Green Article

Green Should Retire
		By C.E. Wendler Warpaint Illustrated Columnist Posted May 9, 2007 Trent Green began his Chiefs' career listening to the sound of boos – his 24-interception season in 2001 didn't sit well with most fans.
It seems he will end his career in the same fashion, but this time the boos don't emanate from the stands at Arrowhead Stadium. They echo in the hearts and minds of the fans who listened to Green rip the Chiefs on the radio last Friday. Where did it all go wrong? You can blame Chiefs President Carl Peterson for being too hard-headed in negotiations with the Miami Dolphins. You can blame the Dolphins for giving Peterson a taste of his own medicine. Finally, you can blame Green for, well, pretty much blaming everyone except himself. None of this really matters. Green is done in Kansas City. Apparently he's got his heart set on South Florida as his next playing destination. If you ask me, he ought to scope the place out as his retirement home. Here's the ugly truth no one has really been willing to accept so far – not the Chiefs (they want a draft pick), not the Dolphins (they want Green, sort of) and certainly not Green, who is anything but a quitter. Trent Green should retire. The writing was on the wall at the end of last season. It was evident when Green threw horrible, forced interceptions against the Baltimore Ravens and even more evident when he started tossing them right to linebackers and corners against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Green's arm, what little he ever had, is gone. At 37, his legs have been gone for quite some time. And should he take another knock on the noggin, who knows where his brain might end up. No one really wants Green. Despite Carl's mushy speeches about Green being KC's starting quarterback if the season started tomorrow, the Chiefs are more committed to second-year man Brodie Croyle who, according to Green himself, will receive 80 percent of the reps in training camp this year. The Dolphins? Oh yeah, they're practically lusting after Green. They're so hot for him they offered up a whopping seventh-round pick in exchange for his services. When Peterson tried to get a fourth, they sat on their hands. Evidently Cam Cameron and Terry Shea, for all their connections with their star pupil, would rather have a middle-round draft pick. How much do they really want him? We'll find out in a few months if they cave on their offer before training camp begins. If they stick with Cleo Lemon, Green might as well hang them up. But let's assume for a moment Miami ponies up Carl's fourth-rounder and Green packs his bags for the land of hurricanes (another good reason to retire, by the way, as if Miami itself wasn't a bad enough place to live). Retirement still might be Green's best option. Look at the Dolphins' offensive line. Their best offensive tackle (Damion McIntosh) bolted to Kansas City this offseason. L.J. Shelton looks to be the odds-on-favorite to replace him in Miami, a risky proposition for Green considering Shelton started 11 games last season at right guard. Didn't Green just finish a season in which he played the role of a bowling pin for defenders rolling down Jordan Black alley? Why go to another team featuring another converted guard protecting your blindside? It's not just Shelton, either. That entire offensive line is easily worse than the one Green suffered behind in Kansas City last season. Sure, Joey Harrington was only sacked 15 times, but he's one of those guys who would rather throw interceptions than get hit. Green? He holds the ball, and holds it longer than he should. He always has. Look at what happened to Daunte Culpepper behind that Miami line last year – 21 sacks in four games. For his own health, Green should avoid Miami. It's too bad he wouldn't accept Cleveland as a potential destination. With Joe Thomas playing Willie Roaf, Green might've looked halfway decent throwing to Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards. But back to Miami. The offensive line might be the least of Green's worries. 2001 was no picnic as we pointed out at the onset of this column – mostly due to the new offensive system the Chiefs were installing. Everyone was on the same page – the wrong one, while Green tried to teach everyone how to read. In Miami, the same thing is happening at this very moment. Meanwhile, the Dolphins dumped their most dependable receiver this offseason (Wes Welker). Someone's got to show the remaining fish (Marty Booker and Chris Chambers) how to swim. Obviously the Dolphins want Green around to expedite this process. And given the fact that they drafted former BYU standout John Beck in the second round of this year's NFL draft, clearly they've already handpicked their quarterback of the future. So, Green goes to Miami, gets clobbered behind a patchwork offensive line, endures a season that quite possibly might be comparable to his worst, and is most likely cast aside for a younger, more talented quarterback in a year or two – or, even worse, is forced out due to another concussion or knee injury. What's the point?