Dec. 18, 2011; Kansas City, MO; Then-Chiefs quarterback Kyle Orton (8) against the Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium. Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Buffalo Bills quarterback Kyle Orton spent a short period with the Chiefs during the 2011 season after being claimed off waivers from the Denver Broncos on Nov. 23.
Apparently Orton didn’t believe he would be around for long based on his chosen living accommodations.
“Stayed in a hotel,” Orton said during Wednesday’s conference call with Chiefs media when asked if he looked for a place to live.
Orton appeared in four games with three starts for the Chiefs and finished with a 2-1 record. He completed 59-of-97 passes for 779 yards with a touchdown against two interceptions.
His signature win for the Chiefs came in Week 15 with a 19-14 upset win against the Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium. Orton completed 23-of-31 passes for 299 yards in the victory.
Then-general manager Scott Pioli stuck with quarterback Matt Cassel instead of opening a competition at the position.
Orton eventually signed a free-agent deal with the Dallas Cowboys.
“I don’t think it got all that close,” Orton said of why he didn’t re-sign with the Chiefs. “I don’t know what the reasons for that were, it just didn’t work out.”
Still, there aren’t hard feelings.
“I certainly enjoyed my brief time with the Chiefs,” Orton said, “and it’s a great organization.”
ANOTHER WEEK, ANOTHER FAMILIAR FACE
Chiefs coach Andy Reid will see a former player on the opposing sideline for a second straight week.
The Chiefs faced New York Jets quarterback Michael Vick, whom Reid coached in Philadelphia, in Week 9 and now prepare to face Bills running back Bryce Brown.
Reid’s Eagles drafted Brown in 2012 out of Kansas State, where he played just two games and recording three carries for 16 yards before leaving school and declared for the NFL Draft. Brown played at Tennessee prior to transferring to K-State.
“Bryce is a good kid,” Reid told Bills media during a conference call. “And we did some homework on Bryce because of the whole situation there and I had a chance to spend some time with him. I liked him as a person.”
Reid said part of the homework involved talking to a K-State coach about Brown before selecting Brown in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft.
Brown, a native of Wichita, Kan., rushed for 564 yards and four touchdowns on 114 carries for Reid.
“Bryce came in and he took care of business,” Reid said, “and worked really hard for me and to prove to people that he could play in this league.”
The Eagles eventually traded Brown to the Bills on May 10, 2014, and he’s impressed Bills coach Doug Marrone.
“He’s a starting caliber running back in this league,” Marrone said during Wednesday’s conference call with Chiefs media members. “He can run the ball extremely well, he catches the ball really well coming out of the backfield, pass protection is good, so we love his talents. Even though he’s been around for a while, he’s a young guy that still has a lot of great football ahead of him. We are excited about him being on our team.”
The Chiefs could see plenty of Brown, who saw his first action with the Bills in Week 8 against the New York Jets.
Buffalo is dealing with injuries to running backs C.J. Spiller, who is on injured reserve/designated for return with a collarbone injury, and Fred Jackson, who was limited in Wednesday’s practice with a groin injury.
The Bills would likely utilize Anthony Dixon and Brown in the event Jackson is unavailable.
“He knew that he had to be ready and he was ready last week,” Marrone said of Brown, “and we just keep him ready to go.”
