Green is full of confidence

Green is full of confidence
September 25
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"For openers, Trent Green came out with a little humor, tailor-made for his hometown.

"First off, this is great that everybody showed up to talk about the Vianney-DeSmet game this week," Green said, flashing his trademark smile. "It's a big rivalry."

Obviously, that wasn't why the largest media crowd of the season showed up Wednesday at Rams Park. Green, the pride of Vianney High and suburban Oakville, will start at quarterback Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.

"Obviously, from a team standpoint I wish I was standing here and we were 3-0, and the offense was playing great, defense was playing great, and none of the changes were necessary," Green said.

But if that were true, Green wouldn't have been standing there. He would still be in the background, backing up Marc Bulger and taking scout team reps in practice.

But the Rams are 0-3, their offense is ranked 31st in the NFL, and Bulger isn't playing up to his usual standards. So coach Scott Linehan has turned to Green.

"Hopefully, I can bring some sort of spark, and make us more productive on offense," Green said.

Green has an extensive background in the offense from his past years with offensive coordinator Al Saunders in Kansas City. He knows the terminology and has a grasp of where everybody should be on every play.

With the exception of seven-time Pro Bowler Torry Holt, he has thrown extensively to every receiver on the roster, whether it be during the spring, during training camp, or running the scout team offense in practice. (Rookie Donnie Avery, by the way, is expected to start Sunday.)

But Green threw only nine passes during the preseason. Once the regular season started, he hasn't seen any action, even at the end of blowout losses to Philadelphia, the New York Giants, and Seattle. In fact, he hasn't played in a regular-season game since suffering a season-ending concussion last Oct. 7 against Houston as a member of the Miami Dolphins.

During the preseason, Saunders said he could get Green in rhythm in a snap, because of their past association. But is that a realistic goal considering Green's nearly year-long stretch of game inactivity?

"I think so," Green said. "Once again, I lean back on the experience card. I've been in (the offense) a long time. I understand the footwork and the timing, and where the ball goes and placement. It falls back on trust."

Green has to trust that his protection will hold up. That's a big "if" - even with the expected return of Jacob Bell at left guard after missing the last two contests with a hamstring injury. And it's a big "if" even given last week's good pass-blocking performance against Seattle.

Green also missed substantial playing time in 2006 with Kansas City because of a concussion - and the concussion question came up again Wednesday.

"I would not even be on the team if I didn't have confidence completely in where I stand physically," Green said.



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