ChiefsPlanet - View Single Post - Chiefs Best draft picks by Round

**Rain Man** · 08-11-2017, 08:06 PM

#6 - Gary Green, CB, 1977. 10th pick.

Here are the Chiefs' 1st round draft picks in the 1970s before the Gary Green pick:

1970 - C Sid Smith (ranked 51st on my list)
1971 - WR Elmo Wright (ranked 39th on my list)
1972 - RB Jeff Kinney (ranked 46th on my list)
1973 –(Traded away for George Seals – anyone ever heard of George Seals?)
1974 – RB Woody Green (ranked 35th on my list)
1975 – (Traded away the pick plus Curley Culp for John Matuszak and a third round pick.
1976 – G Rod Walters (ranked 49th on my list)

So in other words, the Chiefs were beyond terrible at drafting in this time period. Far beyond terrible.

Buy maybe they got a sharp intern in 1977 or something, because Gary Green is not like these others. He was a star at Baylor University, which he chose as a result of their good student-teacher ratio and pro-style offense. This makes me wonder if he was a cornerback in high school or if he played offense. He was an all-American his senior year, and was a top-ten pick in an era when top-ten picks didn’t get invited to the draft. According to Gary, he just sat at home and waited for a phone call.

He arrived in Kansas City and immediately took over the LCB spot, lining up across from Emmitt Thomas at the RCB spot.

The Baylor web site has a nice quote from him about his rookie year: http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-...092209aab.html

As a rookie with the Chiefs, Green was playing with and against "guys that I idolized just one year earlier," he said.

"It was exciting and even a little scary at first. Because I'm standing there, getting ready to cover a wide receiver who for the last few years I've told all my friends, `Nobody can cover this guy.' And now all of a sudden, I'm standing there in front of this guy, realizing that if I can't cover this guy I'm probably not going to be around for very long."

Gary could cover them, though. He could really cover them.

Gary joined a defense, though, that had collapsed in on itself. In 1976, the Chiefs finished 5-9, with a defense that was ranked 25th in points and 27th in yards. Note that this was a 28 team league that included two first-year expansion teams, one of which was the 0-14 Buccaneers.

In 1977, there were still a few championship names. Jim Lynch and Emmitt Thomas were approaching the end of their careers, and the Chiefs talked Willie Lanier out of retirement for one final season. But the team was a mess. They went 2-12, Coach Paul Wiggin was fired in mid-season, and it was mostly the defense’s fault. The defense ranked 27th in points and 28th in yards. That couldn’t stop an elderly driver with a giant red light.

Oddly, though, it wasn’t the backfield’s fault, and they were pretty strong. You had Gary Green and Emmitt Thomas at the corners, and phenom safety Gary Barbaro in his second year at free safety. The defense was 14th in pass defense as opposing offenses contented themselves with running the ball down the throats of the weak front seven.

Marv Levy took over the next year, and the team was better, but not much. The arrival of Art Still pushed the run defense up to 18th, while the pass defense was 17th, and the team went 4-12. Despite the departure of the last of the defensive champions, the team improved to 7-9 in 1979 and then 8-8 in 1980. For the first time, the league recognized that Gary was a shutdown cornerback, and named him to the pro bowl for the first of three consecutive years.

In 1981, the Chiefs began building their nextgen defensive backfield, as Lloyd Burruss arrived. The moved up to 9-7 as Marv Levy continued his inexorable march to four consecutive Super Bowls. However, when the strike blew up the 1982 season and canceled half the games, the Chiefs fired Marv Levy because they didn’t want to go to four consecutive Super Bowls.

The backfield made an evolutionary leap in 1983. Free safety Gary Barbaro, a three-time pro bowler in his prime, bolted to the USFL, thereby completely destroying his Chiefs legacy and breaking the heart of a mid-Missouri Chiefs fan who was in college at the time. Barbaro was replaced by a backup punter named Deron Cherry who would build his own even greater legacy and mend the Chiefs fan’s heart. Further, the Chiefs drafted another left cornerback named Albert Lewis who was pushing for playing time, though Gary was still a true star and kept him on the bench.

But you can’t keep Albert Lewis on the sidelines, and the Chiefs needed help in other areas. They traded Gary before the 1984 season. According to an interview later with Gary, http://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/05/...9824452318400/

Green said he was given up so easily by the Chiefs 'because I was one of the most vocal players on the team and got into several confrontations with the coaches here. (Coach) John Mackovic wants blind followers. Anyone who represents leadership, they get rid of.'

It sounds like Gary wasn't really broken up about the trade. Here’s another interesting quote. The Chiefs made his dreams come true by trading him. http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-...092209aab.html

"Not winning, not making the playoffs in seven years at Kansas City was kind of disheartening," he said. "But Los Angeles was extra good for me. No. 1, they're always in the playoffs. No. 2, the weather in Los Angeles is a lot better the latter part of the season than in Kansas City. And then my best friend, Eric Harris, who was the right cornerback with the Chiefs, was traded there the year before. And my first cousin, David Hill, was an All-Pro tight end with the Detroit Lions and also got traded there the year before.

"So I got a chance to go to a team that's always in the playoffs; the No. 1 or 2 market in the United States, so the publicity was a lot better; and I got a chance to play with my first cousin and my best friend. And both years, we ended up losing in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion."

In the end, Gary Green played for seven years with the Chiefs, making 99 starts and earning three pro bowls. He was a shutdown cornerback who was rarely challenged.

If you’re doing the math, you might question why I rank Gary this high. 99 starts is a smaller number than 9 guys who I ranked below him, and the previous five guys on my list all had more pro bowls. So why is Gary this high?

Here’s the reason, and it’s a good one. After 7 years and 99 starts, Gary was traded to the Rams for a 1st round pick and a 5th round pick. Gary was a first-round pick and we got back more than we paid for him. That, my friends, is a great first round pick.

(If you’re curious, the 1st round pick became John Alt, too. Brilliant move. Our 1977 first-round pick paid benefits to the team up to 1996. Gary played two seasons with the Rams, earning one pro bowl.)

Here's Gary Green and Gary Barbaro bringing home the coveted Lombardi Trophy. No, wait, that's the Governor's Cup. Almost the same thing.

But seriously, he was really good, one of the best Chiefs cornerbacks ever, and we've had a lot of great ones.

08-11-2017, 08:06 PM	#286
Rain Man NFL's #1 Ermines Fan Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My house Casino cash: $3298491 VARSITY	#6 - Gary Green, CB, 1977. 10th pick. Here are the Chiefs' 1st round draft picks in the 1970s before the Gary Green pick: 1970 - C Sid Smith (ranked 51st on my list) 1971 - WR Elmo Wright (ranked 39th on my list) 1972 - RB Jeff Kinney (ranked 46th on my list) 1973 –(Traded away for George Seals – anyone ever heard of George Seals?) 1974 – RB Woody Green (ranked 35th on my list) 1975 – (Traded away the pick plus Curley Culp for John Matuszak and a third round pick. 1976 – G Rod Walters (ranked 49th on my list) So in other words, the Chiefs were beyond terrible at drafting in this time period. Far beyond terrible. Buy maybe they got a sharp intern in 1977 or something, because Gary Green is not like these others. He was a star at Baylor University, which he chose as a result of their good student-teacher ratio and pro-style offense. This makes me wonder if he was a cornerback in high school or if he played offense. He was an all-American his senior year, and was a top-ten pick in an era when top-ten picks didn’t get invited to the draft. According to Gary, he just sat at home and waited for a phone call. He arrived in Kansas City and immediately took over the LCB spot, lining up across from Emmitt Thomas at the RCB spot. The Baylor web site has a nice quote from him about his rookie year: http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-...092209aab.html As a rookie with the Chiefs, Green was playing with and against "guys that I idolized just one year earlier," he said. "It was exciting and even a little scary at first. Because I'm standing there, getting ready to cover a wide receiver who for the last few years I've told all my friends, `Nobody can cover this guy.' And now all of a sudden, I'm standing there in front of this guy, realizing that if I can't cover this guy I'm probably not going to be around for very long." Gary could cover them, though. He could really cover them. Gary joined a defense, though, that had collapsed in on itself. In 1976, the Chiefs finished 5-9, with a defense that was ranked 25th in points and 27th in yards. Note that this was a 28 team league that included two first-year expansion teams, one of which was the 0-14 Buccaneers. In 1977, there were still a few championship names. Jim Lynch and Emmitt Thomas were approaching the end of their careers, and the Chiefs talked Willie Lanier out of retirement for one final season. But the team was a mess. They went 2-12, Coach Paul Wiggin was fired in mid-season, and it was mostly the defense’s fault. The defense ranked 27th in points and 28th in yards. That couldn’t stop an elderly driver with a giant red light. Oddly, though, it wasn’t the backfield’s fault, and they were pretty strong. You had Gary Green and Emmitt Thomas at the corners, and phenom safety Gary Barbaro in his second year at free safety. The defense was 14th in pass defense as opposing offenses contented themselves with running the ball down the throats of the weak front seven. Marv Levy took over the next year, and the team was better, but not much. The arrival of Art Still pushed the run defense up to 18th, while the pass defense was 17th, and the team went 4-12. Despite the departure of the last of the defensive champions, the team improved to 7-9 in 1979 and then 8-8 in 1980. For the first time, the league recognized that Gary was a shutdown cornerback, and named him to the pro bowl for the first of three consecutive years. In 1981, the Chiefs began building their nextgen defensive backfield, as Lloyd Burruss arrived. The moved up to 9-7 as Marv Levy continued his inexorable march to four consecutive Super Bowls. However, when the strike blew up the 1982 season and canceled half the games, the Chiefs fired Marv Levy because they didn’t want to go to four consecutive Super Bowls. The backfield made an evolutionary leap in 1983. Free safety Gary Barbaro, a three-time pro bowler in his prime, bolted to the USFL, thereby completely destroying his Chiefs legacy and breaking the heart of a mid-Missouri Chiefs fan who was in college at the time. Barbaro was replaced by a backup punter named Deron Cherry who would build his own even greater legacy and mend the Chiefs fan’s heart. Further, the Chiefs drafted another left cornerback named Albert Lewis who was pushing for playing time, though Gary was still a true star and kept him on the bench. But you can’t keep Albert Lewis on the sidelines, and the Chiefs needed help in other areas. They traded Gary before the 1984 season. According to an interview later with Gary, http://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/05/...9824452318400/ Green said he was given up so easily by the Chiefs 'because I was one of the most vocal players on the team and got into several confrontations with the coaches here. (Coach) John Mackovic wants blind followers. Anyone who represents leadership, they get rid of.' It sounds like Gary wasn't really broken up about the trade. Here’s another interesting quote. The Chiefs made his dreams come true by trading him. http://www.baylorbears.com/sports/m-...092209aab.html "Not winning, not making the playoffs in seven years at Kansas City was kind of disheartening," he said. "But Los Angeles was extra good for me. No. 1, they're always in the playoffs. No. 2, the weather in Los Angeles is a lot better the latter part of the season than in Kansas City. And then my best friend, Eric Harris, who was the right cornerback with the Chiefs, was traded there the year before. And my first cousin, David Hill, was an All-Pro tight end with the Detroit Lions and also got traded there the year before. "So I got a chance to go to a team that's always in the playoffs; the No. 1 or 2 market in the United States, so the publicity was a lot better; and I got a chance to play with my first cousin and my best friend. And both years, we ended up losing in the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion." In the end, Gary Green played for seven years with the Chiefs, making 99 starts and earning three pro bowls. He was a shutdown cornerback who was rarely challenged. If you’re doing the math, you might question why I rank Gary this high. 99 starts is a smaller number than 9 guys who I ranked below him, and the previous five guys on my list all had more pro bowls. So why is Gary this high? Here’s the reason, and it’s a good one. After 7 years and 99 starts, Gary was traded to the Rams for a 1st round pick and a 5th round pick. Gary was a first-round pick and we got back more than we paid for him. That, my friends, is a great first round pick. (If you’re curious, the 1st round pick became John Alt, too. Brilliant move. Our 1977 first-round pick paid benefits to the team up to 1996. Gary played two seasons with the Rams, earning one pro bowl.) Here's Gary Green and Gary Barbaro bringing home the coveted Lombardi Trophy. No, wait, that's the Governor's Cup. Almost the same thing. But seriously, he was really good, one of the best Chiefs cornerbacks ever, and we've had a lot of great ones. __________________ I'm putting random letters here as a celebration of free speech: xigrakgrah misorojeq rkemeseit.
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