Where Are They Now? Part 4

This time around we are focusing on Kevin Greene a much loved Ram for years by Rams fans from all over the country. The latest on Greene is from last year.

When former linebacker Kevin Greene called seeking an interview for a job, Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers had only one question for him.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

In the five previous years, Greene had served brief summer stints in Pittsburgh, Miami, Jacksonville, St. Louis and Cincinnati as a volunteer assistant coach, and if asked then, his answer would have been no. But when he saw Capers, his old coach in Pittsburgh and Carolina, had landed a coordinator's job in Green Bay, he decided there was no time like the present.

"We had talked over the years and I never thought it was the right time," Greene said in a telephone interview Monday from his home in Florida. "I told him when I called him this was the right time. I wanted to get into it."

"I'm humbled," said Greene, whose long, blond hair and frenzied style of play were as much his trademark as his 160 sacks during a 15-year career. "I'm tickled to death. It's an awesome day for me. The opportunity to be a coach for the Green Bay Packers . . . good googly."

Given Moss was passed over for the defensive coordinator's job and now has to share responsibilities with the linebackers, it wouldn't be surprising if the working relationship between Moss and Greene was a bit strained. But McCarthy had them meet when Greene came to town and the two spent time getting to know one another.

"We spent about an hour together and I don't think there will be any issue," Greene said. "Winston is old school, just like me. My first year was 1985. His was 1987. He's a guy who would hit you just like I would. He believes in the same kind of physical mentality that I do. We hit it off."

Given that in his final season in the NFL, Greene went after Carolina assistant coach Kevin Steele on the sideline with an intent to fight him, it could get interesting with the two volatile coaches working side by side. Greene, however, had gotten good reviews from the Steelers for his work last summer with the team's linebackers and Capers figured he needed someone to help him make the transition to a 3-4 scheme.

Greene personified the 3-4 outside linebacker in Capers' blitz-happy defense, finishing third on the NFL's all-time sack list behind Bruce Smith and Reggie White. His understanding of the position will help potential outside linebackers Aaron Kampman, Brady Poppinga, Desmond Bishop and Jeremy Thompson adjust to a new position.

"He gave us a lot of technique tips," Steelers linebacker James Harrison, the 2008 NFL defensive player of the year, said during a Super Bowl XLIII media gathering Monday. "He's going to be real intense."

Defensive end Brett Keisel, a seventh-year pro, said he really enjoyed it when Greene visited camp, even it was only for a week. He said Greene had a presence among many of the defensive players and showed the same passion he did when he was playing.

"I love Kevin," Keisel said. "He's, like, one of the greatest guys I've ever met. Not only did I watch him and idolize him growing up and as a young player, he came out to training camp and helped not just the linebackers but the D-linemen.

Greene, 46, was not the typical NFL player. While attending Auburn University, he took ROTC classes and later became an Army paratrooper. For 19 years he served as a captain in the Army Reserves, using his offseasons to fulfill his commitment.

He played for Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Carolina and San Francisco, finishing his career in 1999. His fiery personality and penchant for the dramatic drew him to professional wrestling where in 1997 he teamed with former Chicago Bear Steve McMichael in the WCW.

The NFL ordered him to give up wrestling.

Now an assistant coach, Greene said his job would be to get the outside linebackers accustomed to the 3-4 defense and play with the same kind of intensity he did.

"I played four years with Dom, two in Pittsburgh and two in Carolina," Greene said. "Two of those years I led the NFL in sacks. We were always very productive with our 3-4 blitz scheme. I'm very familiar with what he's trying to implement."

"I'm just fired up. I played fired up as you probably know. I played with passion and desire. I have 15 years of on-field experience and my knowledge of how to play this position is second to none."