Palko gets the news/ Jones knows Orton well
 

Tyler Palko was under center when the Chiefs took the practice field Wednesday afternoon unaware that Kansas City’s front office had placed a waiver claim on veteran quarterback Kyle Orton.

The Chiefs walkthrough practice began before the team had information whether or not the right to Orton had been awarded from Denver. As the Chiefs broke free from their first day of preparations for Pittsburgh, head coach Todd Haley called Palko over to deliver the news.

Though he didn’t get a definitive answer regarding the team’s plans at quarterback for Sunday’s game, Palko left the discussion preparing as if he will be the starting quarterback against Pittsburgh.

“He didn’t tell me either way,” Palko said of the conversation with Haley. “He just said that we’re full speed ahead for Pittsburgh. I was in the huddle today calling the plays and we have a really good plan that I’m fired up about.”

The addition of Orton comes less than 48 hours after Palko completed 24 of 37 passes for 230 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. The game was Palko’s first career start after a five-year journey that began as an undrafted rookie in 2007.

A Pittsburgh native, Palko vowed that the roster move wouldn’t affect his preparation for Sunday.

“You’ve got to understand something - I’ve been the practice squad quarterback, I’ve been the number three, I’ve been the number two, and the starter last week,” Palko said. “I think one thing that’s helped me prepare for this whole thing is whether I was a practice squad guy and had no chance of playing on Sunday or I was the three, the two, or the one, I prepared the same way, with the same intensity, with the same amount of time that I put in and that’s not going to change.”

“This guy is all football,” Haley added. “He’s been all football for his entire life. He’s said a number of times to me over the last couple years that, ‘I don’t have anything else. This is what matters to me, football.’ The great thing I said is that I saw no change in his preparation from the last two years when he was on the practice squad to the backup to then he was going to be the starter. I saw no deviation or change in his preparation and you’d say, ‘Well, wow, that’s not a good thing,’ but that’s a great thing because he worked that hard two years ago.”

A testament to Palko’s work ethic was is presence at the Chiefs training facility Tuesday despite the team’s United Airlines charter flight touching down at Kansas City International Airport around 5:00 AM.

Palko sat next to Haley and reviewed film during the entire three-plus hour flight and was in the Chiefs film room until 10:00 PM Tuesday evening.

“I said, ‘Did you sleep on the plane after you left watching with me? No, I couldn’t sleep.’ And I said, ‘Well, you need to go get some sleep,’ and I had to kick him out of here last night,” explained Haley. “And last week, it was probably at about midnight, that I started getting texts from Kurt Warner saying, ‘Let him go.’ I said, ‘I’m not keeping him. He’s as bad as you.’



“Those are good qualities to have and it won’t mean that you’re successful, but it’ll give you a chance to be successful, and that’s where we are.”



Palko is Pittsburgh through and through.



He grew up in Pennsylvania, played his college football next door at Pitt, made starts as a college player at Heinz Field, had a cup of coffee as the Steelers’ backup quarterback in 2009 and his brother, Luke, was once part of Pittsburgh’s personnel department.



This is a game that Palko has had circled for quite some time.



“I’m as focused as I’ve ever been and like I said, even when I was on the practice squad I’ve never really waivered or changed any of my mentality because at a moment’s notice, when you’re a third stringer you’re two plays away, when you’re a second stringer you’re one play away and so it’s something you have to be prepared for,” Palko said.

“This game is not for the faint of heart, you can’t be sensitive, you can’t worry about things you can’t control. This is a bottom line business and it’s about wins and we’ve got a big test ahead of us with these Pittsburgh Steelers coming into town and we’re excited about it.”

As for the addition of Orton, Palko’s teammates viewed the move similar to any other – an effort to increase competition across the roster.

“This is the NFL and guys are constantly going from one team to the next,” RB Thomas Jones said. “Look at me. I’m a guy that’s been on five teams, so this is nothing new to me.”

Jones was a teammate of Orton for three seasons (2005-07) with the Chicago Bears. Orton started all 15 games as a rookie in 2005 leading the Bears to an 11-5 regular season record and an NFC North title.

“He was a really good player for us in 2005,” Jones said. “We went to the playoffs that year. He was a really good teammate, a good quarterback and has a good arm. He knew the offense pretty well for being a young guy, but that was a long time ago.”

Palko cries himself to sleep tonight.

And you'll wake up, needing a couple or three Kleenex.

Palko's attitude about this is spot on, actually. He's a gamer and understands the business of professional football just fine.

It truly is a shame that his physical abilities don't sync up with his mental approach.

FAX

****ing morning wood

More than tried. We moved the ball pretty darn well. Didn't score, but we moved the offense up and down the field.

First start. On the road. In New England. On Monday night. I say the guy did pretty damn well under the circumstances.

FAX

This is what I was thinking. Just like the real Falco he has heart... miles and miles of heart.

Yep.

And hey, he didn't come out and say he graded out perfectly either.

Personally, I think Palko would probably make a damn good coach ... given, I mean, his attitude and approach to the game.

I'm really impressed with his philosophy toward football. He clearly loves the game and embraces the preparatory work. Honestly, it's a shame the spirit is so willing but the flesh is so weak.

FAX

There's a lot to admire. He didn't look rattled. When he looked at the plays on his wrist, he looked in command of what they'd call on the field. And I loved the way he moved his blockers on the field. On passes, he mostly made all the right reads and was great at checking through his progressions.

It does absolutely suck that he just doesn't have the talent. Because for a guy that's never played a game in his life, he thought through the game like he's been doing it for 10 years.

I like the chances of him starting against Pittsburgh. I don't think you see a guy work so hard and only give him one chance. Given the numbers of the Monday night game, with two of the INTs being bobbled catches, I think he played better than Cassel in a number of ways on Monday night (another factor to count) and would love to see him out there one more time to see what he can do. If Orton shows up in practice and plays better than Palko, the lineup change will make sense, but for now he's working hard and would definitely be more prepared mentally to play on Sunday than Orton could be. Can't wait to watch the game.

Pioli really loves strong character guys with no talent.

Yeah, he is a definite upgrade on the non douchiness scale.

LOL

Did Haley really go Gruden on us...."this guy"...

No ****s are given.

I'm at work, has Orton released a statement about this yet?

http://twitter.com/#!/kingneckbeard

"Well **** me.... Kansas has a city?!??"

LMAO

pretty hair too

Some posters just bitch for the sake of bitching. It's like banana pudding day at the rest home around here sometimes.

Palko isn't the second coming of Joe Montana ... or even Joe Cocker. But, the little fella understands the game and works hard. They threw him into the deep end on Monday night and he swam like a little duckling all night.

I like his attitude.

FAX

Great way of saying three exact things in three different ways

FAX

Well, I couldn't get a "Hell Yeah!!", so I just kept on pluggin'.

Just like Palko did the other night when he played quarterback for the Chiefs and prepared real well and tried his very best for the team.

FAX

I picked you off and shat on your posts. Happy Thanksgiving, on an...um...unrelated note.

ROFL

Tough crowd.

Hey ... on a different subject entirely, I'm faced with terrible, personal, moral dilemma. I could sure use some advice, but I'm not certain I should start a new thread since my threads are typically scorned and demeaned and disliked and stuff.

I have a real problem on my hands, though. Two, actually ... if you count the thread deal.

FAX

You're in luck. Not only am I strikingly handsome, but I am also impressively intelligent, having scored higher than a 15 on 2 out of every 3 wonderlics. Bring it, Mr. FAX. My advice is certain to be on point. At least, until I retire for the evening at 2:00 AM CDT.

Maybe we can get another opinion from Orton about how much of a douchebag asshole Thomas Jones actually is

Thanks, Mr. DeezNutz.

Okay, here's my problem.

When I was in college, I was in a rock & roll band (like millions of other young lads with visions of stardom did, I suppose). It was a good band, though. We played a lot of cover stuff and just a couple of original songs ... worked a lot ... got paid well ... got laid pretty often ... all in all, a very good experience. But, the important part about this is that the keyboard player is a guy from Kansas who is phenomenal. Probably one of the best keyboard guys I've ever worked with ... bar none ... well, bar maybe ... two ... at most. So, bar two.

Anyhow, after college I moved to LA and lost touch with my old band mates. When I got my first contract, I didn't call them up and, instead, used local studio guys which is probably pretty normal ... I just kind of moved on. For years, I've felt bad about that ... especially on account of the keyboard guy. He was really good and he could have used a leg up and I had the opportunity.

Well, I'm now in Nashville and this keyboard player has contacted me. He wants to record some stuff and there's a part of me that wants to do that on account of my leaving him behind. There's another part of me, though, that's really busy ... but I'm still recording, so I don't have an excuse for not doing that part.

The problem is that I'm not sure I want to invest the time or the energy. Plus, as I said, I'm plenty busy. Still, life is short and if I can help this person I think I should ... I feel like I owe it to him because he inspired me in my early career.

Well, that's basically it. I don't want to lie to him. I'd like to work with him, but I don't really have the time to start a new project. And, I don't honestly think there's a role for him in the projects I am currently involved in, either.

It's a moral issue. And it's Thanksgiving and everything. On top of that, I bought some new pants that are too long.

FAX THE CONFUSED ABOUT WHAT TO DO

Hell Yeah!! But Falco's got guts trying to throw in triple coverage in the EZ. Great work ethic in the film room this week should cover his debacle. I don't blame him for taking a shot when he had the spotlight, cause he prepares very well and has guts.

Hmm...difficult situation on a number of different levels, so let's stick to the essentials:

Currrently, there's no role and you have no time. Thus, it's not fair to him, and it's not fair to you.

However, he seems to have been a motivational force for you at some point in your career, which seems to have been a successful one, given what a 15 wonderlicer like me can discern. Therefore, I think you could very well mark or "shoulder-tap" this promising keyboard player-type dude for beneficial work in the future without sacrificing the integrity of current projects while avoiding the ancillary feelings of remorse so common to you creative sorts.

In short, you're good; he's good; it's good and will be good due to your benevolence.

And it's six minutes past 2:00 AM CDT, so my regular charge will ensue. After all, I'm also successful but not nearly as benevolent.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friend. Hope it's a good one for you and yours.

Dude, play with the guy. Reunion. Whatever you have to do. But don't do it for HIS sake. Do it for YOURS. You'll be surprised what musical familiarity plus a decade or so of growth can do for you own psyche and for your chops. As long as the guy has been playing and isn't just a leech, then do it.

Arrowhead is in Missouri.

Damnit.. Palko is a bum guys. i'm one of the most optimistic Chiefs fans there is.. but TP is shitty... I'm just saying

Also call your friend/ex bandmate on the phone. Feeel him out and see what he's into these days. If you blow him off completely, you may be passing up a good thing. Otherwise just talk to the dude and tell him you really can't/don't want to make it work.

-CHENZ the good at dealing w bullshit

Yep. This. I've been getting together with some former bandmates lately and it's actually been alot of fun and the music is actually a little better than it was before. I'd say at least play with him, you might be surprised at the results.

It's complicated. I live in Nashville and he lives in Kansas. Any project would be done via the internet thing. I don't know ... maybe it's the right thing to do and I'll just have to cut back on stuff like sleep and sex and a hearty breakfast.

FAX

damn good to see you.

all over rated.

My mom was the same way I never had Ham and Beans until I was a grown ass man because of that very reason.

I bet the common room had quite an odor.

My issue with Palko is the same as my issue with Cassel. They both have the heart and desire to be good QB's, but they just lack the talent. Studying and preperation can only take you so far when there is an absence of talent.

All of this.

And he definitely deserves the start vs pitt, it'd be a joke to put Orton in so soon.