Injury to Rams starter Green gave backup Warner the chance

Kurt Warner's initial rags-to-riches story with the St. Louis Rams came at the expense of quarterback Trent Green, a Cedar Rapids native.

The Rams signed Green as a free agent before the 1999 season, and Green was dynamic in the team's first three preseason games. He completed 28 of 32 passes, and the Rams' offense showed flashes of excellence. But in the third preseason game, then-Chargers safety Rodney Harrison blitzed Green and rammed into the quarterback's firmly planted left knee. The hit shredded every ligament in Green's knee.

Green was placed on injured reserve, and Warner became the league's Most Valuable Player that season. Warner played six years in St. Louis, throwing for 14,447 yards and 102 touchdowns and earning two NFL MVP awards.

"It changed the direction of my life and my career," Green said in a 2004 interview. "It changed the direction of Kurt's career. It potentially changed the direction of the team and what happened that season and the people involved."

Green sat out that season but replaced an injured Warner in 2000. Green started five games and played in eight. He tossed 16 TDs and threw for 2,063 yards. His performance led to a 2001 trade to Kansas City.

Green had solid production in Kansas City, throwing for at least 3,600 yards five consecutive seasons. He was a two-time Pro Bowler, passed for 4,000 yards three straight seasons and led Kansas City to a 13-3 record and AFC West Division title in 2003. Green threw for 21,459 yards and 118 touchdowns in six Kansas City seasons.

In 11 seasons, Green has thrown for 28,475 yards and 162 touchdowns.

"As much as I'd like to sit here and say how bad it was and how negative it was," Green said of Harrison's hit in 2004, "I probably took more positive out of it than anything, and it's probably made me a better person and player.

"Don't get me wrong - I wish it never happened."

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