Lavarleap56 Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 'Mr. Redskin' Green To Join Gibbs's Staff By Nunyo DeMasio Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, January 12, 2004; Page D03 Darrell Green, who retired from the Washington Redskins in 2002 after a historic 20-year career, will return to the organization to be part of Coach Joe Gibbs's staff, according to two sources with knowledge of the move. Green, who played 10 seasons -- and won two Super Bowl titles -- under Gibbs, is likely to be a defensive backs coach, said a source outside the organization. But according to another source, who also requested anonymity, Green and Gibbs are ironing out his coaching duties. The former cornerback -- nicknamed "Mr. Redskin" because of his popularity -- did not return phone calls yesterday or respond to an e-mail. Green's two decades on the Redskins, which included 313 games, remain NFL records. Green made the Pro Bowl seven times and is expected to be selected to the Hall of Fame when he becomes eligible in 2007. In an interview during his final week as a player, Green didn't rule out eventually working for owner Daniel Snyder as part of management. But Green also insisted that he was looking forward to life after the Redskins. "I don't fear change," Green said in December 2002. "In football you have a game plan. Typically something happens different. But you still try to get the same result." Green, 43, his spent his post-football career overseeing the Youth Life Foundation, which he founded in 1988. The organization operates 12 learning centers for local children in the Washington area, and has plans to expand nationally. On Dec. 10, 2003, a six-mile stretch of Route 28 in Loudon County was named after Green, whose jersey number was 28. On Wednesday, Gibbs -- who coached the Redskins from 1981 to 1992, winning three Super Bowls -- returned to the NFL, replacing Steve Spurrier, who resigned on Dec. 30 after two seasons. Although Green is a year removed from playing, he can serve as a bridge to the current roster. Four of Spurrier's former assistants, who have contracts that expire after the 2004 season, are not expected to be retained. Green has no experience as an assistant. But former teammates -- who dubbed him "the Godfather" -- considered him a player/coach. "He taught me everything from wearing your socks right to just reading the quarterback," Rashad Bauman said in 2002 after displacing Green as a nickleback. "Darrell Green has always been there for me and tutored me in every way possible." Before the 2001 season, then-coach Marty Schottenheimer replaced Green at cornerback with Fred Smoot. But Smoot said the move didn't change Green. "He really guided me," Smoot said. "He didn't mind watching me blossom." The Texas A&I product was a starter on Gibbs's championship teams following the 1987 and 1991 seasons. Green was picked 28th overall in the 1983 draft, Washington's selection in the first round after Gibbs's first Super Bowl title. On Wednesday, Green was among several former players at Redskins Park, the team's training facility, for Gibbs's announcement. Since retiring, Green has rarely appeared at the park, but late this season he was spotted in the locker room a couple times, exchanging pleasantries with former teammates. Gibbs's staff thus far is composed of Don Breaux, the running backs coach; Jack Burns, the quarterbacks coach; Gibbs's son, Coy, an offensive quality control assistant; Rennie Simmons, who is expected to coach tight ends; and Gregg Williams, the defensive coordinator. (The Redskins haven't officially announced the signing of Simmons, a Falcons offensive line coach.) Williams is Gibbs's only defensive coach because Gibbs has been stifled by NFL rules that bar a team from interviewing an assistant under contract without receiving permission. Williams, the head coach of the Buffalo Bills the past three seasons, has wanted to hire a slew of his former assistants. He has received permission to interview Bills special teams coach Danny Smith and safeties/ third-down coach Steve Jackson. The Redskins are expected to hire them both this week. Before 2002, assistants were free to leave another team to take a promotion. According to a source, the Redskins had expressed an interest in Falcons defensive backs coach Emmitt Thomas, but not for the same position. Thomas, who coached the secondary under Gibbs from 1987 to 1992, declined to become defensive coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals under new coach Dennis Green, the source said. (Thomas was defensive coordinator for the Vikings in 2000 and 2001.) The Redskins are also bringing back Bubba Tyer, who served 25 of 33 years with the organization as a trainer. Like Green, Tyer -- who retired after last season -- is in the Ring of Honor at FedEx Field. Tyer's title is expected to be announced. According to sources, the Redskins have fired trainer Dean Kleinschmidt, who was with the organization for two seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldskool Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Thats all I can say if its true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StevieInferior Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Think Darrell Coaching under Willams will keep Champ here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prophet Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 very cool maybe he will be a player coach... can those old legs still run? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 This is what premier organizations do. Great move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ford Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Good thing is we've already got a good portion of a good, experienced staff in place .. so we can afford to bring in a few guys with less experience and a lot of coaching potential to learn along the way. Keeping talent, coaching or otherwise, within the organization is key to building a team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 I bet this keeps Champ around and also instills more of a "back to the roots" mentality on the team. The tradition will be staring these guys in the face on a daily basis. You got love that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spear Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 I thought Darrell relied on speed, rather than pure technique. I hope he'll make a good coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcees4life Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 yeah, that's awesome news................glad to see the return of another legendary redskin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skeletor The Invincible Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 I don't know how good of a coach he is.. But It's nice to bring a guy like Green back into the fold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubba9497 Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Wow, he said Thursday he wasn't interested in coaching on when interviewed on comcast thursday. Gibbs must be a heck of a salesman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OaktonSkins/BushFan Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Fantastic. It just gets better and better. Gibbs, Bugel, Williams and now D. Green. :drool: :rubeyes: :bow: :allhail: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Sassy Molassy Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 I know that D. Green doesn't have too much experience, but he will keep these guys in place, make them play better based on his examples. I think it'll be cool, he's got enough experience behind him to pickup fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PCS Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Originally posted by Spear I thought Darrell relied on speed, rather than pure technique. I hope he'll make a good coach. Early in his career sure. But typically as time went on, DG relied on good technique to go along with that speed. He was especially good at using the sidelines in coverage. Also good with his hands to keep track of the reciever. Both Smoot and Bauman say that he helped them out. Smoot's play speaks for itself and Bauman has played decently at times too. Figure that may be a good start for a coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay Master Jay Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Champ isn't going anywhere and D. Green is going to make sure of that so all the haters can forget it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillyKilmer Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 DG is a good Man and you can;t have to many of those around Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NavyDave Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Speed wasnt the only thing that helped D Green hold his own against receivers like Moss, remember that game? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghost of Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 ND I sure do, I'm surprised that I was actually able to see it, as I did not live in DC area at the time. One of the finest performances I've seen, especially for someone so physically overmatched. Moss called him the best CB he ever played against. Makes you wonder what would have happened, had Irvin not been able to push off against Darrell. Randy doesn't push off as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan T. Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Who was the genius who wrote this? (:doh: ) - "Settle down, boys. Darrell Green isn't a coach, and has said emphatically he doesn't want to coach. Is Art Monk coaching? I don't think so. Gibbs will get a top flight support staff in here, you can count on that. But players from the glory days don't automatically translate to competent coaches." Well, pass the Tabasco sauce, it'll make the crow taste better. It'll be great having Darrell Green back as part of the organization. Gibbs surrounds himself with quality people, and DG is the best person you'll find anywhere, so that's a positive. But in echoing Art, I think my last sentence in the quoted post above still applies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidPennSkin Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 Originally posted by Park City Skins Early in his career sure. But typically as time went on, DG relied on good technique to go along with that speed. He was especially good at using the sidelines in coverage. Also good with his hands to keep track of the reciever. Yes, Darrell learned a lot about technique from Marty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 can we merge all these DG threads? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchogs Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 sometimes it's tough for superstars to explain what they do and why they do it. that makes it hard to be a good coach. now, with dg being a "player/coach" for a couple years, maybe that isn't true. it's typically the average athlete (that has to work like hell and study the game in detail to make it onto the field) that makes the best coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spear Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 I just remember Marty ticking Green off by nitpicking his backpedal. That was his next-to-last year in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HapHaszard Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 I'm not sure if DG would make a great coach or not, but I know he would have the respect of the team. I also suspect that the new defensive coach will have a lot to say about who will be on his staff. GD would have a lot to offer and he also would have a lot to learn to become a coach, being a player/coach is not the same, its a lot different being a memeber of a team, and offering advice . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsblitz Posted January 12, 2004 Share Posted January 12, 2004 If DG wants to be a coach, then I'm all for it. He was pretty much a coach his last couple of years as a player anyways. I think he'll do pretty well as a coach. You know the other DB's respect him and will listen to him. He will bring some more leadership back to the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.