Eddie Royal a humble hero

Denver Broncos receiver Eddie Royal is a rarity not just for his supreme athletic abilities but for many other reasons.

Besides playing at a Pro Bowl caliber level in his rookie campaign where he caught 90 balls while also manning kickoff and punt return duties, there is something even more rare and special about Royal.

He is a humble star receiver.

Yes, in a league full of T.O.s, Ocho Cincos and even Brandon Marshalls, Royal has quietly gone about his business in the most professional of ways, and he is quickly gaining the reputation of a do-it-all Pro Bowl talent.

And his historic effort on Sunday where he returned a kickoff and a punt for touchdowns won Royal AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for games played during the sixth week, the National Football League informed the Broncos yesterday.

“He has worked extremely hard,” said Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton. “We knew it was coming. He continues to grind and work and run his routes hard, and it was great to see Eddie succeed.”

Joining a select group

Royal became just the second Bronco (halfback Al Frazier, 1961) and the 11th player in NFL history to return a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same game. 

His 235 total special-teams return yards represented a franchise record and marked the second-highest game total in the NFL this season.

“It took a total team effort today; we were playing a great team,” said the always humble Royal. “We knew it was going to be a four-quarter game and we just stayed together and played for each other.”

Royal admittedly had a slow start to the season and recently said that it was because he is still learning several new positions in new head coach Josh McDaniels’ offense.

But Royal, who is one of the hardest working players on the team who can often be seen putting in extra work after practices, can now enjoy a little success after his 10 catch, 90 yard effort vs. the Patriots, and his record day Sunday.

“He runs great routes all day and really does a good job on his one-on-one matchups and getting open,” McDaniels said of Royal. “We tried to take advantage of some of his matchups as much as possible.”

Royal is always preaching “team” and never “me.” The first few weeks of the season Royal wasn’t getting the ball nearly as much as he was in 2008. 

But Royal never once complained, and he just continued to work.

“I think Eddie and I have probably the best rapport with all of our receivers. We have worked extremely hard, and Eddie is one of those guys that stays after practice every day to run routes and make sure he is doing everything that I want him to do. He has worked hard,” Orton said. “He is a competitor. He wants to get the ball. He wants to help the team win.”

Royal was drafted by Mike Shanahan to be Denver’s version of Chicago’s Devin Hester. 

But instead, Royal has turned into a Wes Welker-type Pro Bowl-caliber receiver with Devin Hester-like return capabilities.

And the scary thing for NFL defenses is he may continue to get better with age and in McDaniels’ sophisticated offense.

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