Dan Orlovsky

Dan Orlovsky (born August 18, 1983) is an American football analyst for ESPN and former professional football player.

He played as a quarterback for 12 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily as a backup.

Orlovsky played college football for the UConn Huskies.

As a junior, his 33 passing touchdowns ranked seventh in NCAA Division 1-A.

Orlovsky, along with head coach Randy Edsall, served as the "face" of the UConn football program during the early 2000s.

Orlovsky did not match his 2003 figures as a senior, but guided the team to victory in its inaugural bowl appearance, winning the Motor City Bowl, while earning Game MVP honors.

He gained 3,354 yards with 23 touchdowns and 15 interceptions on 288 of 456 throws (63.0 percent) in 2004.

Orlovsky holds the school record for most pass completions (916), pass attempts (1,567), yards passing (10,706), touchdown passes (84), interceptions (51), total plays (1,710) and total yards (10,421).

He was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL draft.

Orlovsky also played in the NFL for the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Rams.

Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Orlovsky played high school football.

"When I was younger, I would have garbage cans set up all around the yard," Orlovsky recalled.

"And I would have like 20 balls and just fire them into the cans. I really had nothing else to do back then."

Orlovsky attended Shelton High School and became the starting quarterback during his sophomore year.

As a senior, he threw for 2,385 yards and 24 touchdowns as the Gaels went 12–0, winning a state championship.

His overall record as a high school quarterback was 28–4.

He earned All-American honors from Prep Football Report, SuperPrep and Prep Star, and was also named Connecticut all-state, Class LL MVP, the New Haven Register's Connecticut Player of the Year and winner of the McHugh Award.

Despite offers from Purdue and Michigan State, Orlovsky committed to play at Connecticut, where he wanted the challenge of elevating the Huskies into a Big East contender.

Orlovsky became the starter at Connecticut during his freshman year when Keron Henry suffered a sprained knee.

Orlovsky threw for 1,379 yards and nine touchdowns on 128 of 269 passing (47.6 percent) while being intercepted 11 times.

Starting every game as a sophomore, Orlovsky hit on 221 of 366 attempts (60.4 percent), with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

His 2,488 yards passing rank fourth on the school's season-record list.

As a junior, he completed 279 of 475 passes (58.7 percent) for 3,485 yards, 33 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

His 33 scoring tosses were tied for seventh in the NCAA Division I-A.

On October 11, UConn traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina to take on Heisman trophy candidate and future first round draft pick, Philip Rivers and the N.C. State Wolfpack.

Even though UConn lost the game on 31-24 on a pick six interception return, Orlovsky threw for 299 yards, compared to Rivers 234 yards.

Orlovsky was selected during the fifth round of the 2005 NFL draft, 145th overall by the Detroit Lions.

When Jeff Garcia went down with an injury in the '05 preseason, Orlovsky emerged as the Lions' primary backup.

He played in two regular season contests in 2005, including the nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game against the Atlanta Falcons.

In the two contests combined, Orlovsky completed 7-of-17 passes for 63 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.

Prior to the 2006 season the Lions traded Joey Harrington and released Jeff Garcia, while signing Jon Kitna and Josh McCown.

Orlovsky spent the 2006 season as the third-string QB.

Orlovsky did not take a regular season snap in either 2006 or 2007; in 2008, O'Sullivan went to the San Francisco 49ers and emerged as the starting QB there.

On September 15 against the Green Bay Packers, he finished the game, completing two of four attempts for six yards.

Orlovsky was projected to be the second-string quarterback in 2007 because Drew Stanton, who was picked in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft, was placed on injured reserve; however, the Lions acquired J. T. O'Sullivan, who bumped Orlovsky back to third on the depth chart.

Orlovsky made his first career NFL start on October 12, 2008, in a 12–10 Lions loss against the Minnesota Vikings.

He completed 12 of 21 passes for 150 yards, with one touchdown and no turnovers.

However, early in the first quarter when he lined up in shotgun formation, he inadvertently ran out of the back of his own end zone for a safety, in what turned out to be the margin of victory.

"When they started blowing the whistle, I was like, 'Did we false start, or were they offsides or something?'" Orlovsky said.

"And I looked, and I was just like, 'You're an idiot'".