Cardsmasochist
Full Throttle!!
Green: Culture changed for Cards
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 28, 2006 12:00 AM
Training camp starts Monday, and Cardinals coach Dennis Green is smiling. A lot.
Life could be worse. This off-season, his team signed an elite free agent running back (Edgerrin James), drafted a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback (Matt Leinart) and likely will sell every ticket for all 10 home games.
And, Green spent part of the off-season at his home in the San Diego area. No wonder he's smiling. advertisement
The Cardinals have been "undefeated" in the off-season before, however, and Green, who's won 11 games in two years, knows it's past time to produce. He addressed that pressure, and other issues, in a recent conversation with The Republic.
Q. With the signing of James, the drafting of Leinart, the opening of the stadium, does that put additional pressure on you and your players?
A. "Yeah, but that's part of it. I've said many times, that's what I love to do. I've coached football for a lot of years. When you cut your teeth with Bill Walsh . . . you expect to win."
Q. Have you talked to your players about handling the pressure of expectations?
A. "Well, we had a lot of optimism last year. That's what you want. You want people saying good things about you. You want people saying, 'Watch for the Cardinals.' The season doesn't always go the way you want it to go. That doesn't mean we would have preferred people saying negative things about us."
Q. What would you have said two years ago if someone said you would win 11 games in your first two years with the Cardinals?
A. "Oh, I wouldn't have believed it. But, again, recognizing how much work had to be done. Because so much of it is the culture. See, the culture has changed. It's changing the culture and creating an atmosphere. Can you win while you're doing that? I've always said yes, but it didn't happen."
Q. Do you feel pressure to keep your job this year? There aren't many coaches in the NFL who lose three years in a row and keep their jobs.
A. "I don't feel any additional pressure because I felt we would win while we were turning the program around. I said we would not be satisfied unless we were a playoff team, and we had a chance to be a playoff team. There were certain games that could have gone certain ways, even though our record was not what you want it to be. Absolutely, there is more pressure, but that's what I'm accustomed to."
Q. You've been in the league a long time. Did experience help you handle last year and the year before better than you would have 10 years ago?
A. "I don't know. I didn't handle it so well, to be honest with you. I think you understand what's going on. You can't panic and you can't get discouraged. Those are the two things you can't do.
"I think (owner) Bill Bidwill and (Vice President) Michael Bidwill handled it. I've said it many times, that (11 victories in two years) wasn't what Bill Bidwill had in mind. But I think he feels that we are accumulating good players. I think he feels we are working hard at it, and that we're dedicated to putting a playoff team on the field this year."
Q. With the new stadium and sellout crowds, does it feel like in some ways that you joined the NFL this year?
A. "I just think we just know where we came from. The culture has changed and along with that the players have changed."
Q. You say you like people saying positive things about the team, but you also love the underdog role, too, where people aren't saying positive things . . .
A. "We're still the underdogs. Nobody is picking us to win the (NFC) West. Everybody is picking Seattle and they're a team that deserves all the accolades they're getting. I think people feel we're on the move but in the same sense we still are the underdogs."
Q. So much of last year's failures were tied to not being able to run the ball. What comes first? Does a great running back make an offensive line or does an offensive line make a great running back?
A. "I think it's always both. First, you have to have health. That's what it starts with. You have to be healthy in the line so you can produce.
"The back can, if he is able to hit the line with a certain amount of push, make things happen, and that's the kind of back Edgerrin is. We also had an extraordinary number of run plays last year that we had penalties on. There were some teams we looked like we could run the ball well (against) initially, and every time we ran it we got a holding call. Now maybe we were running it because we were tackling guys. I don't think so.
"We weren't as patient with the run. I know I wasn't, because I felt if we weren't going to get it there, we were going to get it through the air."
Q. And you're counting on Steve Loney, new offensive line coach, to be a big addition?
A. "Steve is an outstanding offensive line coach. He coached Oliver Ross at Iowa State, he coached the system at Minnesota."
Q. What concerns do you have about personnel entering the season?
A. "I never quite think that way. I just know that we have to be able to have the balance. We want Edge to get 20-plus carries a game. That's crucial. To do that, you've got to be able to get the first downs. We want that balance to give us what we can do in the end zone."
Q. Depth appears to be a concern at linebacker and cornerback . . . .
A. "The second phase of free agency didn't happen for us. What we didn't get was the corner. The market kind of dissolved on us. And what we didn't get was a linebacker. We got the running back. We got the nose tackle. We got the guard. Now, I think we'll be looking to see if that depth is right.
Q. You still enjoy training camp?
A. "I do. This year, I'm going to ride up on the bus probably, and I have a lot of vehicles. I love cars and trucks. But I think I'm going to ride up on the bus with the other young guys."
Q. Why?
A. "I just feel like it this year. I told the team that and they all got a big chuckle out of it."
Q. Will it be hard not to play Leinart?
A. "No, because I believe first-year players, for the most part, have to watch and learn. I think Kurt (Warner) still has the ability to lead us to the playoffs, particularly with a running game to go along with it.
Matt is going to be a very good player and I'm still very high on - I haven't changed one bit - on the future of John Navarre. He's got everything you need to be a big-time player."
Q. You've said that but it seems people don't believe you.
A. "You know what? People don't believe a lot of things I say. They keep looking. They say, 'Son of bitch, he said that?' "
Q. You don't say very much you don't mean . . .
A. "I never say anything I don't mean. I try not to anyway. And a lot of times it has a hidden meaning, too. You figure that out. I normally will tell you what I'm thinking."
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Jul. 28, 2006 12:00 AM
Training camp starts Monday, and Cardinals coach Dennis Green is smiling. A lot.
Life could be worse. This off-season, his team signed an elite free agent running back (Edgerrin James), drafted a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback (Matt Leinart) and likely will sell every ticket for all 10 home games.
And, Green spent part of the off-season at his home in the San Diego area. No wonder he's smiling. advertisement
The Cardinals have been "undefeated" in the off-season before, however, and Green, who's won 11 games in two years, knows it's past time to produce. He addressed that pressure, and other issues, in a recent conversation with The Republic.
Q. With the signing of James, the drafting of Leinart, the opening of the stadium, does that put additional pressure on you and your players?
A. "Yeah, but that's part of it. I've said many times, that's what I love to do. I've coached football for a lot of years. When you cut your teeth with Bill Walsh . . . you expect to win."
Q. Have you talked to your players about handling the pressure of expectations?
A. "Well, we had a lot of optimism last year. That's what you want. You want people saying good things about you. You want people saying, 'Watch for the Cardinals.' The season doesn't always go the way you want it to go. That doesn't mean we would have preferred people saying negative things about us."
Q. What would you have said two years ago if someone said you would win 11 games in your first two years with the Cardinals?
A. "Oh, I wouldn't have believed it. But, again, recognizing how much work had to be done. Because so much of it is the culture. See, the culture has changed. It's changing the culture and creating an atmosphere. Can you win while you're doing that? I've always said yes, but it didn't happen."
Q. Do you feel pressure to keep your job this year? There aren't many coaches in the NFL who lose three years in a row and keep their jobs.
A. "I don't feel any additional pressure because I felt we would win while we were turning the program around. I said we would not be satisfied unless we were a playoff team, and we had a chance to be a playoff team. There were certain games that could have gone certain ways, even though our record was not what you want it to be. Absolutely, there is more pressure, but that's what I'm accustomed to."
Q. You've been in the league a long time. Did experience help you handle last year and the year before better than you would have 10 years ago?
A. "I don't know. I didn't handle it so well, to be honest with you. I think you understand what's going on. You can't panic and you can't get discouraged. Those are the two things you can't do.
"I think (owner) Bill Bidwill and (Vice President) Michael Bidwill handled it. I've said it many times, that (11 victories in two years) wasn't what Bill Bidwill had in mind. But I think he feels that we are accumulating good players. I think he feels we are working hard at it, and that we're dedicated to putting a playoff team on the field this year."
Q. With the new stadium and sellout crowds, does it feel like in some ways that you joined the NFL this year?
A. "I just think we just know where we came from. The culture has changed and along with that the players have changed."
Q. You say you like people saying positive things about the team, but you also love the underdog role, too, where people aren't saying positive things . . .
A. "We're still the underdogs. Nobody is picking us to win the (NFC) West. Everybody is picking Seattle and they're a team that deserves all the accolades they're getting. I think people feel we're on the move but in the same sense we still are the underdogs."
Q. So much of last year's failures were tied to not being able to run the ball. What comes first? Does a great running back make an offensive line or does an offensive line make a great running back?
A. "I think it's always both. First, you have to have health. That's what it starts with. You have to be healthy in the line so you can produce.
"The back can, if he is able to hit the line with a certain amount of push, make things happen, and that's the kind of back Edgerrin is. We also had an extraordinary number of run plays last year that we had penalties on. There were some teams we looked like we could run the ball well (against) initially, and every time we ran it we got a holding call. Now maybe we were running it because we were tackling guys. I don't think so.
"We weren't as patient with the run. I know I wasn't, because I felt if we weren't going to get it there, we were going to get it through the air."
Q. And you're counting on Steve Loney, new offensive line coach, to be a big addition?
A. "Steve is an outstanding offensive line coach. He coached Oliver Ross at Iowa State, he coached the system at Minnesota."
Q. What concerns do you have about personnel entering the season?
A. "I never quite think that way. I just know that we have to be able to have the balance. We want Edge to get 20-plus carries a game. That's crucial. To do that, you've got to be able to get the first downs. We want that balance to give us what we can do in the end zone."
Q. Depth appears to be a concern at linebacker and cornerback . . . .
A. "The second phase of free agency didn't happen for us. What we didn't get was the corner. The market kind of dissolved on us. And what we didn't get was a linebacker. We got the running back. We got the nose tackle. We got the guard. Now, I think we'll be looking to see if that depth is right.
Q. You still enjoy training camp?
A. "I do. This year, I'm going to ride up on the bus probably, and I have a lot of vehicles. I love cars and trucks. But I think I'm going to ride up on the bus with the other young guys."
Q. Why?
A. "I just feel like it this year. I told the team that and they all got a big chuckle out of it."
Q. Will it be hard not to play Leinart?
A. "No, because I believe first-year players, for the most part, have to watch and learn. I think Kurt (Warner) still has the ability to lead us to the playoffs, particularly with a running game to go along with it.
Matt is going to be a very good player and I'm still very high on - I haven't changed one bit - on the future of John Navarre. He's got everything you need to be a big-time player."
Q. You've said that but it seems people don't believe you.
A. "You know what? People don't believe a lot of things I say. They keep looking. They say, 'Son of bitch, he said that?' "
Q. You don't say very much you don't mean . . .
A. "I never say anything I don't mean. I try not to anyway. And a lot of times it has a hidden meaning, too. You figure that out. I normally will tell you what I'm thinking."
I love how he plays with the media in his interviews.
