Chiefnj
03-07-2007, 08:36 AM
JOE POSNANSKI
COMMENTARY
Public break-ups are difficult things to watch
There isn’t anything in this world much better than a joint statement. These usually come out of Hollywood, where Britney Spears and Kevin Federline might issue a joint statement about how their divorce was amicable and they plan on remaining friends forever and ever, or at least until Britney flips out, shaves her head and starts whacking cars with an umbrella.
There are other kinds of joint statements, like when two members of Congress release a joint statement so that twice as many people can ignore them. Sometimes businesses get together to issue joint statements about how much they despise Microsoft.
But I would have to say my favorite joint statement in quite some time came Tuesday afternoon, when the Chiefs and Trent Green’s agent Jim Steiner released this touching and yet hopeful little ditty:
Part 1: “Conversations between the Chiefs and Trent Green about his future remain amicable and productive.”
Yes, as you can tell, “amicable” is a big word in joint statements. So, here you can see things are very amicable between the Chiefs and Trent Green. Amicable galore. And productive, too. Productive and amicable. Oh, wait, there’s more:
Part 2: “The Chiefs have offered Trent the opportunity to remain with the organization with a restructured contract.”
OK, we’re beginning to lose a bit of that amicable vibe here. I love how the Chiefs offered Trent the “opportunity” to have his contract slashed.
Part 3: “However, before any decisions are finalized, the Chiefs have agreed to Trent’s request to allow him to explore other potential opportunities in the National Football League.”
Amicable is out the window now. Trent’s going exploring.
Part 4: “We will continue to work in unison toward a resolution that will be acceptable to all parties.”
Whew. Now, that’s an impressive statement. Because, you see, if you break down the statement, part by part, it would appear what really happened was something like this:
Part 1: Chiefs CEO/president/general manager/bouncer Carl Peterson and quarterback Trent Green yelled at each other recently.
Part 2: Peterson told Green that it was pay cut or be cut.
Part 3: Green told Peterson to stuff it. He would go find his own team. Peterson then said something like, “You just go ahead and try.”
Part 4: Peterson and Green then agreed to release a joint statement that made it sound like they were still talking.
This is the hard-core business of the NFL. You really can’t blame either side here. The Chiefs’ coaches and player personnel folks obviously feel that Trent Green is done as an effective quarterback. There is a lot of evidence to back them up. Green will turn 37 during training camp (he would be the oldest starting quarterback south of Brett Favre, who apparently believes that being the Green Bay quarterback is a lifelong job, like being a Supreme Court justice or host of “The Price Is Right”). Green suffered a major concussion, and he wasn’t the same when he came back. He threw seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions and often looked lost or old or both.
I don’t know if there’s a “How to be an NFL GM Handbook” out there anywhere, but if so, you would have to believe one of the first rules would be: “Don’t go into the season with a 37-year-old quarterback coming off a major concussion.”
On the other hand, you can see Trent Green’s point, too. He was one of the more effective quarterbacks in the NFL for years, a guy who set dozens of Chiefs records. Then he took a ridiculous shot while sliding. He fought his way back from a terrifying concussion. When he returned, he found himself stuck with an offense more predictable than an Academy Awards acceptance speech. He played in that boring offense without public complaint. When the season ended, he watched the Chiefs sign Damon Huard to a deal. Then the Chiefs told him to either restructure his contract or hit the road.
That couldn’t have felt too good. You could understand some hard feelings.
All this just proves the one true thing about professional sports: There’s no good way for an athlete to say goodbye. Some stay too long; some leave too soon. Some retire and then unretire; some go play for a new team even though they look so wrong in that uniform (think John Unitas in San Diego, Jerry Rice in Seattle, Willie Mays with the New York Mets, Dan Quisenberry in San Francisco, etc.).
Yes, it does seem to most people that Green is done as a good starting quarterback in the NFL. But you can’t blame Trent Green for not believing that. Most people said he would never be an effective starting quarterback in the NFL. He threw for 4,000-plus yards three years in a row and made it to two Pro Bowls because of an inner faith that drowned out the doubts all around him. He may be older, but you know inner faith shouts as loud as ever. I have no doubt that Trent Green still believes he can play.
So, Green will go looking for another team. The Chiefs will let him. It seems a bit sad, but it’s really about the only way this thing could end. It’s a tough world. Kids will always grow up dreaming of playing quarterback in the NFL. They don’t see the way the dream ends, with concussions and contract negotiations and, finally, a joint statement that says nothing and everything at the same time.
COMMENTARY
Public break-ups are difficult things to watch
There isn’t anything in this world much better than a joint statement. These usually come out of Hollywood, where Britney Spears and Kevin Federline might issue a joint statement about how their divorce was amicable and they plan on remaining friends forever and ever, or at least until Britney flips out, shaves her head and starts whacking cars with an umbrella.
There are other kinds of joint statements, like when two members of Congress release a joint statement so that twice as many people can ignore them. Sometimes businesses get together to issue joint statements about how much they despise Microsoft.
But I would have to say my favorite joint statement in quite some time came Tuesday afternoon, when the Chiefs and Trent Green’s agent Jim Steiner released this touching and yet hopeful little ditty:
Part 1: “Conversations between the Chiefs and Trent Green about his future remain amicable and productive.”
Yes, as you can tell, “amicable” is a big word in joint statements. So, here you can see things are very amicable between the Chiefs and Trent Green. Amicable galore. And productive, too. Productive and amicable. Oh, wait, there’s more:
Part 2: “The Chiefs have offered Trent the opportunity to remain with the organization with a restructured contract.”
OK, we’re beginning to lose a bit of that amicable vibe here. I love how the Chiefs offered Trent the “opportunity” to have his contract slashed.
Part 3: “However, before any decisions are finalized, the Chiefs have agreed to Trent’s request to allow him to explore other potential opportunities in the National Football League.”
Amicable is out the window now. Trent’s going exploring.
Part 4: “We will continue to work in unison toward a resolution that will be acceptable to all parties.”
Whew. Now, that’s an impressive statement. Because, you see, if you break down the statement, part by part, it would appear what really happened was something like this:
Part 1: Chiefs CEO/president/general manager/bouncer Carl Peterson and quarterback Trent Green yelled at each other recently.
Part 2: Peterson told Green that it was pay cut or be cut.
Part 3: Green told Peterson to stuff it. He would go find his own team. Peterson then said something like, “You just go ahead and try.”
Part 4: Peterson and Green then agreed to release a joint statement that made it sound like they were still talking.
This is the hard-core business of the NFL. You really can’t blame either side here. The Chiefs’ coaches and player personnel folks obviously feel that Trent Green is done as an effective quarterback. There is a lot of evidence to back them up. Green will turn 37 during training camp (he would be the oldest starting quarterback south of Brett Favre, who apparently believes that being the Green Bay quarterback is a lifelong job, like being a Supreme Court justice or host of “The Price Is Right”). Green suffered a major concussion, and he wasn’t the same when he came back. He threw seven touchdown passes and nine interceptions and often looked lost or old or both.
I don’t know if there’s a “How to be an NFL GM Handbook” out there anywhere, but if so, you would have to believe one of the first rules would be: “Don’t go into the season with a 37-year-old quarterback coming off a major concussion.”
On the other hand, you can see Trent Green’s point, too. He was one of the more effective quarterbacks in the NFL for years, a guy who set dozens of Chiefs records. Then he took a ridiculous shot while sliding. He fought his way back from a terrifying concussion. When he returned, he found himself stuck with an offense more predictable than an Academy Awards acceptance speech. He played in that boring offense without public complaint. When the season ended, he watched the Chiefs sign Damon Huard to a deal. Then the Chiefs told him to either restructure his contract or hit the road.
That couldn’t have felt too good. You could understand some hard feelings.
All this just proves the one true thing about professional sports: There’s no good way for an athlete to say goodbye. Some stay too long; some leave too soon. Some retire and then unretire; some go play for a new team even though they look so wrong in that uniform (think John Unitas in San Diego, Jerry Rice in Seattle, Willie Mays with the New York Mets, Dan Quisenberry in San Francisco, etc.).
Yes, it does seem to most people that Green is done as a good starting quarterback in the NFL. But you can’t blame Trent Green for not believing that. Most people said he would never be an effective starting quarterback in the NFL. He threw for 4,000-plus yards three years in a row and made it to two Pro Bowls because of an inner faith that drowned out the doubts all around him. He may be older, but you know inner faith shouts as loud as ever. I have no doubt that Trent Green still believes he can play.
So, Green will go looking for another team. The Chiefs will let him. It seems a bit sad, but it’s really about the only way this thing could end. It’s a tough world. Kids will always grow up dreaming of playing quarterback in the NFL. They don’t see the way the dream ends, with concussions and contract negotiations and, finally, a joint statement that says nothing and everything at the same time.