Phinatics.com - Morlon Greenwood

Morlon Greenwood is the strong side linebacker for the Miami Dolphins. Morlon played college football for Syracuse and was drafted to play for the NFL Miami Dolphins in the 3rd round of 2001. He is signed through 2003.

Phinatics.com gives Morlon Greenwood a special
"THANK YOU" for his participation.

Thanks also to phinatics Danny Nelson, Chris Nelson, Lloyd, "Aqua",
"Dolfiend", and "NJPhinfan", for their question contributions.

phinatics.com: Before we get into any detailed questions, who do you like in the Super Bowl?
Morlon Greenwood: I have to go with the Raiders because one of my ex-teammates that I used to play with at Syracuse is on that team, Roland Williams. I normally go for the team that ... like before I was going for Philadelphia because McNabb went to Syracuse, and the Tennessee Titans because Keith Bullock went to Syracuse as well. Roland Williams already has a Super Bowl ring, so I was pulling for those two guys to get a ring. But, then they lost, so I am rooting for Roland Williams, he's on the Raiders. The Raiders are in the AFC, so that's always a reason.

phinatics.com: Would it you give you any kind of satisfaction if Oakland won since the Dolphins beat them this season?
Morlon Greenwood: I think anytime an AFC team wins it's good, because they are in our conference and it shows superiority. It shows that we have good competition in the AFC.

phinatics.com: Now that you have released the "Blow the Skylines Out of Proportion" CD, what do your future plans look like for another CD?
Morlon Greenwood: Blow the Skylines was just a single. I just wanted people to get a chance to hear it to see if they like it. Now, I am going to put a whole CD together. I'm not sure how many I am going to finish with, but it is going to probably be around 16 or so, and that is what I am working on right now.

To order the CD, visit www.morlongreenwood.com

phinatics.com: The one on the web site you consider that a single?
Morlon Greenwood: Actually, a single, but it has two songs on it. One is called Skylines, and the other is Hold the Faith. It also has 5 different types of mixes from the Skylines.

phinatics.com: Have you been pleased with the response of your first CD?
Morlon Greenwood: Yes. I haven't had a lot of time to really promote it that way I wanted. But, the people who did go out and get it, I had a lot of good response. They like it a lot, and asked me about when I'm going to come out with an album. Some people, because I haven't had a good chance to promote it, ask me, "When you coming out with a CD," and I say, "It's already in the store, and they say, "Oh, for real, I didn't even know that. I gotta go get it." I am pretty pleased with the response that I have received ... everybody that has listened to it so far has liked it, so that's basically all I wanted to see. When I complete the album, I am going to promote it the right way and try and get it out there.

phinatics.com: You also released a video for the title song "Blow the Skylines Out of Proportion". What Dolphins players can we expect to see in the video?
Morlon Greenwood: Jason Taylor is in the beginning of it; Pat Surtain, Chris Chambers, Dedric Ward, Derrick Rodgers, Ray Lucas, Oronde Gadsden, Robert Edwards, Wally Ogunleye, a lot of guys were in there.

phinatics.com: How did the commonly used term, "The sky is the limit", influence the title of your CD?
Morlon Greenwood: Most of my life, people have been saying the sky is the limit, and basically I feel you shouldn't limit yourself to anything. I was thinking one day about what I want to do in life, and I just said I am going to blow the skylines out of proportion. I'm not going to hold myself to that limit, as they always say the sky is the limit. There's no limit, si i am actually blowing the skylines out of proportion. The sky was the limit ... I am going beyond that.

phinatics.com: What singer/bands do you listen to, and which ones were your biggest influence?
Morlon Greenwood: Growing up my biggest influence was Bob Marley. I like a lot of his songs. My father is a big Bob Marley fan; he listens to a lot of his music, so I guess that's why I heard a lot of it, and how I got to like it. Most of his songs are talking about life, and different situations that happen in life, and some of his experiences. I really like the songs. they are easy to listen to, relaxing, and give you a good feeling.

phinatics.com: Zach Thomas puts together custom made CD's for the team before every game. Did any of your songs make any of his CD's last season?
Morlon Greenwood: I don't know, I'll have to ask him. I know when I made the first song, when it wasn't even on CD, and I let the guys here it, he was like, 'Morlon, I need to get a copy, I need to get a copy." I made a copy for him before I even made anything else, and he was listening to it, and he would always ask me, "Morlon, when are you going to make another song? You know you can't be no one-hit wonder (laughs." That's the story right now -- this off-season I am going to make a lot of songs.

phinatics.com: Your stage name for your music life is "Ultimate", what is the story behind how you adopted the name?
Morlon Greenwood: In life, I want to do things that are great -- the highest of everything, and I think "Ultimate" would be the perfect name. You say the word everyday, and people are, like, that sounds kind of simple, but I was kind of coming to the conclusion and then I went to an Amoco station. Ultimate was the highest one, so after I left the gas station I was like, you know what, I am just going to go with Ultimate. That finalized it.

phinatics.com: Your web site has "Ultimate" t-shirts and jerseys for sale. Did Original Gear (Oronde) make those for you?
Morlon Greenwood: No, Original Gear didn't make them for me, but that's a good idea. Maybe I should have Oronde make some of them.

phinatics.com: Let's talk some Dolphins football! What do you think the future holds for the team next season after such a disappointing ending to this season?
Morlon Greenwood: I think the disappointment, after a season like this -- the only thing it can do is motivate you even more for next season. When you go through something like this ... for me personally, it motivates me even that much more to go out and do even better next time. I think the guys we have on this team, and the leadership caliber type of guys that we have, I think next season we are going to come back and be stronger than ever.

phinatics.com: Speaking of next season, there have been reports that the Dolphin's top off-season priority is the outside linebacker position. Is it perception or reality that the Dolphins are not getting enough from the position?
Morlon Greenwood: That position is a position where ... it's tough, you know. The way the defensive scheme is designed, sometimes the OLB's don't really get a chance to get in on a play unless they run it their way, or if they happen to chase a play down where they are given an opportunity to make a play that way. I think you have to be in the right position at the right time to really make some plays at OLB ... be able to put into the mix and to be able to get the opportunity to make plays.

phinatics.com: Why does the Dolphins defense seem to perform so differently at home than on the road?
Morlon Greenwood: I think that is like any other team really. We have struggled down the road for whatever reason. I really don't know if it's mental. I don't know if it's the away atmosphere. Personally, when I am at home, I feel good and relaxed. When you're on the road, it's like a different atmosphere. I don't know what the reason is; I cannot tell you. When I go on the road, I always make sure I'm there for business because I know that when you are on the road anything can happen no matter what type of team you are playing because everything is against you. The fans are against you, the team is already against you, and you are in a city that is against you. So, all we have is us. So, the team has to stick together from start to finish, or else at any point that there is a let down the momentum could shift greatly in their favor.

phinatics.com: If you were the defensive coordinator, what changes would you make?
Morlon Greenwood: I wouldn't make any honestly. I think the whole entire team that we have ... my honest opinion, I wouldn't change anything. The team that we had last year was really a very good team that could beat any team in the National Football League. I just think that we need to keep the same guys and the chemistry. I think some key things happened during the season that were unfortunate. Fiedler was having such a good year, and then he got hurt, and that kind of threw the mix off. We kind of got into a little slump that mid-part of the season. If that didn't happen, I think we would have had a really good year. I think we need to keep the guys we have -- come back this year and work hard. The guys have been through it, and they know what to expect, so when that time comes, they know what to do. We just need to regroup and come back strong.

phinatics.com: Sam Madison recently spoke out publicly about the struggles of the team last season, including what appeared to be some blame on the coaches for not making enough adjustments. For example he said, "Guy's minds venture if you're not switching up with different coverages or giving different looks. Those [opponents] make adjustments, and we stay in a little loop. Teams start to pick up on what we're doing." What's your opinion on his comments?
Morlon Greenwood: Basically, he is saying that if we play the same thing all the time that the opponent is going to pick up on it eventually?

phinatics.com: Yes. He is saying that's what happened last season.
Morlon Greenwood: I think that you could go back and forth on that one. Some games it worked, some games it didn't work. As long as we go out and there and do what we do, don't change, and do what we do at the highest level, I don't think anybody could beat us. We shouldn't try to say we should do this, or we should do this more, or we should do this more, you know? It's more like a whole thing we should be doing, instead of focusing on one thing we need to do. Personally, I think that if we just do what we do, and the things that we practice, and the things that we do best, there is nobody that could be as good. Sometimes we do the same things and we shut teams down ... shut teams down completely, so, that one can go either way.

phinatics.com: Bob Glauber, a Newsday columnist, gave Zach Thomas his most overrated player award adding that Zach is not nearly as good as his reputation and that he is one reason Miami's ''D'' never gets it done when it counts. Were you shocked to see this and what would your response be to Mr. Glauber?
Morlon Greenwood: Ah man, I think Zach Thomas is a hell of a player -- in everything. In his attitude, the way he approaches the game, the way he practices, the way he plays on Sundays, and the way he carries himself -- that's how I feel about Zach Thomas. I don't think Zach Thomas is overrated at all; I think Zach Thomas is one of the best players in the National Football League playing in his position. I think Zach Thomas is one of the main reasons why this defense has the attitude it has when we come out there on Sunday to play. It's the way he is; he has that blue collar aggressive attitude. When you have players like that on the team, especially when it comes down to time for war, time for battle, it changes the entire mindset of the entire team, or the entire defense -- of how they feel. I don't agree with that at all about him being overrated. I know Zach Thomas, I play and practice with him, and I am around him a lot, and I know what type of guy he is. I've learned a lot from Zach since I've been in the league. During the week, when we are watching film, we will talk about things, and he tells me little things to pick up on that give him an edge. Things that I probably wouldn't have even thought about, but because he is so experienced in what he does, when I incorporate that into my film study and take it out to the game, it takes my game to a whole other level. So, I don't agree with that, I'm glad I am on the team with Zach Thomas. It's not just that he's a good player, but he's also a good guy. Like whenever I need advice or anything, I will ask him how do you feel with such and such situation, and he will tell me straight up and get straight to the point.

phinatics.com: I think Dolphins fans would agree that it is a silly thing to say Zach is the most overrated player in the NFL.
Morlon Greenwood: Look at his production. Don't even look at the other things, but look at the statistics -- it speaks for itself. Sometimes Zach (chuckles) ... remember I was telling you about the OLB thing -- about the play when it goes the other way? I know if Zach is going -- Zach is going to make the play. Sometimes the way I end up making plays is if Zach happens to get blocked by somebody and I come over the top and make the play ... when the play has gone away from me. But, Zach, man, he's such an active player. Very quick, plays fast, very intense.

phinatics.com: Chris Chambers got knocked out by a helmet to helmet hit in this year's Denver game. A few weeks later a penalty, that many people thought was a ridiculous, was given to Zach Thomas in the Chargers game for roughing the passer. A week later Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp put a Green Bay Packer player in the hospital for what a lot of people believe was a cheap shot even though it was not an illegal hit. What is your opinion on the recent attention given to defensive hits and is it going to change the game dramatically?
Morlon Greenwood: I think to an extent it might change the thinking of players. Sometimes a player might want to make a big hit ... sometimes a player can't stop his momentum when he is running to break up a play. The problem with that is sometimes it could be the cause of a completed pass or a break in a pass, and sometimes that might be the difference in the ball game. So, if a player is back there thinking tentatively like "I don't want to play it because I don't want to hit him the wrong way or I'll get fined", if he is thinking that way -- that's going to make him kind of tentative, which is going to make the outcome of the game be a little bit different. I think Warren Sapp was just doing what he was taught to do. If the guy would have been OK and got back up ... I'm real sorry that he got hurt and everything -- but if he would have been OK and got back up -- there would have been nothing said about it. There's a lot of times, even me personally -- I play on the punt team, and I run down and get blindsided all the time. I don't even see it coming, and I get lifted off my feet, and I fall down and get back up, and nothing happens to me. Now if I fell down and something happened to me, like what happened there, maybe they might start talking. I get blindsided like that all the time, and they don't call anything. Right? There are a lot of times I'm on defense, and I'm running down the ball carrier, and a receiver peels back and straight up sweeps me right off my feet. I didn't see him coming, but they don't get called for that, so we get a lot of cheap shots all the time too, and we get blindsided a lot, so I think it goes both ways. The hit on Chris Chambers, you could say that he deliberately planted his feet, stopped, and launched into him. There was another hit I saw, Darren Woodson for the Cowboys, he had a hit that day and they fined him, which I thought he was just going to break up that play. You could tell that his momentum was coming. He didn't even put his head into it, he hit the receiver with his shoulder, and I just don't know why he got fined for that one.

phinatics.com: How do you control your temper to keep from getting a penalty when someone cheap shots you, on a punt return for example?
Morlon Greenwood: Oh man, that's one of the toughest things (laughs). You want to get up .. but you know what the outcome is going to be ... you may be the last person they see in the scuffle, and that is the one who is going to get flagged.

phinatics.com: If you got in a scuffle and it cost you a penalty, when you're walking back to the sidelines, what is Coach Armstrong or Coach Wannstedt going to say to you?
Morlon Greenwood: (laughing) They are going to be raising hell.

phinatics.com: We can see it on TV, but we don't know what they say?
Morlon Greenwood: You can tell by looking at their faces. I remember on a Monday night game ... I am on the kickoff return team and I am supposed to block this guy and he ran behind the block, so I had to peel back. I was trying to hit him in the side, but I kind of clipped him in the back and they gave me a flag for it, and they got a 15 yarder. When I was coming off the sidelines Coach was raising hell, man. He was mad I'm telling you.

phinatics.com: What is your top goal as a player?
Morlon Greenwood: To be the best linebacker there is. I want to go to the Pro Bowl year in and year out. I want to be able to win championships here in Miami.

phinatics.com: Any particular reason you wear the # 52?
Morlon Greenwood: In high school the number was given to me by my Coach. In college it was given to me by my coach. When I came to Miami it was available, so I have had the same number since high school. And, come to find out, my father asked me one day why I picked #52. I told I didn't, and that it was given to me by my coach. He said, "I thought you picked it because I was born in 1952." So, not it's like maybe I was meant to have that number.

phinatics.com: Do you ever surf the Dolphins message boards to see what fans think of you and/or the team?
Morlon Greenwood: No. What kinds of things are people saying?

phinatics.com: You name it. There are a lot of fans pointing fingers at Coach Wannstedt and Jay, but there are lots of fans that also support what they do. You get a good mix of opinions, but the stories about the Dolphins looking at the OLB position are definitely out there. Do news stories like that ever bother you, or do you ignore them?
Morlon Greenwood: Basically I just go in and do what I do everyday, and do itto the best of my ability, and just constantly try to improve and do my best. Sometimes people, by what they say, can influence you, so you just got to make sure you constantly remind yourself why you are here and why you are playing this game, because you want to achieve great things and win championships and be the best you can be. Life is so short when you really think about it. All you have to do is spend your time wisely here, and just do your absolute best, and accomplish great things. That's what I want, and I think it's going to happen. I think next year is going to be a really good year overall. I think I am going to have a real good year next year. I think the team is going to have a good year next year.

phinatics.com: How do you rate the Dolphins defense against the rest of the NFL?
Morlon Greenwood: Statistically we are rated 2 or 3 in some categories ... I don't know about the overall defense. Our defense is one of the best. We are fast, we've got physical players, and we've got excellent safeties and corners, Pat Surtain and Sam Madison. I think if you ask me if we had a complete team this year, I would say yes we had a complete team this year - offense, defense, and special teams. That's why when you asked that questions, what needs to happen, I don't think anything needs to happen. I think we just need to keep the same guys and have the same chemistry. It's tough these days to keep a team together -- the same guys -- to keep the same nucleus of guys we have.

phinatics.com: You've played with Derrick Rodgers for 2 seasons now. The rumors are out about the Dolphins looking for an OLB. As you know, there is always going to be turnover in the NFL, especially nowadays. If Derrick doesn't stay with the team this season is that something that is easy for a player to get over, or does that stick with you for a while?
Morlon Greenwood: I haven't experienced that because the same linebackers have been here that were here my first year and last year. So, I haven't been here long enough to give input on that sort of thing and how it is going to affect me. But, since I came here, the guys have told me, "Don't get to close to anybody (laughs), because the guy you get close to might be gone after you build up a good relationship." I haven't experienced that yet, but I have gotten real close to Derrick ... and all the linebacker guys. Those are the guys I hang out with more.

phinatics.com: What were your top 3 plays of last season?
Morlon Greenwood: Against Baltimore they had a toss play, and I had a tackle for a 3-4 yard loss -- a toss to my side. Normally, when they run the ball to my side, I normally make a play ... if they don't have a blocker on me or something like that. There was one also against Minnesota, where I broke up a screen for a big loss also. There was one play where I didn't really get Brett Favre on the ground, but he stepped up in the pocket, and I was in coverage, and he was getting ready to throw, and I just ran him down and pushed him out of bounds. It took me a while to get him down because he was stiff arming me (laughs). But, I was able to get him out and create a 3rd down situation.

phinatics.com: You guys must be used to stiff arms by now just from practices because Ricky seems to use them every time he runs.
Morlon Greenwood: I'm telling you, he is a specimen, that guy. He's big, fast, strong, agile. It think he is going to help us a lot.

phinatics.com: What is your favorite football or sports movie?
Morlon Greenwood: I kind of like Any Given Sunday. I think Al Pacino did a good job in that one as far as being a coach and a motivator. Some of the speeches he had in there were good, when he was talking about football being a game of inches and you never know what's going to happen. But, I really like the Waterboy (laughs). It's just crazy ... he is tackling everybody, that's what I want to do -- I want to tackle everybody.

phinatics.com: Speaking of movies, does it bother you the way Jamaican's are typically portrayed in movies?
Morlon Greenwood: Yes, it bothers me. Sometimes they have them as being drug dealers, and guys with guns, and all this stuff. I think that there are people like that everywhere in the world. They have every different type of people -- just like they have over here in America and every other country.

phinatics.com: Do you think the NFL needs to change the overtime system, and if yes, what would you recommend they do?
Morlon Greenwood: I think they should have extra time and you play out the time, because whoever gets the ball first, if they score, the game is over. Probably another 8 minutes or something like that, so there would be time running out and each team would get a chance to score.

phinatics.com: The linebackers from the Dolphins undefeated team of 1972 had a chance to talk to the linebackers of the current team during their practice visit before the Bears game. Was that something you guys really appreciated, and please tell us a little about that get-together?
Morlon Greenwood: It was good to have a chance to meet those guys that played on such a team. Just to talk to them, you know. Just to be able to interact with those guys was very positive. Whenever someone accomplishes something like that, and they actually come back, and you kind of look up to them, and you're like, "Wow, that guy was actually on that team accomplished all those things", and it make you realize that you can do the same thing if you really put your mind to it. It also makes me feel good about what I do when I give back to the community, or go back somewhere and talk to kids; it's a good thing that you're doing because it's making someone else feel good.

phinatics.com: What do you think about the situation with Coach P at Syracuse after last year's disappointing season?
Morlon Greenwood: I think they are going to keep him around. I think Coach P is one of the hardest workers in the business. I can tell you that for a fact, because I played for him. He is a real good guy. He's a guy that is very hard on you, but he wants to see the best in you as a person, as a student, and as an athlete. When I first went there, he told my parents that Morlon is going to have a degree, and there we're going to coach him very hard and prepare him the best way we can for life ... whether it be football or in the business world, or wherever. Coach P did just that. I think all the things that I have learned football-wise and school-wise have prepared me for the NFL, because the things we do up there are so similar to the things in the NFL. When I came to the Dolphins, it was easy for me to adapt because I was used to the system. They called it different names, and they played it a little bit different, but essentially everything was basically the same, so the only thing I had to get used to was the speed of the game because everything happens so fast.

phinatics.com: One of the things that Syracuse and the Dolphins do seem to have in common is that they have systems that don't let OLBs showcase their abilities as much as some other programs do. As a player, do you see this as a potential problem?
Morlon Greenwood: Yes, but I think there's also different ways to get involved and get recognized, like as far as blitzing in certain situations. So, there are other ways the OLB can get involved. I think this year we didn't blitz that much because our defensive line was doing so well getting so much pressure on the quarterback, so we didn't need to blitz. If the defensive line is getting 7 or 8 sacks a game, I am not going to be like, "Hey, hey, hey, blitz me" (laughs). The main objective is to win games, and if were not winning and I have a couple of sacks I am not going to feel good no matter what my statistics are, so the mian thing is winning. It's always been like that since I've been in college. In Syracuse I played a SAM linebacker position where the split is different from here. I played over the tight end like an eagle defense, liek a 5-2, so I really didn't get a chance to make any plays, so that was kind of tough. I'm glad down here in Miami I play off the ball a lot more where I can run and have opportunities to make more plays.

phinatics.com: I saved the best question for last. What exactly are you are saying at the first of the "Skylines" song?
Morlon Greenwood: "With God's help -- I have to elevate myself -- and then take it to another level --to another realm -- then help out me family them." That's how we say it in Jamaica, "Help out my family them." Then, "Shift another gear and go and help out my friend -- let them eat some food and feed their children." A term we say in Jamaica, "grease your hand", like grease your palm, that means like giving you money. So I said, "Grease your hand -- and give them money to spend -- to let them know that Ultimate is setting the trend."

phinatics.com: There is something right at the start of the song that you say real fast -- what are you saying there?
Morlon Greenwood: "Back off backslider and give Ultimate the goal." A back slider is anybody that is trying to hold you down in life -- anyone who is trying to keep you down. So that entry is telling them that they can't hold me down -- that they have to let me go. "Back off backslider and give Ultimate the goal."

phinatics.com: Well, I really do like your single CD. I like the first song and the last song as well.
Morlon Greenwood: Hold the Faith ... a lot of people told me that they like that song. My mother ... she loves that song. She loves it because it's real mellow, you know, and it's got a nice little beat.