GREEN LEFT INDELIBLE MARK ON NFL
Coach won big with Vikings, set stage for Cards
Dennis Green wasted no time letting everyone know his tenure as Arizona Cardinals coach would be unique, to say the least.
At his introductory news conference in 2004, Green likened his offensive system to a “highperformance helicopter” and said his disciplinary philosophy was similar to that of his child’s kindergarten teacher.
And when he was asked the question posed to every new Cardinals coach during that time — “What makes you think you can win here when no one else has?” — Green just pointed to a chart that showed his winning percentage as an NFL head coach: .610.
The Cardinals never came close to that mark under Green, who died of cardiac arrest at 67 on July 22. In Green’s three seasons as coach, the Cardinals went 16-32 (.333).
Green spent 13 seasons as a head coach in the NFL, reaching the playoffs eight times with the Minnesota Vikings from 19922001. His career record was 11394. He was a pioneer, the second black NFL head coach and someone who was respected across football as a mentor.
“All of us at the Cardinals are incredibly saddened by the news of Denny Green’s passing,” team President Michael Bidwill said in a statement. “Coach Green will rightly be remembered as a true innovator, leader and pioneer among football coaches. We express our deepest sympathy to his family and his many friends.”
Former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner tweeted, “My heart goes out to family of my former coach Denny Green — we lost a good man way too soon!”
The Cardinals went 6-10, 5-11 and 5-11 under Green, but he made a profound impact on the organization. Green was known in the NFL for his skill at evaluating talent, and that was evident in his first draft.
His first three selections in 2004 were wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, linebacker Karlos Dansby and defensive end Darnell Dockett. Defensive lineman Antonio Smith was taken in the fifth round, and all four players played important roles in the team advancing to the Super Bowl in the 2008 season.
All four players stayed in the NFL for at least 11 seasons.
Green helped the team revamp the way it ranked players before the draft. At his urging, the Cardinals ranked the top 120 prospects and then stuck with that ranking during the draft.
While Green’s three seasons were filled with losses, the Cardinals were entertaining, though often unintentionally. Green was wildly unpredictable in his news conferences and in his decisions.
He once responded to a question by saying, “That’s an awfully philosophical approach for a Wednesday.”
Green benched a starting quarterback the day before a game, cut a starting center the day players reported to training camp and fired an offensive line coach the day the team left for a road trip.
His most indelible moment with the Cardinals came when he melted down after a loss to the Chicago Bears on a Monday night in October 2006.
After losing a 20-point lead in less than 20 minutes, Green couldn’t contain himself in a postgame media session
“The Bears are who we thought they were!” he bellowed. “That’s why we took the damn field! Now if you want to crown them, then crown their ass! But they are who we thought they were! And we let ‘em off the hook!”
Coors Light later made a commercial out of the tirade, featuring Green.
Green is the second former Cardinals coach to pass away in the past few weeks. Buddy Ryan, who coached the team in 1994-95, died on June 28 at age 85.
The Bidwill family knew what it was getting when it hired Green. In 10 seasons at Minnesota, his teams went to the playoffs eight times including two conference title games.
With the Vikings, Green made many bold moves. During his introductory news conference he confidently stated, “There’s a new sheriff in town,” but they worked in ways they didn’t in Arizona.
His best season in Minnesota was 1998, when the Vikings went 15-1 and set a record (since broken) for points scored in a season. The Vikings lost in overtime to the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship game.
“Denny made his mark in ways far beyond being an outstanding football coach. He mentored countless players and served as a father figure for the men he coached,” the Vikings said in a statement. “Denny founded the Vikings Community Tuesday Program, a critical initiative that is now implemented across the entire NFL. He took great pride in helping assistant coaches advance their careers. His tenure as one of the first African-American head coaches in both college and the NFL was also transformative. Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire Green family.”
Somers writes for The (Phoenix) Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK.