Green guarantees Cardinals playoff birth

Cards coach to CofC: Expect 10-6 year
Josh Kelley
The Arizona Republic
Jun. 24, 2004 12:00 AM

Dennis Green sounded more like a motivational speaker than a head football coach during a speech to the Tempe Chamber of Commerce at a luncheon Tuesday.

The first-year Arizona Cardinals coach told the crowd of about 300 that his mission is to inject an attitude of winning into a franchise with a legacy of losing.

"The Arizona Cardinals have never won before," Green said. "That has nothing to do with winning now."

Green, who lives in Ahwatukee Foothills, guaranteed a playoff berth and predicted a record of 10-6, a far cry from the Cardinals' record of 4-12 one year ago.

"I believe in fair play," Green said. "Every team should get a big, juicy bite of the apple."

Green described a team with plenty of young talent on offense, which figures to be the team's backbone, he said. Wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, last year's Heisman Trophy runner-up from the University of Pittsburgh,have impressed Green with their talent, along with tight end Freddie Jones and quarterback Josh McCown.

But Green's cheerleading turned sour when he expressed his displeasure over the Cardinals' first preseason game Aug. 14 in Minnesota against the Vikings, Green's former team.

"I think that's the National Football League's sense of humor and not mine," he said. "That was a terrible decision on their part . . . that game should be played here."

Because so many Vikings fans live in the Valley, the crowd turnout for a Vikings game would have been much larger than what's expected for the Cardinals' other scheduled preseason games, Green said.

He also called on residents to "defend your city" during the next NFL draft from the likes of Eli Manning, who wouldn't play for the San Diego Chargers despite the team using its No. 1 draft pick on him this year.

"Never allow a 23-year-old, snotty-nosed guy" to do that, Green said to a chorus of laughs.

I think they will be improved, not just because of fitzgerald and green, but because they were actually a reasonably tough team at home last year, just really bad on the road. Notwithstanding the foregoing, I cant see them going 10-6 having to play us twice and the seachickens twice. I just dont see the horses on the defensive side of the ball and they have a totally unproven qb.

ramming speed to all

SIGN THE BIG MAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

general counsel

Their receiving corp is top-notch, no doubt. But I don't see Josh McCown being the one to get them the ball.

Also, if Green takes his team to 10-6 and the playoffs, he shouldn't have to worry about 1st pick brats anyway.

This is what I like about the NFL. What in the wild world of sports is he supposed to say? We are gonna suck? Don't buy tickets because we won't field a competitive team?