Defensive Lineman, Sensitive Writer Tim Green Sat in the Locker Room, Head Down, Writing Dialogue

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DURING a typical pre-game moment, before a typical major league sports event, one would find the typical professional athlete involved in a game of cards.

A teammate or two might be hunkered down in their cubicle with this month's issue of Playboy. Another would be thoroughly immersed in "Gameboy." Still others would be keeping up with their favorite soap opera.

Someone walking into the Atlanta Falcons pre-game locker room in recent years would find a notable exception. There in a corner would sit rough, tough defensive lineman Tim Green, reading literature, writing dialogue, mulling over plot.

`I'd get some looks," Green said. "But in that …