The phrase “They are who we thought they were” comes from a postgame press conference by Dennis Green, the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, after a 2006 NFL game against the Chicago Bears. He vented that the Bears and their performance were exactly as he expected, and his comment has since become a famous sports quote. Context and meaning

• The moment occurred after a dramatic, back-and-forth game in Glendale, Arizona, where Green’s Cardinals were disappointed by their own performance and felt blindsided by the Bears’ showing. The quote encapsulates a coach’s assertion that a team’s actual play matched pregame impressions or scouting contrary to observers’ and opponents’ expectations.

• The line has endured in sports lore as a blunt reminder that teams often reveal tendencies that were suspected or previously observed in earlier meetings, practices, or scouting. It is frequently cited to illustrate how underestimating a known pattern can backfire, and it’s been referenced in analysis of both teams involved and in broader business and leadership discussions.

Cultural impact and notable references

• The quote is widely shared in sports media and is invoked when a team’s performance confirms preexisting beliefs about its capabilities, for better or worse. It’s used as a shorthand for “the outcome matched what we already knew.”

• The moment is often shown in highlight reels and discussed in retrospectives about memorable NFL press conferences, underscoring the lasting power of a single, colorful outburst in sports history.

If you’d like, I can pull up the exact quote transcript, a brief video excerpt, or provide more context on the game itself and how both teams fared that season.