There were a lot of boos this year when Kyle Orton was brought to Denver for the Cutler trade to Chicago, but after going 5-0 and making few mistakes, the Denver Bronco fans have embraced Orton as their guy. And there is more than football to like about Kyle Orton. His conscience.
From the Post's Mike Klis:
Here in Colorado, where 14,000-foot peaks, blue skies and chilled mountain streams collaborate to form an outdoor recreational paradise, the Broncos' quarterback drives to work each day in an eco-friendly, energy-efficient hybrid."I've been driving a hybrid for four years now and I love it," Orton said. "Everybody has their choice, and it's a personal choice for me. I think it's easy for someone to do."
I think it has been pretty awesome having Kyle Orton complete some late game drives and win football games for Denver, including this play that is close to being a miracle.
(Hat tip to Danny the Red Hair)
I don't call that luck, I think it's karma. And Kyle Orton represents a change in the way people are seeing their world.
While playing for the Chicago Bears, Orton emceed an Earth Day event at the Lincoln Park Zoo and joined Cool Globes, a group that raises money for environmental education in the Chicago public school system.Last year, Orton spearheaded the effort for the Bears to start recycling at Halas Hall. The Bears now print out their playbook pages on recycled paper and squeeze their pop cans into appropriate bins. Call them The Green Monsters of Midway.
"For me, it's been an easy choice, and it hasn't changed my lifestyle a whole lot," he said. "That doesn't mean it's for everybody, but it makes sense for me. I remember four years ago when I started thinking about it, I thought it would be some groundbreaking decision in your life. But they're easy decisions. There are small, little things you can do throughout the day that can make a difference."
The Chicago Bears' team website even promoted Orton's commitment to conservation:
Kyle partnered with the Chicago Conservation Corps during the 2007 football season and visited different Chicago schools each Tuesday to speak about the importance of conservation. He has several more visits scheduled during March and April. Kyle will also have a segment on the Bears new Kid Zone called "Kyle's Go Green Tip of the Week," to help educate young fans about how they can be more environmentally friendly.
For me, this is a refreshing change of pace when so many of the stories coming out of the NFL are negative where players have taken a 'me first' approach.
And I think it is karma too, that someone who is a global warming denier, Rush Limbaugh, just lost his bid for for buying the St. Louis Rams and is blaming anyone and everyone for the way the NFL players and teams rejected his backwards thinking and inflammatory rhetoric.
Rush actually says here:
The NFL is an outpost of racism and liberalism
I can't believe that Rush is accusing the NFL of racism and liberalism. Really Rush? The NFL?
Who would have thought that something like the NFL could become a way for people to talk about the environment?
As a football fanatic, I sometimes feel conflicted about devoting energy to the Denver Broncos, but this makes me feel like there is a change in the air. His coach had this to say:
"I don't know how elite quarterbacks are judged," Broncos' coach Josh McDaniels said. "All I care about is can he help us win, and I know he can do that.
I am sure most fans only care about the wins and losses, and winning here is a big change people did not expect. And that change is represented by Kyle Orton -- he is a big impact to me and to Denver -- win or lose.
Let the Broncos and the NFL know that you want to hear more of these efforts by Kyle Orton in a halftime feature by email sent to: suggestions@broncos.nfl.net