A big reason Purdue is off to a sparkling 2-0 start is Kyle Orton's nine touchdown passes and zero interceptions.
		By Michael Conroy, AP

At the school with a quarterback legacy that includes Len Dawson and Bob Griese, the regular conversations between head coach and quarterback have built a productive relationship and reveal an emerging political identity.

Orton, whose 2-0, 15th-ranked Boilermakers travel to Illinois on Saturday leads the nation with a pass efficiency rating of 215.1 and ranks third with an average of 330.5 yards of total offense. In his last 540 passes, he has thrown 27 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has already thrown nine touchdowns this season.

Orton completed 23 of 26 passes — a school record 88.5%, in the 59-7 victory vs. Ball State on Sept. 11.

The numbers do not reflect the relationships that helped mold a strong-armed but inexperienced prospect from Altoona, Iowa, into the focal point of Tiller's spread offense.

Four or five days a week, 30 to 45 minutes at a time, the quarterback and coach sit and talk.

"It finally got to be that he didn't have to ask me to come in," Orton said. "I'd just walk into his office, and we'd start chatting away."

At first the talk centered on football. Then current events became part of the conversation.

One day, Tiller described Bill Clinton's ability as a politician, stopped there, and waited for Orton to realize this was no political endorsement.

"Joe rubs him raw," said offensive coordinator Jim Chaney, "and (Orton) has a way of rubbing Joe raw."

For the Boilermakers, who have defeated Syracuse and Ball State by a combined 110-7, the conversations have a purpose.

"The feeling of belonging, the trustworthiness, that it's his offense, let's roll and do what you need to do to win," Chaney said. "It's easy to set game plans right now. Everything's easy. It should be, with a senior quarterback that's good."

Orton has advanced from the quarterback who lost a starting job as a sophomore into the leader who played in the Capital One Bowl loss last January with a dislocated left thumb, a sprained toe and cracked rib.

Eyeing a run for office

Chaney stays out of the political discussions. As the talks between Tiller and Orton evolved, becoming less about football and more about everything else, the coach discovered a growing sense of conviction.

Now he understands that Orton's success on the football field could one day be seen as the introduction of an ambitious liberal democrat to a larger audience.

"I'd love to run for Congress or the Senate," Orton said.

He has read about the Kennedy, Johnson and Clinton administrations. He has declared his concerns over policies of the current administration, specifically the commitment to the war in Iraq.

"I don't think we should be over there," Orton said.

The quarterback searches for voices of dissent on campuses and does not find enough of them.

"It surprises me a lot," he said. "Usually college campuses are pretty liberal places where you debate different thoughts. You protest over it. You read about all these protests that went on in the 60s. I don't think there are that many young people that feel they can make a difference in politics. They feel the government is so big that they don't think their vote or their voice matters any more."

Tiller acknowledges Orton's conviction but ...

"Well," the coach said and winked, "he's pretty young."

Still, the coach has seen a strengthening of Orton's political resolve in the last year.

"We quickly disagreed on our opinions," Orton said. "One thing I do like about our conversations is you really can't have a lot of political conversations (with others) without one person getting bent out of shape. We stay calm, and just talk, and give each other a hard time."

Orton's quiet demeanor has become an essential part of Purdue's collective personality. His dog's name, Elaine, was inspired from the television show Seinfeld.

"He's a huge Jim Morrison and Doors fan," said David Owen, Orton's roommate and a fifth-year senior offensive tackle. "You should see him re-enact 'L.A. Woman.' You'd think Jim Morrison was reincarnated."

But the quarterback's approach to his business has grown more conservative. Orton has thrived as he has grown to understand the importance of managing the game; the essential need to establish a tempo, the intricacies of clock management, the necessity of using an audible to get out of a bad play or throw a pass away from coverage.

"I've always been a confident football player," Orton said. "Early on, I was actually a little bit cocky. I've lost my cockiness."

Political opposites

Orton, a history major, and Owen, an industrial management major who knew the Bush twins while in elementary school in Dallas, discovered their political differences long ago. But this summer, Orton's urging helped make Owen a better player.

"He'd come to me every day and say, 'You're the best one we've got,' " Owen said. "He's been saying that since sophomore year. 'I really, really want you to be out there playing with me, because I know that I can count on you to block for me to get the job done.' "

At first, Owen said, he felt awkward taking advice from a younger player. Soon he found the quiet, persistent messages inspiring. The leadership style is taking shape. The political agenda is growing. "He said that if John Kerry doesn't get elected, he's going to throw himself headlong into the Hillary Clinton camp," Owen said.

If the season should end with a Heisman Trophy, and the winner gets to meet the president?

"It would be a great honor to meet any president," he said. "I'm not one to bash the president. I disagree with a couple of things that he has done."

And if Orton's days in football lead to a more significant career?

"He'll quote me," Tiller said. "And I'll come to his inauguration."