| Green welcoming chance to compete for starting job with Dolphins |
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| Written by Admin |
| Wednesday, 01 August 2007 09:03 |
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DAVIE, Fla. (AP) -It is common these days for Trent Green to execute a play in practice, then retreat to the huddle and ask his offensive linemen what just happened. Implementing the physical part of the Miami Dolphins' offense comes easily for Green, a savvy veteran who's already fluent in the nuances of running the system. Learning what terminology the Dolphins are using in that offense, well, that's why Green is spending his lunch hour and a couple of hours before bed poring through his notes in the playbook. Basically, most teams essentially run the same things. Hardly anyone, though, uses the same language to call those plays. ``All part of the learning process,'' Green said Wednesday. It's a critical part of the process for Green, the former Kansas City standout widely expected to be the Dolphins' starting quarterback. But he hasn't been anointed as such by new Miami coach Cam Cameron, who insists that open competition exists for the first-string job this season. While it may seem unlikely that Green will open the year behind either Cleo Lemon or rookie John Beck on Miami's depth chart, the 37-year-old QB says he's simply satisfied knowing he'll have a fair shake in the race to start - something he believes wouldn't have occurred if he remained with the Chiefs, who'll turn to either Damon Huard or Brodie Croyle this season. That's why Green asked to be traded to Miami, which was in the market for a quarterback because of the uncertainty over Daunte Culpepper's health. Culpepper was released last month and signed a one-year deal Tuesday with the Oakland Raiders. ``When (Chiefs president) Carl Peterson gave me permission to talk to other teams and I got on the phone with Cam, that was something he was open about from the beginning,'' Green said. Based solely on past NFL work, Green could have been proclaimed Miami's 2007 starter the second he arrived in town. Beck and Lemon are drawing solid reviews from many teammates following the early days of training camp, yet the overwhelming sense in the Dolphins' newly refurbished locker room is that Green will be the leader of Miami's long-maligned offense this fall - and that his arm is as potent as ever. ``He's a great quarterback. He gets you the ball really fast,'' tight end David Martin said. ``That's one big thing. When you're running routes with Trent, you've got to have your head around fast and be ready for the ball.'' Beck was a second-round pick in this year's draft and is the clear choice to be Miami's future at the position. Lemon started last season's finale against Indianapolis and played in four games overall, completing 38 of 68 passes for 412 yards and four touchdowns. Green, meanwhile, has consistently ranked among the NFL's best, averaging nearly 250 yards per game over the past seven seasons and eclipsing the 4,000-yard mark three times during his stint with the Chiefs. And still, he's been handed nothing in Miami. ``I will make that announcement when my instincts tell me it is time to make that announcement,'' Cameron said. ``It is all part of the process - the meetings, the practices, the walk-throughs. You watch the leadership develop, you just watch it evolve, then play the preseason games and then instinctively you know when it's the time for your team to know who the quarterback is.'' Green doesn't mind that process whatsoever. The past few weeks have been a crash course in Dolphins 101 for Green, who wasn't signed until early June. In past years, training camp has meant it was time for Green to review plays and schemes that had become second nature to him, but that's simply not the case this summer - and he said there's much to be done before he can truly be considered a leader of the offense. ``I feel good about the way everything's going,'' Green said. ``It's a learning process, not only for me but for everyone else ... and I'm excited about what lies ahead.'' |
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