“Rookie or not, he is a good player. First-round pick, sixth player taken overall, there is a reason he was taken that high, because he is a ballplayer. There is no licking your chops. I've got to go out and play him the same way I would play any 10-year veteran.”
Chad Johnson
“Kyle's got to be it. You take a rookie fourth-round pick and just throw him in. He made plays when he had to; he managed the offense. You can't play quarterback, not make plays and win games. He made a lot of good plays. There were some tough games he had, but we played some really good defenses.”
Olin Kreutz
“I gave it my best shot, tried to have the best rookie year I could.”
Sidney Crosby
“Normally, it's tough to think a rookie quarterback can make an impact. Let alone one drafted in the fourth round. But Orton has the tools to make things happen,”
Pete Prisco
“He has made huge strides in a tremendous rookie season. He has taken advantage of our personnel changes and is a big piece of our nucleus going forward.”
Mike Sullivan
“We've always taken the position at this rookie camp that we'll give opportunities to guys who deserve them. Estrada continued to play well. He deserved to go.”
Jim Rutherford
“I can remember him as a rookie out of Colorado State (as a fifth-round draft pick in 2000) and how impressive he was then. I just really think he's one of the under-rated players in this league. Don't be surprised if he's one of the best around, soon; he's that good.”
Mark Bruener
