If you’ve ever watched Pardon the Interruption with Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon, you are probably familiar with the segment titled “Five Good Minutes.” Today, I got to spend 10 good minutes talking with Denver Broncos wide receiver and return man Eddie Royal, who is also a former Virginia Tech Hokie standout (2004-2007).
I asked you, the Hokie fans, what questions you would ask Eddie if given the opportunity and actually got a couple of good ones that I added to the mix. Keep in mind that I literally got 10 minutes with Eddie on the phone, so I only got to ask a select number of questions. But Eddie was great and very accommodating.
First Jay Cutler and now Brandon Marshall. The way things are going, there won’t be much of an offense left for the Denver Broncos; and new head coach Josh McDaniels hasn’t exactly endeared himself to the players, either. We do know that former Chicago Bears starting quarterback Kyle Orton is the new Broncos starter barring injury. And we know that the front office appears ready to replace troubled, but highly skilled, wide receiver Brandon Marshall with another Brandon … Lloyd, who was signed to a contract on Monday afternoon.
Where does this leave former Hokie standout Eddie Royal? Last year, the 2008 second round draft pick set Denver Bronco rookie receiving records with 91 receptions, 980 receiving yards, 1,089 total yards and five touchdowns. He also only committed one turnover in 15 games, all of which he started. So far Royal’s name seems to be getting left out of the conversation quite a bit when it comes to Marshall’s inevitable departure.
It would seem to reason that Royal benefited from having Marshall on the other side of the field often times being double-covered, leaving Royal with a chance to prove himself. Royal was an untested and undersized rookie that garnered little attention from opposing teams in the preseason. That all changed in week one of the regular season. Royal caught nine passes for 146 yards and 1 touchdown as the Broncos bombed the Oakland Raiders 41-14. Royal exploded onto the NFL scene in a big way.
Will there be a sophomore slump for Royal in 2009? He won’t have Jay Cutler to get him the ball and without Marshall drawing double coverage, it wouldn’t surprise me if Royal sees fewer open lanes. But, as Hokie fans know, Royal has a knack for getting open and he’s a very smart young man, so I’m sure he’s aware that he will have to work even harder this season with a new – and considerably less-talented – QB, as well as the team’s former No. 1 receiver.
If ever there was a time for Royal to step up and assume the role of the go-to guy, this is it. While I don’t expect a repeat of last year’s 1,000-yard output (mainly because of Orton at QB), I still expect Royal to make the most of the situation and it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he surpasses last year’s record-setting rooking numbers.
Former Hokie standout wide receiver Eddie Royal didn’t put up the same numbers in his second game as a Denver Bronco, but he still helped his team to a crucial win over division rival San Diego. Royal had only five catches for 37 yards, one TD and a 2-point conversion, but the TD and conversion came in the final :30 seconds of the game.
Denver trailed 31-38 and faced a 4th and goal from the San Diego 10 yard line. Royal, who had only three catches up to that point, was virtually wide open in the end zone for the score that pulled the Broncos (2-0) to within one, 37-38. With :29 seconds on the clock, Denver head coach Mike Shanahan decided to go for the 2-point conversion and the win, rather than kick the extra point to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Perhaps Shanahan figured that his team shouldn’t have been in the game anyway thanks to two blown calls. The first was a Denver fumble recovery that wasn’t. However, the replay equipment wasn’t working, so the play could not be reviewed. The second was a Jay Cutler (Denver QB) fumble on 3rd and goal (right before the Royal TD) that was ruled an incomplete pass and the referee blew the play dead before San Diego recovered the fumble. San Diego has every right to be upset about that game. They should have won that game by two TDs. Expect an apology from the league later this week, not that it does any good.
Anyhow, Royal’s number was called once again on the most critical play of the game and Cutler found the rookie in double coverage for the game-winning 2-point conversion. The Broncos won 39-38 and improved to 2-0.
Royal saw less action in today’s game because starting wide receiver Brandon Marshall returned from a one-game suspension to catch 18 passes for 166 yards and touchdown. The 18 receptions in a game are the second most in NFL history, two behind Terrell Owens’ 20 against the Chicago Bears in 2000.
Former Virginia Tech standout wide receiver Eddie Royal was named the NFL’s Rookie of the Week for week one of the 2008-2009 season. Royal caught nine passes for 146 yards and one touchdown in his NFL debut. Royal also rushed for nine yards, recovered a fumble and returned three kicks for 30 yards to help secure the Broncos’ win. Congratulations, Eddie!
After a dazzling NFL debut, Eddie Royal has been nominated for the NFL’s Rookie of the Week award. In his first NFL game Monday night against the Oakland Raiders, Royal caught nine passes for 146 yards and had a 26-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter. The former Hokies racked up 185 total yards and made former All Pro and Hokie cornerback DeAngelo Hall look silly in the process. Though Royal had an incredible debut, he’s up against some tough competition as there were several impressive rookie performances in week one of the 2008 season.
If you missed the Denver @ Oakland game last night/early this morning, Eddie Royal had one of the single greatest NFL debuts by any Hokie in history. He absolutely lit up the Oakland Raiders secondary last night in the second game of ESPN’s Monday Night Football double header. Royal was the go-to guy for Denver QB Jay Cutler. Royal accounted for 185 total yards including 9 receptions for 146 yards, 1 TD, nine rushing yards, 19 punt return yards and 11 kickoff return yards.
Royal should be a strong favorite for NFL Rookie of the Week. Through week one, he leads all NFL receivers with 146 yards, and set the Broncos record for most receptions by a rookie making his debut. Below is a video highlighting Eddie’s amazing NFL debut. Scroll down a little further for updates on all the Hokies currently in the NFL.
Here is a quick recap of former Hokies in the NFL and how they did in week one of the 2008 NFL season. There are 32 former Techsters currently in the NFL according to CBSSportsline.com’s Alumni Tracker. This list is updated to the best of my knowledge, but if I’ve missed something, e-mail me at gary@vthokiefans.com.
Former Hokie wide receiver Eddie Royal got a new jersey number, 19, to go along with a guaranteed $2.25 million, and a total package coming in at around $3.9 million over four years. As for the jersey, Royal had been wearing No. 3 during offseason camps, but is not donning No. 19. More…
Last year, the Houston Texans went out and brought in highly touted, albeit unproven, quarterback Matt Schaub to lead the offense. He played well last season, but got dinged up because of a shaky offensive line. Houston took steps to correct that problem today when they surprised everyone and selected former Virginia Tech OL Duane Brown with the No. 26 overall pick in the first round. The 6-4, 315-pound converted TE has the ability to play either tackle position, which will provide OL depth for the Texans. The pick came as a surprise because Brown was graded by many mock drafts as a third-round selection.
From ESPN: “Houston clearly placed an emphasis on need over value. Brown is a reach because he’s not a great drive-blocker and he can get pushed into the backfield by bull rushes. On the flip side, he’s a former tight end who has the quick feet, athletic ability and initial burst to develop into an outstanding pass-blocker and an effective starter on the left side. It’s also worth pointing out that he was the best tackle left on the board (seventh rated overall).”
From Rivals: “The Texans made a good trade back at first, but the worst case scenarios occurred over the last eight picks. Many of the guys they would have wanted came off the board. Brown is an athletic left tackle, but a guy most graded as a third-round pick.”
Second Round
The Kansas City Chiefs may have found an heir apparent for Ty Law in former Hokie Brandon Flowers. The Chiefs selected the hard-hitting All-American corner with the 4th pick in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
From ESPN: “Flowers doesn’t have elite size or top-end speed. Occasionally, he gets caught out of position trying to make a big play. However, he plays far bigger than his size indicates and faster than his 40 time suggest. He opens his hips very well and has the upper-body strength to deliver a violent punch. There’s also a lot to like about his willingness to play the run.”
From Rivals: “Flowers was the most physical corner available in this draft. He has the inside track to replace Ty Law in the starting lineup as a rookie. He has a high level of development as a cover man, which indicates he can play the nickel corner role almost immediately. He could develop into an early starting NFL corner with shutdown talent.”
Seven picks later, the Denver Broncos got some receiver help for QB Jay Cutler in Eddie Royal, who went a little earlier in the draft than I thought he’d go. He’s undersized, even for a college WR, but his prowess as a return man is probably what appealed to the Broncos.
From ESPN: “Royal has had some problems staying healthy, and the fact that he doesn’t have great size only accentuates concerns about his durability. He has to improve his route-running, but he has the quickness and athletic ability to separate from coverage once that happens. He’s fast enough to stretch the field and make an impact as a punt returner.”
From Rivals: “Royal was pound-for-pound one of the fastest and strongest receivers available in the draft. He also gives the Broncos the added option of using him as their primary return man.”
Hokies hoping to be selected on Day Two of the 2008 NFL Draft:
As the NFL combine swings into full gear this weekend – something that I think deserves a lot more attention is just how many hokies are participating in the combine this year – here are the top ncaa schools (ranked by # of participants):
USC 12
Virginia Tech 11
Arkansas 8
LSU 8
Cal 7
Oklahoma 7
Texas 7
Michigan 7
So you ask – exactly who are those 11 fine hokies heading to the nfl combine?
Adibi, Xavier – LB 6′2″ 220lbs
Booker, Barry – DT 6′4″ 284lbs
Brown, Duane – OL 6′5″ 300lbs
Ellis, Chris – DE 6′4″ 260lbs
Flowers, Brandon – CB 5′10″ 190lbs
Hall, Vince – ILB 6′0″ 238lbs
Harper, Justin – WR 6′4″ 198lbs
Morgan, Josh – WR 6′1″ 215lbs
Parker, D.J. – CB 6′0″ 195lbs
Powell, Carlton – DT 6′3″ 300lbs
Royal, Eddie – WR 5′10″ 182lbs
I’m actually surprised to see 11 hokies on the list and it’s a testament to the quality of players VT has been bringing in lately and good job beamer and his staff do developing those players. So who isn’t on this list?
09/06 vs. Boise State (8pm ESPN)
09/11 vs. JMU
09/18 vs. ECU
09/25 @ Boston College
10/02 @ NC State
10/09 vs. Central Michigan
10/16 vs. Wake Forest
10/23 vs. Duke
11/04 vs. Georgia Tech (7:30pm, ESPN)
11/13 @ North Carolina
11/20 @ Miami
11/27 vs. Virginia
12/04 ACC Championship Game
From our friend Shane at vt.fanfoc.us:
Loading ...