Virgil Green spent seven seasons with the Denver Broncos before joining the Los Angeles Chargers in March.
On Sunday, he'll take the field against his former team for the first time in his career.
"Over the years, I've been known to get a little excited, but this year I've turned (over) a new leaf," Green said of his emotions heading into Sunday's game. "(I) try to always keep my composure. It's going to be a fun game. All those guys know me, I know them, and it's going to be a battle."
Green hasn't just turned over a new leaf; he's rekindled his love for the game, and it all started when he signed with the Bolts on the first day of free agency. He credits the team's culture for helping him return to that feeling of appreciating what he does for a living.
"My main goal this year for me was to get back to having fun," he explained. "My last few years in Denver weren't so fun for me. Not just because of not winning as much, but just my own personal battles dealing with myself internally. But this year I wanted to get back to having fun; enjoying the game. For me, I enjoy coming to work here every day. The guys are great, the coaches are great (and) it's a great environment to come work."
Chargers Head Coach Anthony Lynn discussed this environment last week, describing how it wasn't momentum that carried over from 2017 to 2018, but rather the culture. Though Green has been a Charger for less than a year, he's picked up on this carryover and credits Lynn with helping cultivate it throughout the locker room.
"Coach Lynn does a great job of leading us, having respect for his guys and just understanding what we go through day in and day out. He's played in this league back when it was really tough, so we have a lot of respect for him and he makes it enjoyable to come to work."
While he's enjoying his first season as a Charger, the tight end knows they'll be in for a test this Sunday against a stout Broncos defense – one he's very familiar with. But based on how the offense has been performing, he feels good about walking out of Week 11 at 8-2.
"(We've) got to get the run game going (and) take advantage of them in the secondary. Once we get it going, at the end of the day (we'll) find a way to win our one-on-one battles. (The Broncos are) very confident. They believe in themselves. They believe they can take over the game. They know that they have a front seven that can get to the quarterback, so it's our job to make sure that doesn't happen. Try to take it out of them early and finish the way we've been finishing at the end of games, and that's in a victory formation."
