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Green deciding if Rams in his future
By Jim Thomas
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
03/06/2008
Trent Green completed his visit to St. Louis, will return home to mull things over, and then probably make a decision on where he will play in the NFL in 2008. Jim Steiner, Green's St. Louis-based agent, said Green is thorough and meticulous in making such decisions.
"He makes a very informed decision based on all the information he's gathered in the last few days in New Orleans and St. Louis," Steiner said.
Steiner said Green enjoyed his visit to St. Louis, noting there are a lot of positives about playing for the Rams based on the familiarity with the city, several players, and coaches. Green has no other visits planned at this time, but has also received calls from Green Bay and the New York Giants.
In roster moves by the team on Thursday, the Rams have agreed to terms with offensive lineman Adam Goldberg and tight end Anthony Becht. Goldberg, 27, has spent the past two seasons with the Rams, providing depth at the guard and tackle positions.
Goldberg started two games at right tackle last season before a knee injury (which did not require surgery) in Game 4 against Dallas ended his season. In 2006, Goldberg appeared in 15 games for St. Louis, starting once at left guard and once at left tackle.
Becht, 30, comes to the Rams from Tampa Bay, where he has spent the past three seasons. A first-round draft pick by the New York Jets in 2000, Becht is a blocking specialist with good size for the position at 6-5, 280 pounds. He entered the 2007 season with 104 consecutive regular-season starts, but started only twice in '07.
***Thursday's Post-Dispatch story by Jim Thomas***
Green pays a visit, gets big welcome
With all respect to kicker Josh Brown and offensive guard Jacob Bell, no free-agent visit has stirred up as much buzz in the Gateway City this year as the arrival of quarterback Trent Green.
When word spread of his impending visit to St. Louis, 80-year-old grandmothers, wives, and any Rams football fan old enough to remember 1999 got excited.
"It's kind of neat," Green told the Post-Dispatch late Wednesday afternoon as he arrived at Rams Park for his visit. "I did get a call from a couple of my high school friends that still live in town, just telling me kind of what was going on. It's very flattering, obviously."
St. Louis is Green's hometown. He played at Vianney High. And he was with the Rams in 1999 and 2000. Were it not for Green's knee injury in Game 3 of the '99 preseason, Kurt Warner might never have gotten off the bench in St. Louis.
But then-San Diego safety Rodney Harrison took out Green's left knee with a questionable hit on Aug. 28. The obscure Warner stepped into the lineup. And the rest is St. Louis sports history.
Green missed the entire '99 season. After spending the 2000 season as Warner's backup, starting five times when Warner was injured, Green was traded to Kansas City in the spring of 2001.
Two teams, two Pro Bowls, and more than 22,000 passing yards later, Green is considering a return to the Rams as a 37-year-old free agent. Recently cleared to play after suffering his second serious concussion in two years, Green wants to continue playing.
"It's funny how all this kind of works back in circles," Green said. "You look at what happened the first time I came through. I obviously wish the injury had never happened, and I would've been here this whole time. But the injury happened, Kurt came in and played well, and I went over and played well in Kansas City."
Green grew up in suburban Oakville. His father died of a heart attack 2½ years ago. His mother now lives in northwest Arkansas, not far from Fayetteville. Green's sister lives in Fayetteville, and his brother lives in Kansas City. But Green still has an aunt and uncle in St. Louis, not to mention his agent, Jim Steiner.
Green already has visited New Orleans and has received calls from Green Bay and the New York Giants. But he concedes there is a hometown tug when deciding where to play in 2008.
"There definitely is," Green said. "The familiarity of the town. The fact that this would put my wife and I close to both our families. Al (Saunders) being back; knowing the offense the way I do. Terry Shea. There's a lot of familiar faces."
Saunders is the Rams' new offensive coordinator; Shea is the Rams' new quarterbacks coach. Both were in Kansas City when Green enjoyed his greatest NFL success. Saunders accompanied Green around Rams Park on Wednesday, giving him a refresher course on the facility. As they walked past the outside of the Rams' locker room, Green looked up at poster-sized picture of himself on the wall — dropping back to pass in a 1999 Rams uniform.
The sight of the picture, which wasn't up a few days ago, brought out the trademark Green smile. "That was pre-Rodney," Green said, pointing to his left knee on the photo.
It was a vintage "way we were" moment.
"I'm trying to be as impartial as I can," Green said. "Trying to making the best decision for what's good for the family and my career. Opportunity to win, and all those things. So I'm trying to take the emotion out of it, although it is very difficult. Because I do think fondly of the city and the fans here. And I have great memories of the organization. All those things weigh into it."
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"I would much rather have a bottle in front of me than a
frontal lobotomy"!!
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