EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) -It's been nearly five years since Dennis Green has coached a regular-season game in the Metrodome.

That's a lifetime in the NFL.

When Green brings the Arizona Cardinals into the dome on Sunday, only three Vikings who played for him during his 10-year run in Minnesota are still dressed in purple.

``It's not like it was in the old days,'' Green said. ``Very few players don't change teams a lot, and very few coaches stay in the same spot either.''

At least one thing hasn't changed from the time Green coached his last game at the dome for the Vikings - a 33-3 loss to Jacksonville on Dec. 23, 2001 - to Sunday.

Green is still on the hot seat.

The Cardinals (2-8) have struggled mightily to close out games this season, most notably in a fourth-quarter collapse against Chicago six weeks ago. With the losses mounting in his third season in the desert, Green again faces questions about his job security.

``Those are things you don't worry about,'' Green said. ``I'm not different than anybody else. It doesn't matter which coach it is. I don't know of a coach that worries about those types of things.''

He certainly has experience facing those questions.

Green was a polarizing figure during his 10 years in Minnesota. He went 97-62 in the regular season, led his team to two NFC championship games and presided over one of the most prolific offenses the league has ever seen.

The Vikings rose to unprecedented levels of popularity in the region during Green's tenure, thanks in large part to his affinity for throwing the deep ball to Randy Moss.

But he also drew plenty of criticism for the Vikings' inability to win the ``big one,'' especially after a 41-0 loss to the Giants for the NFC championship after the 2000 season.

Green also earned enemies for his outspoken nature, including a book entitled, ``No Room for Crybabies'' that had a chapter in which he appears to threaten a lawsuit unless two of the team's owners agreed to sell him their shares.

Green said that was misinterpreted, but he also dealt with allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace and had a past affair also become public that drew the ire of the fans.

Despite all the negativity that surrounded his stay here, Green said he had fond memories of Minnesota and the fans, who ``might have a little bit stronger bond in Minnesota than in other places.''

``I met my wife in Minnesota,'' Green said. ``Both of our children were born in Minnesota. All of my wife's family lives in St. Paul, every single one of them. I feel like I'm a very blessed man.''

The three Vikings still around who played for Green - quarterback Brad Johnson, center Matt Birk and tight end Jim Kleinsasser - were equally complimentary of their former coach.

``He gave me a chance,'' said Birk, a little-known sixth-round draft pick out of Harvard who blossomed into a Pro Bowl center under Green. ``We won a lot of games together with him. I'll be forever grateful for him for seeing something in me and believing in me.''

The wins have been a little harder to come by for the Vikings since Green left. His only losing season was his last one, he went to the playoffs eight times and won at least 10 games five times.

``He won a bunch of games here,'' said Johnson, a ninth-round pick by Green out of Florida State in 1992 who went on to become a Super Bowl-winning quarterback in Tampa before returning to the Vikings last season. ``He probably didn't get the credit that you really want or that you really deserve. But unless you win the whole thing, you are never going to get it.''

The Vikings are 36-39 since Green accepted a contract buyout before the final week of the 2001 season, and have lost four in a row under first-year coach Brad Childress heading into Sunday's game.

``At the end of the day, it's not about him, it's about two teams who need a win,'' Birk said.

The Vikings (4-6) have been dreadful offensively, a far cry from Green's days. These Vikings do have a defense, though, unlike the unbalanced teams fans were used to seeing under Green.

With the talent the Cardinals have on offense, the Vikings will need it.

``I just think we've got some very good young players on this football team,'' Green said. ``Larry Fitzgerald Jr. is one of them, Anquan Boldin, Matt Leinart. I think this is a team that is going to do very well in the future.''

The question is, will Green be around to see it?

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