Chiefs Pantalones
09-08-2005, 04:37 PM
Q: How are you feeling?
GREEN: “Feels good, feels real good. It’s amazing how quick the turn around has been, you know everything the doctor said of how quickly I would come back. I have had any muscle soreness. My foot feels fine, it’s really amazing how quickly it recovers.”
Q: The blood thinners are gone now?
GREEN: “Yeah, today was my last time. I’ll be fine and ready to go.”
Q: Are you back to full practice?
GREEN: “I took every snap yesterday. Every snap of every drill that the first team that ran I took everything. Monday was just a little bit limited just because I had taken so many days off they didn’t want to throw me in right away. I have taken any setbacks and everything feels great.”
Q: Could you talk about the overall state of the offense given the fact that so many guys have taken time off here and there throughout the preseason, is it where you want to be?
GREEN: “I think everybody feels real comfortable. When we’ve all been together as a group, even though like you said it hasn’t been as much as we would like, but when we have been together as a group we have been able to move the ball, put points up on the board, convert third downs when we needed, short yardage situations we have gotten to work on, goal line situations we have gotten to work on. I think everybody feels real comfortable with where we are now it’s a matter of putting it together for four quarters. From a comfort standpoint I think nine of the 11 guys have pretty much been together for three years, going on our fourth year. I think everybody feels real good with where we are.
Q: Are you getting that timing down with the receivers?
GREEN: “That’s something that really has been coming together for the last couple of weeks in practice. I had mentioned that before the Seattle game that I thought our timing was good in our games and in the practices. We just continue to keep working, but I feel good with where our timing is right now. Number one thing is keeping everybody healthy and having everyone for four quarters and hopefully that is the case on Sunday.”
Q: First game of the season against the Jets going up against one of the better defenses in the league, what is your outlook on that?
GREEN: “I think last year they were fifth against the run and we are pretty well established in what we do against the running game so that’s going to be a great test for both sides. We take a lot of pride in our run game and they take a lot of pride in their run defense so that’s going to be kind of the marquee match-up in terms of how this game goes.”
Q: CB Ty Law is coming off a pretty serious injury and healthy he is one of the best in the business, are you tempted to take a shot at any guy who is coming off an injury?
GREEN: “Well you know one thing about this offense is that it’s a progression-based offense and Al Saunders may call certain plays to go after a certain person or he may call certain plays to get somebody more involved into a game plan like you have seen with Dante Hall. We try to getting him the ball in certain situations or we see Tony Gonzalez coming up with special plays for that week to make sure he gets his hands on the ball. So to say you are going after one specific defender not necessarily true. It really has more to do with the timing of the calls and going through your progressions from a quarterback standpoint.”
Q: Not even if that guy is coming off a major injury?
GREEN: “That would be an Al Saunders question. I would just go through my progressions and read them as the plays called. That is one thing I like about this offense, I have been in it my whole career with different coordinators and different people calling the plays with a progression based offense. We don’t do a lot of changes at the line of scrimmage. Every play is built in whether you have sight adjustment or a hot or a flood to one side and a one on one on the other. That is why you see us do so much shifting and moving because your looking for those advantages. You’re looking to find those mismatches in the coverage and take advantage of that and to say your going after one specific guy it’s all based on what they do from a coverage standpoint, from a blitz, from dog, twists and stunts. From a passing game standpoint we have progressions to deal with all those situations.”
Q: The offense has been very consistent in the past could you talk about some of the new things we will see out of the Chiefs offense, including possibly a bigger role for Larry Johnson?
GREEN: “We had a lot of packages prepared last year for Kris Wilson and Tony Gonzalez when they were going to be in there together. Then with his injury we had to put some of those to the side and really we have been working on those in the spring. We continue to work on those how much he will be involved I don’t know. You can’t take Jason Dunn off the field with him being too much of a presence. With Tony Gonzalez coming off of foot surgery it may be a situation where they rotate those two more. Just to give Tony Gonzalez some breaks but hopefully he is healthy for the whole thing. There are a number of things that Kris can do from a receiving standpoint that we hope to take advantage of whether or not that presents itself in the first game or as the season progresses depending upon the health of Jason and Tony remains to be seen.
“As far as Larry Johnson stepping in last year, I think he did a great job when he got work. He proved a lot to himself and also to his teammates and coaches what type of he is that will only make us better in the running game. If we can find a balance between he and Priest (Holmes) making sure they are getting enough touches. You don’t want to take from either of them because as the game goes on they are both good backs in the second half. It’s going to be delicate to how we handle both of them but it’s nice to half that type of depth. We miss Derrick Blaylock because he was in the program for four years and he will be lining up on the other side of the ball but Larry has stepped in and done a great job. He’s probably had of all the people in training offensively he’s had the best camp.”
Q: Would you say that he’s matured quite a bit, too?
GREEN: “I think last year he handled himself really well. When you come out as a first-round pick and you’re already coming into a situation where we have a top backs in the league in Priest Holmes (it’s difficult). You have expectations and what’s expected of you. He was frustrated just like any other young player when you come into the league with expectations and you’re not on the field and when he was able to get on the field and express himself through his play I think that not only helped him but the team and organization. I was real happy for him and it’s exciting to see him come back this training camp and work as hard as he did this year as he did at the end of last season knowing that Priest was back and knowing Priest was going to be the starter he still came in with the same attitude and the same work ethic, that is real promising for where his career is headed.”
Q: What was it like watching the game (at St. Louis) Friday on television?
GREEN: ‘I didn’t like it. I think that was the first time since I have been here that I haven’t started a game. It wasn’t a situation I want to be in ever again. You always want to be there even though in that game I would have taken five to 10 snaps you still want to be out there with your guys and be in the locker room to be there and support the guys the younger guys that are going in. It’s not a situation I want to return to.”
Q: Would have ever guessed that this is your 65th straight game that you are going to start in given the questions about your knee before you arrived here?
GREEN: “No, that was obviously a big concern when they made the trade. I was coming off of my fourth knee surgery but I am pretty proud of the fact I have been able to stay healthy and prior to that knee injury in ‘99 I really haven’t been injured whether it be in college or professional. I had taken a lot of pride of being able to show up every week and go to work and do my job. When something like that happens and puts you on the shelf for a couple years. I think it just made me stronger mentally. My approach to the game mentally has changed since the injury. Even though I wish the injury had never happened there is a lot I learned from that in my time on the sideline being the backup and I think that makes me a better player today.”
Q: Are you anxious for the season to start, only because your saying your healthy to let everyone know you’re 100 percent?
GREEN: “I am not as concerned with showing everybody I am 100 percent as just getting the season started and showing people what this team is capable of. There has been so much written about the defense this off-season. What are the new guys going to do? How are they going to play in Arrowhead for the first time? Having the home opener against the team that went to the playoffs and won in the playoffs. They have high expectations of themselves, great run defense against our run offense. A quarterback coming off of rotator cuff surgery. What is he going to do, they said they are going to open up the offense more in New York. Are they really going to let him throw as much as they say they are going to? They have Curtis Martin who is a Hall of Fame running back. There are a lot of questions to be answered in this game and just the anticipation of it. When the schedules come out in April we have had a long time to think about this game and everybody is ready to go from that standpoint not so much interested in proving people I can stay healthy for the game. It’s more to do with since April there has been so much expectations and so much built up in to what this season potentially can be for us. Like I said with the new faces on defense it’s going to be exciting to watch all phases.”
Q: Could you talk about the importance of this game?
GREEN: “It’s a cliché, they are all important because you only play 16. This is important, open up at home this is very big for us we take a lot of pride two years ago when we had our success when we won the division we were undefeated at home that is something we take a lot of pride in and how we play at home and like you mentioned the following two weeks we are going to be on the road in divisional games so it’s important we get started off fast. I know the place is going to be loud on Sunday and we are all looking forward to that and getting the season started right. We also respect the fact that the Jets were in the playoffs last year. They won in the playoffs on the road in San Diego and really had an opportunity to beat Pittsburgh and go to the AFC Championship Game if it wasn’t for a couple of missed field goals. We have great deal of respect for them and we know this isn’t going to be easy but we feel like we are very prepared.”
Q: What is the secret to your durability?
GREEN: “I just try to take care of myself. I have always kind of been a work ethic guy. Trying to put the number of hours needed to be in the weight room or conditioning. Spending a lot of time in studying video and preparing myself mentally so I know when I get in certain pressure situations. Obviously there are times in the game where you have to hold on to the ball and try and make a play and take shots in an awkward position. I would like to think my work ethic and what I have prepared myself during the week and during the off-season is what is going to carry me through the season.”
Q: Was there ever a point during the evaluation of your leg that you didn’t know what was going on that you were worried about?
GREEN: “Yes, because you know there were no answers for a time. For about five or six days there and I understand the course of action the doctors had to take. You don’t come out and say your 35 and completely healthy it must be something with your artery. You have to go through the muscle thing, the back things, the leg things. We gradually just eliminated until it got to the point where nothing is getting better and we can’t come up with any answers and that’s when I was most frustrated because there were no answers. Once Dr. Cates figured out what it was and he immediately through the testing said this is what it is that’s why I was so quick with my decision. ‘Let’s go, let’s knock it out and get it fixed and get ready to go,’ and everything he said has come true in terms of how quick my recovery would be. There was some doubt in that four or five day period because there were no answers in that time.”
GREEN: “Feels good, feels real good. It’s amazing how quick the turn around has been, you know everything the doctor said of how quickly I would come back. I have had any muscle soreness. My foot feels fine, it’s really amazing how quickly it recovers.”
Q: The blood thinners are gone now?
GREEN: “Yeah, today was my last time. I’ll be fine and ready to go.”
Q: Are you back to full practice?
GREEN: “I took every snap yesterday. Every snap of every drill that the first team that ran I took everything. Monday was just a little bit limited just because I had taken so many days off they didn’t want to throw me in right away. I have taken any setbacks and everything feels great.”
Q: Could you talk about the overall state of the offense given the fact that so many guys have taken time off here and there throughout the preseason, is it where you want to be?
GREEN: “I think everybody feels real comfortable. When we’ve all been together as a group, even though like you said it hasn’t been as much as we would like, but when we have been together as a group we have been able to move the ball, put points up on the board, convert third downs when we needed, short yardage situations we have gotten to work on, goal line situations we have gotten to work on. I think everybody feels real comfortable with where we are now it’s a matter of putting it together for four quarters. From a comfort standpoint I think nine of the 11 guys have pretty much been together for three years, going on our fourth year. I think everybody feels real good with where we are.
Q: Are you getting that timing down with the receivers?
GREEN: “That’s something that really has been coming together for the last couple of weeks in practice. I had mentioned that before the Seattle game that I thought our timing was good in our games and in the practices. We just continue to keep working, but I feel good with where our timing is right now. Number one thing is keeping everybody healthy and having everyone for four quarters and hopefully that is the case on Sunday.”
Q: First game of the season against the Jets going up against one of the better defenses in the league, what is your outlook on that?
GREEN: “I think last year they were fifth against the run and we are pretty well established in what we do against the running game so that’s going to be a great test for both sides. We take a lot of pride in our run game and they take a lot of pride in their run defense so that’s going to be kind of the marquee match-up in terms of how this game goes.”
Q: CB Ty Law is coming off a pretty serious injury and healthy he is one of the best in the business, are you tempted to take a shot at any guy who is coming off an injury?
GREEN: “Well you know one thing about this offense is that it’s a progression-based offense and Al Saunders may call certain plays to go after a certain person or he may call certain plays to get somebody more involved into a game plan like you have seen with Dante Hall. We try to getting him the ball in certain situations or we see Tony Gonzalez coming up with special plays for that week to make sure he gets his hands on the ball. So to say you are going after one specific defender not necessarily true. It really has more to do with the timing of the calls and going through your progressions from a quarterback standpoint.”
Q: Not even if that guy is coming off a major injury?
GREEN: “That would be an Al Saunders question. I would just go through my progressions and read them as the plays called. That is one thing I like about this offense, I have been in it my whole career with different coordinators and different people calling the plays with a progression based offense. We don’t do a lot of changes at the line of scrimmage. Every play is built in whether you have sight adjustment or a hot or a flood to one side and a one on one on the other. That is why you see us do so much shifting and moving because your looking for those advantages. You’re looking to find those mismatches in the coverage and take advantage of that and to say your going after one specific guy it’s all based on what they do from a coverage standpoint, from a blitz, from dog, twists and stunts. From a passing game standpoint we have progressions to deal with all those situations.”
Q: The offense has been very consistent in the past could you talk about some of the new things we will see out of the Chiefs offense, including possibly a bigger role for Larry Johnson?
GREEN: “We had a lot of packages prepared last year for Kris Wilson and Tony Gonzalez when they were going to be in there together. Then with his injury we had to put some of those to the side and really we have been working on those in the spring. We continue to work on those how much he will be involved I don’t know. You can’t take Jason Dunn off the field with him being too much of a presence. With Tony Gonzalez coming off of foot surgery it may be a situation where they rotate those two more. Just to give Tony Gonzalez some breaks but hopefully he is healthy for the whole thing. There are a number of things that Kris can do from a receiving standpoint that we hope to take advantage of whether or not that presents itself in the first game or as the season progresses depending upon the health of Jason and Tony remains to be seen.
“As far as Larry Johnson stepping in last year, I think he did a great job when he got work. He proved a lot to himself and also to his teammates and coaches what type of he is that will only make us better in the running game. If we can find a balance between he and Priest (Holmes) making sure they are getting enough touches. You don’t want to take from either of them because as the game goes on they are both good backs in the second half. It’s going to be delicate to how we handle both of them but it’s nice to half that type of depth. We miss Derrick Blaylock because he was in the program for four years and he will be lining up on the other side of the ball but Larry has stepped in and done a great job. He’s probably had of all the people in training offensively he’s had the best camp.”
Q: Would you say that he’s matured quite a bit, too?
GREEN: “I think last year he handled himself really well. When you come out as a first-round pick and you’re already coming into a situation where we have a top backs in the league in Priest Holmes (it’s difficult). You have expectations and what’s expected of you. He was frustrated just like any other young player when you come into the league with expectations and you’re not on the field and when he was able to get on the field and express himself through his play I think that not only helped him but the team and organization. I was real happy for him and it’s exciting to see him come back this training camp and work as hard as he did this year as he did at the end of last season knowing that Priest was back and knowing Priest was going to be the starter he still came in with the same attitude and the same work ethic, that is real promising for where his career is headed.”
Q: What was it like watching the game (at St. Louis) Friday on television?
GREEN: ‘I didn’t like it. I think that was the first time since I have been here that I haven’t started a game. It wasn’t a situation I want to be in ever again. You always want to be there even though in that game I would have taken five to 10 snaps you still want to be out there with your guys and be in the locker room to be there and support the guys the younger guys that are going in. It’s not a situation I want to return to.”
Q: Would have ever guessed that this is your 65th straight game that you are going to start in given the questions about your knee before you arrived here?
GREEN: “No, that was obviously a big concern when they made the trade. I was coming off of my fourth knee surgery but I am pretty proud of the fact I have been able to stay healthy and prior to that knee injury in ‘99 I really haven’t been injured whether it be in college or professional. I had taken a lot of pride of being able to show up every week and go to work and do my job. When something like that happens and puts you on the shelf for a couple years. I think it just made me stronger mentally. My approach to the game mentally has changed since the injury. Even though I wish the injury had never happened there is a lot I learned from that in my time on the sideline being the backup and I think that makes me a better player today.”
Q: Are you anxious for the season to start, only because your saying your healthy to let everyone know you’re 100 percent?
GREEN: “I am not as concerned with showing everybody I am 100 percent as just getting the season started and showing people what this team is capable of. There has been so much written about the defense this off-season. What are the new guys going to do? How are they going to play in Arrowhead for the first time? Having the home opener against the team that went to the playoffs and won in the playoffs. They have high expectations of themselves, great run defense against our run offense. A quarterback coming off of rotator cuff surgery. What is he going to do, they said they are going to open up the offense more in New York. Are they really going to let him throw as much as they say they are going to? They have Curtis Martin who is a Hall of Fame running back. There are a lot of questions to be answered in this game and just the anticipation of it. When the schedules come out in April we have had a long time to think about this game and everybody is ready to go from that standpoint not so much interested in proving people I can stay healthy for the game. It’s more to do with since April there has been so much expectations and so much built up in to what this season potentially can be for us. Like I said with the new faces on defense it’s going to be exciting to watch all phases.”
Q: Could you talk about the importance of this game?
GREEN: “It’s a cliché, they are all important because you only play 16. This is important, open up at home this is very big for us we take a lot of pride two years ago when we had our success when we won the division we were undefeated at home that is something we take a lot of pride in and how we play at home and like you mentioned the following two weeks we are going to be on the road in divisional games so it’s important we get started off fast. I know the place is going to be loud on Sunday and we are all looking forward to that and getting the season started right. We also respect the fact that the Jets were in the playoffs last year. They won in the playoffs on the road in San Diego and really had an opportunity to beat Pittsburgh and go to the AFC Championship Game if it wasn’t for a couple of missed field goals. We have great deal of respect for them and we know this isn’t going to be easy but we feel like we are very prepared.”
Q: What is the secret to your durability?
GREEN: “I just try to take care of myself. I have always kind of been a work ethic guy. Trying to put the number of hours needed to be in the weight room or conditioning. Spending a lot of time in studying video and preparing myself mentally so I know when I get in certain pressure situations. Obviously there are times in the game where you have to hold on to the ball and try and make a play and take shots in an awkward position. I would like to think my work ethic and what I have prepared myself during the week and during the off-season is what is going to carry me through the season.”
Q: Was there ever a point during the evaluation of your leg that you didn’t know what was going on that you were worried about?
GREEN: “Yes, because you know there were no answers for a time. For about five or six days there and I understand the course of action the doctors had to take. You don’t come out and say your 35 and completely healthy it must be something with your artery. You have to go through the muscle thing, the back things, the leg things. We gradually just eliminated until it got to the point where nothing is getting better and we can’t come up with any answers and that’s when I was most frustrated because there were no answers. Once Dr. Cates figured out what it was and he immediately through the testing said this is what it is that’s why I was so quick with my decision. ‘Let’s go, let’s knock it out and get it fixed and get ready to go,’ and everything he said has come true in terms of how quick my recovery would be. There was some doubt in that four or five day period because there were no answers in that time.”