Old School Darrell Article that I thought you guys would like to see.

[Zen-like Todd]

Courtesy of Lexis-Nexis.

Copyright 1988 The Washington Post

The Washington Post

May 21, 1988, Saturday, Final Edition

SECTION: SPORTS; PAGE D3

LENGTH: 756 words

HEADLINE: Green Contemplating Run at Olympics;

First Must Hurdle Eligibility Requirements

BYLINE: Tom Friend, Washington Post Staff Writer

BODY:

He may not be eligible, but Washington Redskins cornerback Darrell Green said yesterday he would like to run sprints in the upcoming Seoul Olympics.

First, he would have to quit the Redskins. And some people think he's not ready to do that. And he would have to meet Olympic eligibility requirements. Such as, the International Amateur Athletic Federation must deem him eligible, and the next IAAF Council meeting isn't scheduled until the Olympics begin, Sept. 17. So, he may be too late.

London-based IAAF officials were unavailable for comment yesterday, but at its most recent meeting in April, the council approved former NFL players Ron Brown (Los Angeles Rams), Johnny Walker (St. Louis Cardinals) and Henry Andrade (New York Giants). Sources yesterday said it is unclear if the council would call an impromptu meeting to accommodate Green.

If so, it had better be soon, because Green would need to run the 100 meters in at least 10.30 seconds in a sanctioned meet to qualify for the Olympic Trials, July 15-23 in Indianapolis. Green once ran a 10.08-second 100 meters in college.

"I know if [Ron Brown] can do it, I can do it," said Green, who ran a 4.17-second 40-yard dash at last week's minicamp, his best. "I'd go into the 100, the 200 or even the 400. I'm sure I could qualify [for the Olympic Trials] in the first meet I got into. My best 100 time was never recorded, but I've run times that I think would get me on any country's team."

"Can I see myself without football? Oh yeah," Green said yesterday in a telephone interview from Palm Desert, Calif., where today he will compete in the Subaru NFL's Fastest Man contest. He said that he would return to the Redskins at the completion of the Games, Oct. 2.

Also, Green said he would need a sponsor to compete in the Olympics.

"If someone would give me a decent salary to do it, I'd be gone yesterday," he said. "If they gave me the money to continue to take care of my family the way that I am now, yeah, I'd go right now . . . I can't do it if I can't pay my bills. But if I can pay my bills, I've got to. I mean, why not? . . . Say I win today's [Fastest Man] race and somebody approaches me with a good offer, well, I can't see reasons not to do it."

Green is not actively pursuing sponsors, although he said winning a second Fastest Man contest today may have them knocking at his door. At this point, he appears to be merely theorizing about the Olympics.

Green, who will earn $ 450,000 next season and is signed through 1990, denies his interest in track is to encourage the Redskins to renegotiate his contract. On the other hand, he said he is not ecstatic with his current contract and admits the Olympics could serve as leverage in a possible renegotiation.

"As far as my contract," Green said, "I'd certainly like to see it better than it is, but right now, it's not at the state whereby I'd go to track just out of spite toward [the Redskins] . . . If I do go, it has no relevance to my feelings for the Redskins. But, at the same time, it would possibly better my situation bargaining-wise, and that's what it's all about.

"I hope it would [help Green contractually]. I would definitely try to utilize it to its fullest extent, because all athletics is a situation whereby they try to get all they can out of individuals, and you have to take care of your own. They [the Redskins] would do whatever they could to get me as cheap as they could, and I would do what I could the other way . . . I've shared this with Bobby [beathard, Redskins general manager] before. I think that every time they bring a player in, the next year they're trying to get that player out. Every great player they've got, they'd rather have one greater. I won't be there forever."

Beathard declined comment on Green's Olympic status, saying only, "If he's thinking about the Olympics, it hasn't been brought up to me."

Green -- 5-foot-8, 170-pounds -- is not a track star turned football player, like Renaldo Nehemiah, and only ran track when pursued by his coach at Texas A&I University.

Green, who played superbly in last year's post-season with a rib injury, said aches and pains have little to do with his interest in track, and said he would have every intention of returning to the Redskins.

"I'd certainly want to [return]," he said. "I think there would be no animosity between the [two sides]. They should only want the best for me, even though that's not necessarily the best for them . . . I wouldn't be doing this out of spite."

Of course it never happened, but damn, would it have been nice to see.

[Zen-like Todd]

Heh... this one is nice too. Check out the line in bold. This is from his rookie year, obviously. I'm taking requests, BTW.

Copyright 1983 The Washington Post

The Washington Post

October 28, 1983, Friday, Final Edition

SECTION: Sports; D1

LENGTH: 842 words

HEADLINE: Green Gains Education Rapidly

BYLINE: By Gary Pomerantz, Washington Post Staff Writer

BODY:

The football education continues for Washington Redskins rookie cornerback Darrell Green.

"Playing against some receiver who is supposedly one of the best in the league, knowing you are going against him all alone, you have to have confidence," Green said yesterday. "You learn to get tough. You learn to believe you can get the job done. I believe I can play in the NFL." As he spoke, Green sat by his Redskin Park locker, taking tiny bites out of a large hamburger. John Riggins and Joe Theismann walked by. Other teammates came over and kidded Green, the Redskins' top draft choice from Texas A & I. He is 22 years old, blessed with speed and cursed (by locker room needling standards) with a baby face. Players are always kidding Darrell Green.

And Green keeps on laughing, saying, "Being a rookie is a hard life." Straightening his back and his prerogatives, Green adds, "Everybody develops an identity in this league. My identity now is for catching people.

"Catching Tony Dorsett from behind, that's what people know me for now." In the Redskins' 31-30 loss to Dallas, Green sprinted across the field and passed two teammates to catch Dorsett. Green tackled Dorsett on the Washington six, after a 77-yard gain. Dallas settled for a field goal.

"I would have caught Dorsett by the river and hoped that he didn't know how to swim," cracked free safety Mark Murphy, one of the players Green ran by. "That's the only way I would have caught him."

Green is 5 feet 8, 170 pounds. The left cornerback spot that belonged to holdout Jeris White last year is now his. Green has speed and gumption, two prerequisites for pro football's loneliest position.

"Over time, Darrell has gotten a better feel for what goes on in this league," is the way Richie Petitbon, coach of the Redskins' defense, puts it. "You know he didn't get a chance to see too many James Loftons down at Texas A & I."

Green may be the most talented player in the Redskins' secondary. Since the arrest of Pro Bowler Tony Peters, Petitbon has stewed over the inconsistency at strong safety. Right cornerback Vernon Dean, bothered by nagging injuries, has been beaten enough to make his confidence, seemingly unshakable in his rookie season in 1982, waver. And while Murphy provides the smarts and the shrewdness for the secondary, he does not possess the speed to cover up mistakes.

Green is a rookie. He has been beaten on pass plays. Yet, in each week of this season, he has gotten a little smarter, a lot better.

He does not want speed to be his legend. "I want to be known for being a blanket-coverage man. That's a saying we had in college, 'blanket coverage.' In other words, you're a great cover man," said Green.

Green signed a five-year contract valued near $1 million, including a $330,000 signing bonus. He runs 40 yards in 4.3 seconds, fastest on the team. Dean calls Green "10-Speed." Says Dean, "That's because he's always shifting gears."

"Sometimes, I think maybe I respect my own speed too much," said Green. "Sometimes, I disrespect the receiver's speed. I play faster receivers better because I'm fast. I have problems adjusting to slower receivers. That's what happened in Seattle with (wide receiver Steve) Largent. He's a great receiver." Largent caught eight passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns against the Redskins.

"After last week's game against Detroit, I got that written on my game analysis sheet: I was covering the receivers so close that when they faked or broke, I was a little too far off," said Green. "It was the first time it was written down, but I knew I was doing it all along."

The education of the football world about Green continues, too. "Darrell Green is as quick as any rookie corner I've seen," said Green Bay quarterback Lynn Dickey. "For a rookie, he plays so aggressive. I remember on one play right in front of our bench, James Lofton put a good move on Green, then turned to the sideline. It was an out pattern. I thought he'd turn Green around and make him go deep. James is great on making corners do that. But Green was right there and made the play."

"That's where my speed comes in," said Green.

Above all, the self-confidence continues to grow within Green. In every cornerback's list of necessities, confidence ranks above speed and aggressiveness.

Stroking his fuzzy cheek, Green said, "Yeah, I feel young. I don't have to be around Joe Theismann or George Starke to feel young. I feel honored to be around here. I'm learning every day. My speed? That will be with me for another 25 years."

Green smiled at the thought. Then, he laughed hard. To further his education, Green ran off to a defensive team meeting. He ran fast, too.

The Redskins activated tight end Michael Williams yesterday from the physically unable to perform list. To make space on the roster, tight end John Sawyer was released.

"Mike worked hard. He's ready," Coach Joe Gibbs said. Williams suffered a knee injury last season and the recuperation process was lengthy. "We don't have any doubts about it," Gibbs said.

[Zen-like Todd]

Here's one for those who don't remember what Darrell was like even at the age of 31, a time when most CBs start to fall apart.

Copyright 1991 The Washington Post

The Washington Post

View Related Topics

October 3, 1991, Thursday, Final Edition

SECTION: SPORTS; PAGE B1

LENGTH: 1069 words

HEADLINE: Green Has It Covered

SERIES: Occasional

BYLINE: Richard Justice, Washington Post Staff Writer

BODY:

The Washington Redskins had sometimes wondered if Darrell Green would ever have another ball thrown his direction. He would go entire afternoons without touching one last season, and he often played so close to receivers that quarterbacks dared not challenge him. It was the best of coverage, and he was the best of cornerbacks having the worst of times.

But a season that has begun with five straight victories, including three shutouts, has also been a rebirth of sorts for Darrell Green. When the Redskins overhauled their defense, they also began playing more zone coverage in the secondary, and Green has been able to play farther off receivers, and therefore have more time to read quarterbacks and use his blazing speed to react to plays. As a result, some quarterbacks have challenged him.

And as a result, Green leads the NFL with four interceptions, which is as many as he had all last season, and one short of his best season ever -- five in 1984 and 1986. The Redskins may sometimes take the NFL's fastest player and best cornerback for granted because there are so many afternoons when he hardly seems involved in the action.

This season, though, he has once more reminded them of how good he is and how lucky they are to have him.

He has reminded them that when his contract is up after this season, the Redskins may not have many arguments.

He has a base salary of $ 825,000 this season and the going rate for a Pro Bowl cornerback is about $ 1.3 million. They've typically had little trouble signing their best players, and Green, now 31, has been one of their best ever.

"The last two years he has played the best I've seen him play," Redskins secondary coach Emmitt Thomas said. "Right now, he's at the top of his game. Without a doubt, he's the best cornerback in the league.

"The offense is keeping us off the field a lot, and when he gets out there, he's shutting people down. With his speed, he gets such a good jump on the ball."

He had a pair of interceptions in Monday night's 23-0 victory over Philadelphia, but the one that got away is the one that has made more of the highlight shows. That was a leaping, one-handed grab that didn't even count because a referee's whistle had blown the play dead.

"The play was dead," Green said. "I knew that and had a chance to have some fun. That one was for the fans."

His other two against the Eagles weren't for fun.

One came late in the first half with the Redskins leading 10-0 and the Eagles at their own 30. Green snatched a tipped ball and returned it 24 yards to the Philadelphia 28-yard line. The other came on Philadelphia's next possession and kept a third straight home shutout alive.

The Eagles had taken over at the Redskins 10 after a Mark Rypien fumble, and on second down from the 9, Green stepped in front of Pat Ryan's pass for Kenny Jackson in the end zone.

"We're camouflaging our coverages a little more," Green said. "That's the main thing right now. The more I move around, hopefully the more confusion it'll create in the defense. It's part of giving them different looks."

Ask him about quarterbacks dodging him and he says: "Don't say that. You can't prove that. That kind of stuff can get me run out of this league.

"The thing about a quarterback is that it only takes one or two plays for everyone to be calling you a bum. I'm playing pretty well right now, but that can change pretty quick. I know how things go in this game. I enjoy this game and want to play as long as I can, and I still do enjoy it right now. But if people think you're thinking you're unbeatable -- which I don't -- you wouldn't last long. . . .

"I'm just like our entire defense. I've played pretty well, but you have to keep it in perspective."

He started from the moment he stepped off the campus of Texas A&I eight years ago, and while the Redskins have seen him do almost everything they're still occasionally surprised. They were pleasantly surprised when he ran a 4.25-second 40-yard dash after minicamp last season. He had shown them that, at 31, his fastest days were not behind him and that he's probably headed for his fifth Pro Bowl.

"I think I've played about the same the last three years," he said. "I haven't lost any speed yet, and you should get better the more you play. The more you play, the more you know what to expect."

He'd asked the Redskins to extend his contract last summer, and when they refused he entered the "NFL's Fastest Man" competition and picked up the $ 25,000 winner's check for the fourth time in six years. He has never lost the event.

"I wasn't joking about that," he said. "I wanted a new contract and they wanted me to play out the three-year contract I have. I can't look too far ahead, but I know it's out there if I keep doing my job. That's an individual thing. But I also know it's a team game, and we're winning ballgames."

His four interceptions in five games after getting four in 16 last season is one of several stories on the NFL's most surprising defenses. Defensive end Charles Mann has more sacks (six) than he had all last season (5 1/2). All the changes have worked: tackles Tim Johnson and Eric Williams for Darryl Grant and Tracy Rocker; middle linebacker Matt Millen for Greg Manusky; free safety Brad Edwards for Todd Bowles.

"It's just a lot of hustle and having good schemes from the coaches," Green said. "The coaches have done a good job keeping us on an even keel, and they don't get the credit they deserve. The defensive line has taken a lot of pressure off the secondary, and we've let them know it.

"It's all working, but we've got to keep doing a good job of preparing each week."

Off the field, he still spreads the word of his born-again faith and his work with the District's children. His Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation provides food, clothing and company to District kids. He also hosts a celebrity golf tournament for Hope Springs Farm, a home for orphans, foster children and underprivileged children. Green, having grown up the fifth of seven children in a tough part of Houston, said he knows firsthand the importance of having role models.

"What you find is that there's a lot of people out there who want to help," he said. "You can't solve the problem on your own, but you can do something."

Time Out, Bruise

Green bruised a thigh and missed some of yesterday's practice. He's expected to be back at work today.

[Zen-like Todd]

Ok, I just keep finding these great bits to post. This is a quote from an article about Darrell in 1986.

Gibbs said, "What I like about football is you can have a little bitty guy who's actually a leader on a team of giants. I like that."

[Zen-like Todd]

For those with REALLY short memories. This is a 1999 article about Randy Moss. 1999. Green's 17th year in the league. Check the bold.

Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company

The New York Times

View Related Topics

January 10, 1999, Sunday, Late Edition - Final

SECTION: Section 8; Page 6; Column 1; Sports Desk

LENGTH: 731 words

HEADLINE: PRO FOOTBALL;

Problem: 1 Great Cover Man, 3 Top Ends

BYLINE: By MIKE FREEMAN

BODY:

It's a big secret: which of the Vikings' dangerous wide receivers will be covered by one of the best cornerbacks in football, Aeneas Williams, when the Arizona Cardinals play the Vikings at Minnesota in today's divisional playoff game?

Williams is mum. "I didn't talk about what we were going to do against the Cowboys from a secondary standpoint," Williams said. "All I know is we will be ready to play." Dave McGinnis, the Cardinals' defensive coordinator, gives nothing up. "We're going to have 11 players on the field," he said, contradicting the popular notion that an opponent needs 12 players to slow the Minnesota offense.

Football sometimes is one big chess game, and the Cardinals do not want to give the Vikings any advantage by forecasting their defensive game plan. If Minnesota knew which Arizona defensive back was going to cover which Viking receiver, then Minnesota would have an edge.

The Vikings have one of the most explosive groups of receivers in football, and one could argue that it may be one of the best groups ever, since the Vikings set the National Football League single-season scoring record with 556 points. Minnesota passed for 41 touchdowns this season, with quarterback Randall Cunningham throwing to targets like the rookie of the year, Randy Moss; a future Hall of Famer, Cris Carter; the dangerous Jake Reed, returning from a back injury, and a rising star, Matthew Hatchette.

So that's the problem the Cardinals face. The Vikings have so many weapons, how does a defense cover them all?

"What we're going to do is what we've done all year -- try to create mismatches," Minnesota Coach Dennis Green said.

Which has been easy to do because Minnesota's wideouts are all big, strong and fast. Moss is 6 feet 4 inches, Carter and Reed are 6-3 and Hatchette is 6-2. Most of the Arizona defensive backs range from 5-11 to 6-1.

The key to this game will be Williams, a smart player known for his intense study habits and great leaping ability.

All season, and for much of his eight-year career, the 5-11, 200-pound Williams has covered the opponent's best receiver, from Jerry Rice to Herman Moore to Carter.

Last week in the Cardinals' 20-7 wild-card victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Williams held Michael Irvin to 4 catches for 32 yards. Williams made his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl this year and holds the franchise record with six touchdowns off interceptions.

"I don't know whether Moss would be the acid test for him," said Arizona's defensive-backs coach, Larry Marmie. "Aeneas has played against a lot of great receivers over the years."

Expect Williams to lock up on Moss. There is no question that Williams has spent the week studying him, looking for any tendencies that could be used to defensive advantage. Williams has probably taken a peek at the hottest game film going around the league the latter part of this season -- Minnesota's game against the Washington Redskins on Oct. 18.

In that game, the Pro Bowl cornerback Darrell Green -- who is more than half foot shorter than Moss -- covered Moss all over the field and made him a nonfactor. Green covered Moss in a different way from that of most defensive backs. The conventional wisdom is to keep Moss in front of you; if he gets behind you, the thinking is, he can outrun almost anyone.

But he could not outrun Green, still one of the 10 fastest players in the game. When Moss would go deep, Green would stay a half-step behind him, right near Moss's hip, his inside shoulder pointed toward Moss. That meant it would take a perfect pass to get the ball over Green's outstretched hand, and indeed many of the deep balls thrown to Moss were batted down by Green.

Williams will probably try a similar technique, although he does not have the flat-out speed Green possesses.

Arizona safety Tommy Bennett said the fact that Moss is new to the league was a major advantage for the Vikings rookie. "What defensive backs look for is tendencies on receivers," Bennett said, "and people really didn't have tendencies on him."

Now they do, but this, too, is a problem: put so much effort into stopping Moss, and Minnesota's other weapons will wreak havoc.

Yet if the Cardinals are nervous, it isn't showing.

"I think we'll do an assortment of things to try and stop them," Williams said. "I guess our thinking as a secondary is that we have to contain these guys." http://www.nytimes.com

[Zen-like Todd]

Uh oh, I'm on a roll. This is the last one tonight, I promise.

August 28, 1992, Friday, Final Edition

SECTION: SPORTS; PAGE F1

LENGTH: 971 words

HEADLINE: Classic Green: Fast And Corners Great

SERIES: Occasional

BYLINE: Ken Denlinger, Washington Post Staff Writer

BODY:

The nicest -- and most profound -- compliment to a cornerback is that he "tilts the field." The phrase has all but gotten sewn on the Redskins' Darrell Green, who at 170 pounds hardly seems powerful enough to tilt a blade of grass.

What Green has done the last four years as well as any NFL cornerback has ever done is cover his man and his area to a degree that allows teammates to help others elsewhere. If you're a quarterback, here's the dilemma:

Isolate some swift and slippery receiver on Green and the probability of a completion still is unlikely. Look the other way, toward where a safety is drifting toward double-team coverage and the probability of anything meaningful is even more remote. "That whole side of the field is just about blocked off," said safety Brad Edwards. "It's his."

"You don't have to protect him as much as other corners," said defensive backfield coach Emmitt Thomas. "And that's nothing against Martin Mayhew. Even if Darrell was with Albert Lewis at Kansas City or Rod Woodson at Pittsburgh, they'd be the lesser corners."

The Redskins this week backed up such talk by making Green the second-highest paid player on the team, behind quarterback Mark Rypien. His contract, estimated at $ 4.5 million -- plus incentives -- over three years, is the best at his position and among the very elite defensive players around the NFL.

Clearly, it was worth waiting until the final two weeks of training camp for. And during that wait, Green got a nice whiff of what he called "things that were more real life. I saw how sweet life really is."

Green concentrated on his two foundations, one that feeds, clothes and provides counseling for five families and the other that serves as a learning center.

Also, Green has enrolled in two courses at Howard University: English and general studies. He was a junior academically when he left Texas A & I in spring 1983. The idea of getting his degree, helping others and putting himself in solid shape financially has him feeling exceptionally upbeat.

"This thing is so deceptive," he said, pointing to a practice field at Redskin Park where players were warming up. "These kids get in here, particularly the black kids. Many of them didn't have fathers -- that's why they're always yelling 'Hi, Mom.'

"They buy their mom a house. They get married and have a couple of kids. And when they ought to be financially secure, after five years, they're on the bubble [in danger of being cut]. I have financial security. But I've got a lot more going for me than money."

Green's on-the-field skills thrill the Redskins.

"Darrell's the best corner out there right now," Thomas said. "Bar none. Over the last 3 1/2 or four years he's proven that. Most corners play left or right. Darrell plays more a matchup situation. He takes the other team's best receiver. I don't think any other corner plays that way."

Statistically, Green has a way to go to reach immortality. Several corners have almost twice as many career interceptions as his 29 -- and one of them, his position coach, former Kansas City Chief Thomas, has yet to make the Hall of Fame.

As for the here and now? Well, Redskins wide receiver Gary Clark has been to the Pro Bowl several times and he says: "Over the eight years I've been around him in practice, I've beaten him probably a total of 10 times. That's incredible, because I don't think anybody can really shut me down -- and he's been doing a pretty good job of that for eight years."

Green's speed and quickness are obvious even to fans; they are respected to a degree that approaches awe by teammates and competitors.

"The only time he gets in trouble," said Edwards, "is when he's too fast." Edwards, drained after practice the other day, ran that remarkable statement back through his mind, decided it was right after all and added: "The only time he gets beat is when he overruns his man [and an underthrown pass is completed]. If you could have a problem in this league, that's the one to have -- being too fast."

"Because of his speed, he's able to cheat a little," said Clark. "Take some chances. You might try a double move -- and beat him. But he's quick enough to recover and still beat you to the ball. With guys like him, you hope they have a headache on Sunday."

Most of offensive football is disrupting rhythm. Whether that starts with the enormous pass rushers or the little corners is one of those chicken-and-egg situations.

"If the quarterback can't go to his first receiver, you have a chance," said assistant Torgy Torgeson, speaking for his defensive linemen. "It's very rare that a lineman beats his man that quickly. You need time to beat your blocker.

"If a quarterback can go back three steps and throw the ball, the line's not going to get there. If the defensive back covers that first move, the line should be putting pressure on the quarterback. Coverage and rush go hand in hand. Darrell gives us that extra time."

Mostly, what separates the exceptional corners from the mediocre and the quickly unemployed is temperament. No one, not Green, not Thomas, not even Night Train Lane, Lem Barney and everyone else in the Pro Football Hall of Fame ever totally avoided embarrassment.

Cornerback is the highest-risk position. And those who -- like Green -- tilt the field, have the greatest chance of being beaten. Anyone whose gambling style causes many big plays will surrender a few. Sometimes, a Jerry Rice and a Joe Montana get into such a groove that a Green cannot disrupt it.

"Lots of corners who fall short on one play will come back the second time and play timid," said defensive coordinator Larry Peccatiello. "Darrell and the other great ones never lose their confidence."

Green figures it this way: If he's beaten on one play, the next three ought to go his way.

[PCS]

Hmmmmmmmmmm I sense a man on a mission here. Keep 'em coming TCO.

[Dale]

Darrell's a class-act and it's been a pleasure to watch that man play football over the years.

Watching him and Irvin go at it was always a joy for me.