Dennis Green’s famous line is: “They are who we thought they were.” It’s a paraphrase from his postgame tirade after a loss, expressing frustration that the opposing team matched expectations and then capitalized on them. Context and details
- Origin: Dennis Green, head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, delivered the quote during a postgame press conference after a 2006 loss to the Chicago Bears.
- Meaning: He argued that the Bears had performed as Cardinals analysts had anticipated, and that his team let them off the hook by not capitalizing on opportunities or by underestimating their opponents.
- Cultural impact: The line became a widely cited meme and catchphrase in sports culture, used to describe teams that perform exactly as expected or players/teams that fail to meet expectations.
If you’re after a specific clip or exact transcript
- The most-cited moment is in the postgame press conference where he repeats the sentiment: “The Bears are who we thought they were… they are who we thought they were.” This has been captured in various video compilations and sports archives.
For language-learning use
- If you want, I can provide a translated or stylized version of the phrase for teaching purposes, formatted in your preferred language.
