, an excellent salary-cap situation and a new stadium due to open in two years. He didn't look for explanations why the team hasn't won consistently since the mid-1970s.
"I don't really dig into how things work," he said. "I never have, because I think that every coach has a right to run a program exactly the way he wants to."
Billick equates that quality to Green's philosophy in preparing for the draft.
"He'd tell us, 'Don't tell me what this kid can't do. Tell me what he can do, and then we'll decide if what he can do is going to help us,' " Billick said. "I think a job situation is similar. Tell me what the good things are."
While Green loves to plan, he's not afraid to go with his gut, either. Those who have worked with him tell stories of changing lineups, shifting players to different positions and seeing a big picture that assistant coaches often miss.
"Denny could recognize what guys could do in his system," Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said.
Green likes to say there is more room for thinking outside the box than in it, so he's not afraid to take chances.
"When Denny saw a certain ability in a player, he wasn't afraid to pull the trigger," Billick said. "Assistant coaches tend to be very conservative. They'll lean toward the veteran, because the veteran won't make a mistake. Denny's mind-set was that it was your job as an assistant to coach them up."
Not all of his former assistants are fans of his, however. After the team went 10-6 in 1999 and lost in the playoffs to St. Louis, Green fired two assistants, allegedly after telling his coaches they would return.
Green has denied saying that.
Four other coaches resigned, some after refusing to accept demotions.
But even some of those coaches praise Green's abilities.
"The thing he did probably better than most coaches is he got the most out of the players," said New Orleans assistant Dave Atkins, who was fired by Green after the 1999 season. "There are so many positives I've learned from him, from the structure of staff meetings to preparing for an opponent; how he talked to the team on a Wednesday, Friday and the night before a game."
Green credits former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh for mentoring him and helping him get hired as a head coach. When Green was being considered for the Cardinals job, Walsh called team Vice President Michael Bidwill on Green's behalf. That call played a large role in the Cardinals' hiring of Green.
Walsh hired Green when Green was in his 20s and became almost like an older brother to him.
Walsh had been an assistant to the legendary Paul Brown and felt Brown hadn't done enough to help his assistants advance. Walsh was determined to be different, and he found a willing student in Green.
"He had a tremendous drive to succeed," Walsh said. "So whatever opportunity there was that made sense to him, he took and went for it."
The first coach to influence Green was George Hoensheldt, who coached Green in junior high in Harrisburg, Pa.
For practice, players had to run almost a mile to the high school, where there was a grass field. Hoensheldt followed them in his car and noted the numbers of the players who walked.
Players who were caught took a couple of swats on the rear after practice.
"He was very big on proving that you really should be on this football team," Green said. "You had to feel that you've earned the right to play."
While Green hasn't paddled anyone, he isn't afraid to do the unconventional. On most football teams, it's the lowest-level assistant coach who runs the scout teams. But Green does it himself for several reasons.
His interest makes the scout players feel important and do a better job in giving the starters an accurate look at what they might see on Sunday. It also gives Green a sense of the opponents' tendencies, and it helps him evaluate his team's younger players.
Green knew, for instance, when Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper was ready to start, or when guard David Dixon, a converted defensive lineman, was ready to play.
It's something Dungy and Billick learned from Green and do with their own teams.
"He has some unique things that he does to foster team chemistry, to keep those young guys going," Dungy said.
It might not seem like it at the time, but Green always has a plan, say those close to him.
When he and his family - wife, Marie, and children, Vanessa and Zachary - plan a driving trip from Phoenix to their home in the Del Mar, Calif., area, he sets the schedule.
"My wife (Marie) laughs about it," he said. "I'm going to lay out the plan. We're going to leave at this particular time, we're going to take these things."
He realizes, though, that some things are beyond his control.
"No," he said, laughing, when asked if he scheduled pit stops, too. "We have too many people who have to make bathroom runs."
Green's Clark Griswold routine doesn't bother Marie, who is also a list-maker.
"Do you know how fun it is at the end of the day to look and see everything crossed off?" she said.
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 28, 2004 12:00 AM
Green speaking
A sampling of Dennis Green's favorite sayings:
• Philosophy of the three D's:
Desire: How badly do you want something?
Dedication: What price will you pay to earn it?
Determination: If you fail once, will you keep trying?
• SMART assessment:
Are the goals:
Specific?
Measurable?
Attainable?
Realistic?
Timely?
• Three ways
to evaluate a player:
Does he play hard?
Does he play smart?
Does he play physical?
One of Dennis Green's favorite sayings is that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail. And he takes that to extremes.
Green is always making lists, charts and schedules. If he's going fishing, he has a schedule and a strategy: the time he's going to leave home, what part of the lake he's going to fish first and a backup plan in case that doesn't work.
That planning, that preparation is part of what makes Green good at his job. He turned around college programs at Northwestern and Stanford and went to the playoffs eight of his 10 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
And those who have coached with Green believe he'll have the same success as coach of the Cardinals.
"I'm as biased as anyone because of what he's done for me," said Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick, a former assistant of Green's at Stanford and with the Vikings. "He's just an outstanding coach, and he will put together a winner there."
Green is brash, opinionated and tends to search for the positive in most situations. When he evaluated the Cardinals job, he looked for reasons to take the job, not to turn it down.
There was a young roster, an excellent salary-cap situation and a new stadium due to open in two years. He didn't look for explanations why the team hasn't won consistently since the mid-1970s.
"I don't really dig into how things work," he said. "I never have, because I think that every coach has a right to run a program exactly the way he wants to."
Billick equates that quality to Green's philosophy in preparing for the draft.
"He'd tell us, 'Don't tell me what this kid can't do. Tell me what he can do, and then we'll decide if what he can do is going to help us,' " Billick said. "I think a job situation is similar. Tell me what the good things are."
While Green loves to plan, he's not afraid to go with his gut, either. Those who have worked with him tell stories of changing lineups, shifting players to different positions and seeing a big picture that assistant coaches often miss.
"Denny could recognize what guys could do in his system," Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy said.
Green likes to say there is more room for thinking outside the box than in it, so he's not afraid to take chances.
"When Denny saw a certain ability in a player, he wasn't afraid to pull the trigger," Billick said. "Assistant coaches tend to be very conservative. They'll lean toward the veteran, because the veteran won't make a mistake. Denny's mind-set was that it was your job as an assistant to coach them up."
Not all of his former assistants are fans of his, however. After the team went 10-6 in 1999 and lost in the playoffs to St. Louis, Green fired two assistants, allegedly after telling his coaches they would return.
Green has denied saying that.
Four other coaches resigned, some after refusing to accept demotions.
But even some of those coaches praise Green's abilities.
"The thing he did probably better than most coaches is he got the most out of the players," said New Orleans assistant Dave Atkins, who was fired by Green after the 1999 season. "There are so many positives I've learned from him, from the structure of staff meetings to preparing for an opponent; how he talked to the team on a Wednesday, Friday and the night before a game."
Green credits former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh for mentoring him and helping him get hired as a head coach. When Green was being considered for the Cardinals job, Walsh called team Vice President Michael Bidwill on Green's behalf. That call played a large role in the Cardinals' hiring of Green.
Walsh hired Green when Green was in his 20s and became almost like an older brother to him.
Walsh had been an assistant to the legendary Paul Brown and felt Brown hadn't done enough to help his assistants advance. Walsh was determined to be different, and he found a willing student in Green.
"He had a tremendous drive to succeed," Walsh said. "So whatever opportunity there was that made sense to him, he took and went for it."
The first coach to influence Green was George Hoensheldt, who coached Green in junior high in Harrisburg, Pa.
For practice, players had to run almost a mile to the high school, where there was a grass field. Hoensheldt followed them in his car and noted the numbers of the players who walked.
Players who were caught took a couple of swats on the rear after practice.
"He was very big on proving that you really should be on this football team," Green said. "You had to feel that you've earned the right to play."
While Green hasn't paddled anyone, he isn't afraid to do the unconventional. On most football teams, it's the lowest-level assistant coach who runs the scout teams. But Green does it himself for several reasons.
His interest makes the scout players feel important and do a better job in giving the starters an accurate look at what they might see on Sunday. It also gives Green a sense of the opponents' tendencies, and it helps him evaluate his team's younger players.
Green knew, for instance, when Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper was ready to start, or when guard David Dixon, a converted defensive lineman, was ready to play.
It's something Dungy and Billick learned from Green and do with their own teams.
"He has some unique things that he does to foster team chemistry, to keep those young guys going," Dungy said.
It might not seem like it at the time, but Green always has a plan, say those close to him.
When he and his family - wife, Marie, and children, Vanessa and Zachary - plan a driving trip from Phoenix to their home in the Del Mar, Calif., area, he sets the schedule.
"My wife (Marie) laughs about it," he said. "I'm going to lay out the plan. We're going to leave at this particular time, we're going to take these things."
He realizes, though, that some things are beyond his control.
"No," he said, laughing, when asked if he scheduled pit stops, too. "We have too many people who have to make bathroom runs."
Green's Clark Griswold routine doesn't bother Marie, who is also a list-maker.
"Do you know how fun it is at the end of the day to look and see everything crossed off?" she said.
