THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 24, 1995 TAG: 9509240185
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JIM DUCIBELLA, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
You wouldn't think a football player who rushed for 3,543 yards in college would get excited about a number like 199.
But for Robert Green, a former William and Mary standout now with the Chicago Bears, the first statistic represents the good old days, those spent in Williamsburg. He remains the school's all-time leading rusher, and set school records with 1,408 yards rushing and 19 touchdowns his junior season.
A more recent figure, though not nearly as gaudy, represents something equally noteworthy - three years of dogged, unwavering determination.
Although Green has a slight ankle injury, which he hopes won't keep him from playing against the surprising St. Louis Rams today, he is one of the bright stories of this NFL season. With 199 yards, Green already has exceeded in three games his rushing total for the previous three seasons.
``It's just very gratifying,'' said Green, who totaled 197 yards in one season with the Washington Redskins and two with the Bears. ``I finally get an opportunity to be a starter and to show what I can do. Things have gone better than I expected.''
The most amazing aspect of Green's performance this year is his 7.1-yards-per-carry average.
``The Bears run a lot between the tackles; that's my style,'' Green said. ``Believe it or not, I don't like to run outside. I like the power game.''
That's a remarkable statement for someone of Green's stature. He stands just 5-foot-8 and, although he weighs 212 pounds, his size represents an obstacle he's faced since his first days in the game.
``If you go by the standards of everyone else in the football world, I wouldn't even be here,'' Green said.But ``I never felt I was not going to get a chance.''
``I felt it coming,'' he said. ``It's like I almost knew it was coming this season. I admit it came earlier than I expected.''
A special-teams stalwart who has finished among his team's top four in kickoff and punt tackles every year, Green had no way of knowing that Chicago's No. 1 draft pick, former Colorado running back and Heisman Trophy winner Rashaan Salaam, would be a holdout and come to camp overweight. He had no way of knowing that fullbacks Raymont Harris and Lewis Tillman both would go down early with injuries.
But Green turned his intuition into a plan last offseason. A 220-pounder in college and his initial NFL seasons, Green dropped eight pounds and reshaped his cannonball-like physique.
``It's hard to explain, but it just takes less energy to move my body at 212,'' Green said. ``Before, it took all my energy to run down the field on special teams. I had nothing left for anything else.
``I looked at the way the Bears were going to use me - more on third down - and decided there was no need to carry the extra weight. I needed to be quicker, not bigger.''
If there's a downside to Green's early-season success, it's that he likely hasn't changed the league's perception of how a running back should look. Tillman and Harris will be back soon. Salaam, who's a halfback, is getting more carries by the week.
``I haven't thought about that, because that's not the way I look at things,'' Green said. ``I figure that if should I keep doing well with this opportunity, as long as I'm doing the job, I can't see anything bad happening to me.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Ex-William and Mary star Robert Green averages 7.1 yards per rush.
by CNB