Andoverer
11-04-2005, 05:42 AM
As the Chiefs finished another practice without Trent Green on Thursday, coach Dick Vermeil floated the possibility that his veteran quarterback might not start Sunday against the Raiders.
“I just want to see how he feels,” Vermeil said, “and I think go from there.”
Green has started 71 straight games, a franchise record for quarterbacks, and played his best 30 minutes of the season last Sunday in San Diego just days after his father’s death. He buried his dad Wednesday in St. Louis and then called Thursday morning to say he couldn’t make the afternoon workout.
Longtime backup Todd Collins filled in for Green again and had what Vermeil called an “excellent” practice. Asked whether Collins would start Sunday, Vermeil said, “I’m not going to say.”
The issue, apparently, isn’t just about missed repetitions. Green has worked in Vermeil’s offense since their days in St. Louis, and the playbook hasn’t expanded in his two-day absence.
Vermeil just wants to make sure his quarterback is OK and said he’d know more after Green arrived in town Thursday night and practiced today.
“I know Trent Green well enough to know that he only wants what’s best for this football team regardless of starting streaks or anything else,” Vermeil said. “If he didn’t think he could play well not having practiced and being through the emotional pressure he’s been through, he would say.
“He’s our leader, we expect a lot from him, and he very seldom ever disappoints us. But before we do any decision-making or detailed evaluation of the situation, I’d like him involved with it.”
Collins hasn’t started a game since 1997, when he was under center in Buffalo. He’s backed up Green for five seasons and had a chance to shed his clipboard duty in training camp when Green was nursing a sore shoulder. But he broke his hand in the preseason opener at Minnesota, and has yet to get in a game in 2005.
“Todd’s a good football player,” Vermeil said. “He really is. He has never really been given the opportunity to demonstrate what he can do. I’ve recommended him to other teams looking for a starting quarterback since I’ve been here but no one really wants to believe you when you tell them.”
The Chiefs were listed as 5 1/2-point favorites over Oakland this week, but that could change after Thursday’s news of Green’s iffy status and Willie Roaf’s nagging hamstring. Roaf, a Pro Bowl left tackle, missed practice again Thursday and was downgraded from probable to questionable.
Three other starters were also out Thursday: cornerback Patrick Surtain (knee), running back Priest Holmes (head) and receiver Samie Parker (knee). The injury situation was so bad that Vermeil scrapped the pads, a Thursday staple, and worked the team out in shells.
“I’m not going to sit and pout about it,” Vermeil said. “I’d love to have everybody 100 percent healthy but, hey, the Raiders are coming in with some guys who were starters who don’t start anymore due to injuries, too. That’s the National Football League. It’s a high-risk business, and guys get hurt.”
“I just want to see how he feels,” Vermeil said, “and I think go from there.”
Green has started 71 straight games, a franchise record for quarterbacks, and played his best 30 minutes of the season last Sunday in San Diego just days after his father’s death. He buried his dad Wednesday in St. Louis and then called Thursday morning to say he couldn’t make the afternoon workout.
Longtime backup Todd Collins filled in for Green again and had what Vermeil called an “excellent” practice. Asked whether Collins would start Sunday, Vermeil said, “I’m not going to say.”
The issue, apparently, isn’t just about missed repetitions. Green has worked in Vermeil’s offense since their days in St. Louis, and the playbook hasn’t expanded in his two-day absence.
Vermeil just wants to make sure his quarterback is OK and said he’d know more after Green arrived in town Thursday night and practiced today.
“I know Trent Green well enough to know that he only wants what’s best for this football team regardless of starting streaks or anything else,” Vermeil said. “If he didn’t think he could play well not having practiced and being through the emotional pressure he’s been through, he would say.
“He’s our leader, we expect a lot from him, and he very seldom ever disappoints us. But before we do any decision-making or detailed evaluation of the situation, I’d like him involved with it.”
Collins hasn’t started a game since 1997, when he was under center in Buffalo. He’s backed up Green for five seasons and had a chance to shed his clipboard duty in training camp when Green was nursing a sore shoulder. But he broke his hand in the preseason opener at Minnesota, and has yet to get in a game in 2005.
“Todd’s a good football player,” Vermeil said. “He really is. He has never really been given the opportunity to demonstrate what he can do. I’ve recommended him to other teams looking for a starting quarterback since I’ve been here but no one really wants to believe you when you tell them.”
The Chiefs were listed as 5 1/2-point favorites over Oakland this week, but that could change after Thursday’s news of Green’s iffy status and Willie Roaf’s nagging hamstring. Roaf, a Pro Bowl left tackle, missed practice again Thursday and was downgraded from probable to questionable.
Three other starters were also out Thursday: cornerback Patrick Surtain (knee), running back Priest Holmes (head) and receiver Samie Parker (knee). The injury situation was so bad that Vermeil scrapped the pads, a Thursday staple, and worked the team out in shells.
“I’m not going to sit and pout about it,” Vermeil said. “I’d love to have everybody 100 percent healthy but, hey, the Raiders are coming in with some guys who were starters who don’t start anymore due to injuries, too. That’s the National Football League. It’s a high-risk business, and guys get hurt.”