kcchiefs.com: Interview with Trent

[NewChief]

Sorry if this has already been posted.

http://kcchiefs.com/news/2005/04/21/...raft_coverage/

QB TRENT GREEN TO APPEAR ON ESPN'S DRAFT COVERAGE
Apr 21, 2005, 2:17:00 PM


Chiefs QB Trent Green will be one of four NFL players featured as part of a roundtable discussion group during ESPN’s coverage of the 2005 NFL Draft. This recurring segment of ESPN’s coverage this Saturday and Sunday will be moderated by Andrea Kremer. In addition to Green, other participating players include T Jon Jansen (Washington), as well as S Rodney Harrison and LB Mike Vrabel (New England).


Green spoke to the Kansas City media on Thursday about his upcoming draft duties with ESPN and on various off-season issues . . .

Q: Talk about your participation in ESPN’s coverage of the NFL Draft this weekend?

TRENT GREEN: “I’ll be doing some TV work. It will be fun. I’ve talked with Andrea Kremer a little bit about what is expected. I don’t have a real defined background in terms of the college talent coming out. I’ve done a little bit of research. But what I’m think they’re looking for from us is our draft day experiences and our experiences throughout our careers, that will be the main reference point. There’s a lot of time to fill.”

Q: So you’re part of a roundtable discussion group on ESPN?

GREEN: “That’s my understanding. They contacted us. I don’t have that much of a background in it. My only public speaking was in college as a business major, but I’m comfortable with it. It’s been a good experience. The couple years I did the CBS pregame show (The NFL Today), it was a great experience. The Super Bowl experience with FOX this year was good (participating in a pregame show golf challenge) – I at least hit the green and didn’t have to do a lot of talking, so that was fun. So this will be a little different, being in-studio. It will be a good experience.”

Q: Could television work be an option for you once your playing career is done?

GREEN: “It could be. If the right opportunity comes up, it would be something that I’d definitely look in to. It’s been a lot of fun. I really didn’t have a lot of interest in it until I did (The NFL Today) a couple years ago on the bye week. I think a lot of it has to do with the people that I was working with – Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason, Deion Sanders, Jim Nantz – those guys really made me feel comfortable. The way that whole show was set up, from a transition standpoint, I wasn’t really nervous about it. The comfort zone was there. I’ve made it clear to all of them that I’ve worked with – FOX had talked to me about going to Europe and doing some NFL Europe games this spring – my main focus is on football and trying to win a championship here in Kansas City. Hopefully I’ll do enough that when my career is over that they’re interested in pursuing that and if it works well with what my plans are, I’d love that opportunity. But right now, I plan on playing for a while.”

Q: Have you spoken to G Will Shields in regards to his plans for the 2005 season?

GREEN: “I haven’t spoken with him since the season has ended. We had a big linemen dinner and I was able to voice my opinion. Actually, both my wife and I voiced our opinions to Will and Senia, told them that we appreciated them and that we wanted them back as did everybody else at the table. But that’s an individual thing and a family thing. He has to determine how he feels and how he’s able to recuperate. He’s started 191 consecutive games. That’s hard to do. He’s accomplished so much in his career, really the only thing left for him to do is win a ring. If he feels confident that’s what we’re going to be able and if he’s healthy enough, I’m sure those will be to major factors for him.”

Q: What do you think of the Chiefs off-season moves?

GREEN: “I think it’s been great. We’ve addressed some concerns, we’ve brought in some new faces. Not only did we bring in some guys for roles as potential starters, we’ve also brought in some people who we’re looking to contribute in a special teams role or more of a down-and-distance role. We’ve addressed a number of different areas and there will likely be more changes to come.”

Q: The theme has been defense for obvious reasons this off-season. Would you like to see some help on the offensive side of the ball?

GREEN: “I think we will. The main focus at the outset of free agency was defense. Everybody in the organization made it clear that was the direction. As the draft unfolds and free agency continues, I think that areas on offense will likely be addressed. Will Shields, Willie Roaf, myself, Tony Richardson, we do have guys who are in their 30s. We need to develop some young guys to move up. Jordan Black and Kevin Sampson both played last year. We have some young guys who are getting opportunities to play. We have to continue to develop those guys and hope the older guys can perform for a few more years.”

Q: Do you think the Chiefs will acquire a corner like Patrick Surtain or Ty Law?

GREEN: “I think something will happen. You never really know when you not only have to get a contract ironed out like in the case of Surtain, but you also have to get a trade ironed out, so there’s two different things that have to take place. I’ve heard some comparisons with my trade from St. Louis. The thing was that I was under contract, that wasn’t a separate issue that had to be taken care of. So even if they get it ironed out with one side or another, you’ve got to get both things ironed out. As far as Ty Law, I think the main thing is going to be his health. He may not get signed by a team until July so he can prove to everybody that he’s healthy. There’s no way that you’re going to sign a guy and give him a bunch of money if he’s not going to be available to play until Week Four, Five, 10 or whatever it may be unless a player is willing to structure a contract so it’s based on number of starts, staying healthy, number of snaps, those kinds of things. I don’t know if he’s at the point of his career where he’s willing to do that. There are couple of factors that need to be cleared up in that regard.”

Q: Looking at this draft as a TV guy, what would you say the biggest need in terms of position player would be for this team?

GREEN: “Definitely not quarterback. Our whole focus has been on defense. It’s tough for me to say because I’m friends with all of these guys. I work out with them every day. To go out and single out a single position, I’d kind of be stepping on my own feet. No matter whether we get a cornerback, safety, defensive end, defensive tackle, running back, quarterback, whatever, I’ve still got to be the leader of the team and support those guys one way or another so I’m going to take the fifth on that question.”

Q: So you’re not going to drop the hammer if they ask you about that on TV?

GREEN: “That’s something I discussed with ESPN before I agreed to do this. I’m not a necessarily a Keyshawn Johnson or a Warren Sapp who might come out and say something critical about my teammates. Number one, I don’t think anything positive comes from that. And they’re looking at it from the standpoint. They don’t want us coming on and being the general managers or the head coaches of our teams. They’re looking more for our perspective on the league in general and not necessarily for us to break down our own team.”

Q: Why do you think they picked you to be one of the members of this roundtable?

GREEN: “Maybe it’s my experience in the league. I’ve been in long enough to have some experiences to reflect on. I wasn’t invited to New York 12 years ago on draft day, being a late-round guy kind of working my way through it maybe gives a different perspective than some of the other guys. I don’t know where Vrabel or Rodney were drafted, but I know Jansen was a first-round pick, so maybe they just want some guys drafted in different positions to give some different perspectives. I’ve been in the league awhile, plus I’ve gotten to know some of the people at ESPN. Maybe with some of the interviews I’ve done with them over the years, they felt comfortable with me doing it.”

Q: Do you have a feel for the public perception of the Chiefs in Kansas City right now?

GREEN: “I think so. I’m out there quite a bit. I coach my son’s Little League team. I’m at soccer practices. I try to sneak into some Royals games every now and then. This is just a football-crazy town. There’s some people who are disappointed about last season just like we were disappointed. The expectations were so high last year and they were high for ourselves. So everyone coming off a 13-3 season, we were all expecting great things last year – players, coaches, organization, fans. Everybody was very disappointed. But the one thing about Kansas City fans is that they’re very optimistic and they’re very supportive. Everywhere that I’ve gone, sure they share their frustration and wish things were better last year, they know that with the off-season moves that we’ve made that it looks like we’re going in the right direction. But you never really know until the first snap or the first few games what’s going to happen. Everybody looks good on paper. When every team goes to training camp, every team is excited. That’s really the parity that the NFL has formed. Everybody goes to training camp with a chance to win it every year. I think that’s why the excitement level is there because we’ve made some changes this off-season and we’ll make more this weekend. As we get closer to training camp, it really feeds into the fan base we have in Kansas City.”

Q: How has your off-season gone?

GREEN: “This has been a real good off-season for me. No surgeries for me again, so it’s been a nice run of no-surgery off-seasons. My knee is feeling as healthy as it’s felt since before the injury. I’m really happy with that. I’m doing more this off-season than I did a year ago. With the playoffs, with the Pro Bowl there wasn’t as much recovery time. Normally I like to let everything heal for about six weeks before I start training again. Last year because of all of that there was a quicker recovery time, not that it effected me in any way, but overall I feel better at this point in time. I’ve been really pleased with this off-season.”

Q: How long do you hope to continue playing, two, three, four years?

GREEN: “That’s my plan. Ideally, in my head I’d like to go three, but if I get to three and I feel great, then four, then five. I’m enjoying it right now. It took me a long time to become a starter in this league and then with the injury and all the other stories that go along with it, I really am, I’m enjoying it. That’s why I’m trying so hard to keep Will, Willie and Priest and everybody happy and keep them coming back. I know the reality of the league and how it works. We’ve got to continually evolve and change and improve our talent. That’s what Gunther (Cunningham) and Al (Saunders) have been doing the past couple months, not only evaluating talent, but determining what new things we’re going to do this year and different ways to attack things offensively and defensively. That’s the exciting thing. I have no plans of retiring any time soon.”

Q: Do you have a gut feeling on whether Will Shields is coming back?

GREEN: “My gut says ‘yeah.’ That’s not because he told me that. That’s just my feeling. He’s at a point in his career where he can retire if he wants to. He’s stable in terms of the amount of money he’s been able to earn in his career. He’s been to the Pro Bowl 10 times, he’s been the NFL Man of the Year, he’s accomplished so many things except winning a Super Bowl. I think he understands what we have as a team. Every year you see teams that make the playoffs that didn’t make them the year before. You see teams going into camp with high expectations that don’t live up to those expectations like we did a year ago, so there’s a chance either way every year. Number one, I think if he’s healthy, number two if he’s confident in the direction that the team is going, then I think he’ll be back. Again, that’s just my opinion and it’s not because he’s given me any inside information. I think he still enjoys playing. He obviously enjoys living in Kansas City and being a Chief. One thing remains. He wants to win a Super Bowl. If he’s healthy and thinks we can get that done, I think he’ll be back.”

[Bowser]

Kind of a weird move putting Trent on a panel with Rodney Harrison. Wonder if they'll show replays of Harrison's pussy shot against Trent's knee.


And the next time I see someone booing Trent, I might have to punch them in the head.

[NewChief]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Kind of a weird move putting Trent on a panel with Rodney Harrison. Wonder if they'll show replays of Harrison's pussy shot against Trent's knee.


And the next time I see someone booing Trent, I might have to punch them in the head.

Yeah, I thought it was weird putting him on there with Harrison as well.