Big Plays, Small Talk

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Big plays, small talk
By Mark Kiszla
The Denver Post
Article Last Updated: 11/13/2008 01:50:38 AM MST


The lady's name is Pearl.

And every Broncomaniac who has been waiting for a new football hero to walk through the doors of Dove Valley should thank her.

If making a team's most valuable plays is what really counts, then how can the MVP of the Broncos be anybody except Eddie Royal?

Where would Denver be now without the eight points Royal scored in those desperate final 24 seconds against the Chargers or his 93-yard touchdown catch when all seemed lost against the Browns?

All hail Royal.

Nevertheless, he is so respectful and humble you wonder if the NFL might revoke the diva card issued to every receiver who enters the league.

"Low maintenance," said Royal, when asked Wednesday how his mother raised him to act.

Pearl was a single mom who worked all day to feed seven kids, but when she put spaghetti and meatballs on the dinner table, the love shined through the fatigue on her face.

"We saw her fight and claw for everything," Royal said.

The lesson taught: Be glad for what you've got.

In an era when it seems fashionable for a star NFL receiver to change his name to Ocho Cinco or overdose on painkillers or pull a political statement out of his pants, Royal lets his touchdowns speak for themselves.

Big plays, small talk - The Denver Post