Bronco Rob
05-16-2009, 09:12 AM
He apologizes for not calling you back sooner; the last five weeks, Kyle Orton's either had his nose stuck inside a 3-ring binder or buried beneath a pile of cardboard boxes.
Orton and his wife recently found a new home in the Denver area. Between unpacking and mini-camps, he's managed to squeeze in a few hours of sleep. That's about it.
"A new city, a new situation, a new team," the former Southeast Polk High School star says. "(You) come in and have to meet all the guys and study the media guide as much as you study the playbook."
Jay Cutler?
"I haven't really paid any attention to it."
Denver fans?
"I don't pay attention to that stuff."
Really?
"It's certainly a quarterback town," says Orton, who last month was traded to the Broncos along with draft picks for Cutler, the first-round boy wonder and public malcontent. "My goal is to come in here and win football games. I don't compare myself to any one guy."
Trouble is, of course, that the Broncos' faithful are always going to compare you to one guy — John Elway. He is to Denver what Babe Ruth is to New York, what Michael Jordan is to Chicago. The gold standard. The franchise. The almighty. The giant shadow.
"He was a great player out here and still is a huge part of this community," Orton says of Elway, who led the club to back-to-back titles more than a decade ago. "He was a Hall of Fame quarterback and won a couple Super Bowls. My focus isn't to be one guy. It's just to win football games. Just get them in the playoffs."
And how's this for irony? While Orton was in Chicago, the Bears were allegedly pursuing Chris Simms. Now they're together, in the mountains, battling for Denver's starting job. As the Mile High City bemoans the loss of Cutler's golden arm, new coach Josh McDaniels finds himself having to defend Orton's moxie. And the fit. The Bears didn't need their quarterbacks to win the game; they just wanted them to not lose them. The Broncos have been almost the antithesis.
Denver's passing game with Cutler was a vertical one, with a plethora of deep threats in wideouts Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney. In Chicago, the Bears' best receiver was tight end Greg Olsen, and Orton - a gunslinger during his college days at Purdue - was reined in accordingly. ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer predicted that the transition back to a shotgun, wide-open attack should be an easy one for Orton, who amassed the third-most yards of any passer in Boilermaker history.
"Obviously our wide receivers and tight ends, our skill-position people, are an outstanding group," says Orton, who threw for 18 touchdowns and piloted the Bears to a 9-7 record last fall, just missing the postseason. "Just get them the ball and let them do what they do. I'm going to go out and play as hard as I can and play smart football and try to win football games.
"If it makes people happy, great. And if doesn't, that's not my concern. I'm trying to win football games for my team."
He's trying to win over hearts. One week at a time.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090514/SPORTS05/905150355&theme=KEELER
8')
Orton and his wife recently found a new home in the Denver area. Between unpacking and mini-camps, he's managed to squeeze in a few hours of sleep. That's about it.
"A new city, a new situation, a new team," the former Southeast Polk High School star says. "(You) come in and have to meet all the guys and study the media guide as much as you study the playbook."
Jay Cutler?
"I haven't really paid any attention to it."
Denver fans?
"I don't pay attention to that stuff."
Really?
"It's certainly a quarterback town," says Orton, who last month was traded to the Broncos along with draft picks for Cutler, the first-round boy wonder and public malcontent. "My goal is to come in here and win football games. I don't compare myself to any one guy."
Trouble is, of course, that the Broncos' faithful are always going to compare you to one guy — John Elway. He is to Denver what Babe Ruth is to New York, what Michael Jordan is to Chicago. The gold standard. The franchise. The almighty. The giant shadow.
"He was a great player out here and still is a huge part of this community," Orton says of Elway, who led the club to back-to-back titles more than a decade ago. "He was a Hall of Fame quarterback and won a couple Super Bowls. My focus isn't to be one guy. It's just to win football games. Just get them in the playoffs."
And how's this for irony? While Orton was in Chicago, the Bears were allegedly pursuing Chris Simms. Now they're together, in the mountains, battling for Denver's starting job. As the Mile High City bemoans the loss of Cutler's golden arm, new coach Josh McDaniels finds himself having to defend Orton's moxie. And the fit. The Bears didn't need their quarterbacks to win the game; they just wanted them to not lose them. The Broncos have been almost the antithesis.
Denver's passing game with Cutler was a vertical one, with a plethora of deep threats in wideouts Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney. In Chicago, the Bears' best receiver was tight end Greg Olsen, and Orton - a gunslinger during his college days at Purdue - was reined in accordingly. ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer predicted that the transition back to a shotgun, wide-open attack should be an easy one for Orton, who amassed the third-most yards of any passer in Boilermaker history.
"Obviously our wide receivers and tight ends, our skill-position people, are an outstanding group," says Orton, who threw for 18 touchdowns and piloted the Bears to a 9-7 record last fall, just missing the postseason. "Just get them the ball and let them do what they do. I'm going to go out and play as hard as I can and play smart football and try to win football games.
"If it makes people happy, great. And if doesn't, that's not my concern. I'm trying to win football games for my team."
He's trying to win over hearts. One week at a time.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20090514/SPORTS05/905150355&theme=KEELER
8')