Rams sign vet QB – Dan Orlovski

Alden Gonzalez
ESPN Staff Writer

The Rams have their third quarterback. They signed 33-year-old Dan Orlovsky, who spent the last three years as Matthew Stafford’s backup with the Lions. 58.2 completion percentage, 3,132 yards, 15 touchdowns, 13 interceptions in seven seasons, spread from 2005-15.

http://www.espn.com/nfl/team/_/name/lar/los-angeles-rams

from the wiki

Dan Orlovsky
Place of birth: Bridgeport, Connecticut
Height: 6 ft 5 in
Weight: 215 lb
College: Connecticut
NFL Draft: 2005 / Round: 5 / Pick: 145

Career history
Detroit Lions (2005–2008)
Houston Texans (2009–2010)
Indianapolis Colts (2011)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2012–2013)
Detroit Lions (2014–2016)
Los Angeles Rams (2017-present)

Career NFL statistics as of 2016
Passing attempts: 512
Passing completions: 298
Percentage: 58.2
TD–INT: 15–13
Passing yards: 3,132
Passer rating: 75.3

Daniel John “Dan” Orlovsky (born August 18, 1983) is an American football quarterback who is a currently play for the Los Angeles Rams . He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Connecticut.

Orlovsky has also played for the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Early years

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 2,489 yards and 58 touchdowns as the Gaels went 12–0, winning the 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.

College career

Orlovsky became the starter 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 ranked seventh in the nation in passing, hitting on 279 of 475 passes (58.7 percent) for 3,485 yards, 33 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. His 33 scoring tosses ranked first in the NCAA Division I-A ranks.

Orlovsky did not match his 2003 figures as a senior, but guided the team to victory in its inaugural bowl appearance. 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).

Orlovsky, along with head coach Randy Edsall, served as the “face” of the UConn football program durings the early 2000s. Orlovsky was the starting quarterback during the Huskies transitional period from Division I-AA football, to independent Division I team, to full-fledged member of the Big East.

Professional career

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 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 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 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.'”

In the following week of the Lions’ win-less season, Orlovsky connected with Calvin Johnson on a 96-yard touchdown pass.

Orlovsky also started the final game of the 2008 season, but was unable to lead his team to their first victory of the season. Orlovsky announced his intention to explore the free agent market at the end of the 2008 season rather than accept a contract as a backup quarterback in Detroit.

Houston Texans

Orlovsky signed with the Houston Texans for a 3-year, $9 million deal on March 1, 2009. He was beaten out by Rex Grossman for the backup quarterback position during the preseason, and served as the Texans number three quarterback. After the 2009 season, Grossman signed a one-year contract with the Washington Redskins, making Orlovsky the backup quarterback for the Texans.

Indianapolis Colts

He signed with the Indianapolis Colts as a free agent on July 30, 2011. He was one of the final cuts as NFL teams trimmed their rosters to 53. The Colts later resigned Orlovsky on September 27, 2011. He was named the starter over the benched Curtis Painter on November 30, 2011. The next week, Orlovsky went on to complete 30 of 37 passes, with 353 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception, for a total passer rating of 113.1 in his first start as a Colt against the New England Patriots, in a 31–24 loss.

On December 18, 2011, Orlovsky and the Colts won their first game of the season (after starting 0–13) against the Titans. Coincidentally, the last time the Colts won was also against the Titans in January of the previous season. This was Orlovsky’s first official win as a starter in the NFL. On December 22, 2011, Orlovsky led the Colts on a 12-play, 78-yard drive in a comeback victory over the 10–4 Houston Texans with less than 2 minutes remaining in the game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On March 15, 2012, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed Orlovsky to a two-year-contract.[10] On April 4, 2013, Orlovsky was cut by the Buccaneers.[11] On April 8, 2013, four days after being cut, the Buccaneers re-signed Orlovsky.

Return to Detroit

On April 2, 2014, the Lions signed Orlovsky as their backup quarterback to Matthew Stafford. On March 2, 2015, the Lions re-signed Orlovsky to a one-year contract. In a game against the Cardinals, Orlovsky came in for a struggling Matthew Stafford, and threw for 191 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

On March 11, 2016, the Lions re-signed Orlovsky as their primary backup quarterback to Stafford.

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DAN ORLOVSKY
HEIGHT: 6-5 | WEIGHT: 225 | COLLEGE: CONNECTICUT
CLASS OF 2005

OVERVIEW
Dan is a smart, instinctive passer who will stand in under pressure and shows the toughness to throw the ball with a defender in his face … Can take the punishment from the blitz and pass rush, get back up and come right back at you … He is not a great physical specimen, but has good size and body thickness … Has good command of the offense and in the huddle, especially in pressure situations … Shows good timing and touch, but is prone to forcing the ball into traffic and making poor judgement calls when his primary targets cannot get open … Displays excellent accuracy in the short and intermediate areas, putting the ball where receivers can easily catch it … Has the arm strength to get the ball deep, but needs to do a better job of keeping the long ball out of coverage and away from the defenders … Can hoist the ball fifty yards without putting much “umph” behind his tosses, showing the arm strength needed for the comeback and deep outs … Orlovsky shows awareness and vision in the pocket, but lacks the foot agility to slide and adjust when flushed out … .Good at making proper progression reads, but is not a natural thrower on the run and gets in a lot of trouble when he has to throw after escaping, rolling out or sprinting away from the his protection … Lacks open field running skills and despite his timed speed, looks very sluggish rolling out, as he lacks balance and change of direction agility … Does a nice job of keeping his feet and stepping into his throws, though … Carries the ball numbers up and possesses a quick release with a three-quarter delivery … One thing you notice on film is his sound passing mechanics in the pocket, quick release and delivery, fine touch and short area accuracy and good arm strength, whether throwing intermediate or long … Can throw with nice touch or air the ball out with efficiency … Very good at making progression reads, but you do see him look down and isolate on one receiver a bit … When given protection, he does a nice job of stepping up and getting into position to make the throw … When forced out of the pocket, he loses his timing and anticipation ability to make the throws … Has marginal ability to scramble and throw on the run due to his lack of quickness … When given time, he is very accurate as the ball is seldom far from the target … In the short passing game, Dan has a nice touch and can take something off when necessary, but he must learn to put some air under the ball when his receivers break open … Calls much of the game from the line of scrimmage and can check and sight well … His problems with turnovers occur when he struggles with rollouts and boots … Will sit in and take the hit on the blitz and still make a good throw, but will also try to dump-off … Is not a great runner and does not have good escapability, but he is strong enough and big enough to shake off tackles … His quick set up compensates for a lack of foot speed and he does show very sound mechanics, release and delivery … You will rarely see him throw wild or high, as his vision and mental makeup puts him in position to make the throw … Despite a lack of foot speed, he will consistently step into his passes.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/historical/418053

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Lions moving on from Dan Orlovsky

http://www.espn.com/blog/detroit-lions/post/_/id/28082/lions-moving-on-from-dan-orlovsky-one-of-last-players-from-winless-team
Dan Orlovsky’s time with the Detroit Lions is over for the second time.

The veteran backup quarterback, who was one of the team’s starting quarterbacks during the winless 2008 season, said on SiriusXM Radio on Thursday that the team has told him they will be moving on from him for the 2017 season.

Instead, Orlovsky said, they will go with former Michigan and Iowa quarterback Jake Rudock as the team’s backup.

The 33-year-old Orlovsky is one of the last pieces of the organization remaining from the 0-16 season in 2008. After Calvin Johnson retired last season and Manny Ramirez did not re-sign with the club, it left Orlovsky and Don Muhlbach as the two players left from that campaign.

With Orlovsky not coming back to Detroit and Muhlbach an unrestricted free agent, it’s possible the team might finally move on from that team entirely. The Lions drafted snapper Jimmy Landes last season as a potential replacement for Muhlbach.

Orlovsky only had significant playing time in one game in his second stint in Detroit, when Matthew Stafford was benched in Week 5 of the 2015 season. The perennial backup quarterback has been Stafford’s extra eyes and ears over the past three seasons and has been valuable in helping Stafford prepare during the week. But he did not play a snap in 2016 and has not started a game since 2011, when he had five starts.

Orlovsky has played in 26 games with a 2-10 record as a starter. He has completed 298 of 512 career passes for 3,132 yards, 15 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He has a career passer rating of 75.3.

But his value comes in helping a starter prepare for games, almost like another coach. He’s consistently been that guy for Stafford and is a veteran who can get a team out of a game if necessary.

With Orlovsky gone, Detroit has two quarterbacks on the roster: Stafford and Rudock. It likely means the franchise will pick up a quarterback either through the draft, free agency or an undrafted free agent to compete with Rudock for the backup role at best, and as a camp arm at worst.

link: http://www.ocregister.com/2017/07/20/rams-notes-former-broncos-gm-brian-xanders-added-to-front-office/

Rich Hammond

QB ORLOVSKY ADDED

The Rams also made an on-field move Thursday when they signed veteran quarterback Dan Orlovsky on Thursday, likely as a mentor to starter Jared Goff and as a competitor for backup Sean Mannion.

Orlovsky, 33 and a 12-season NFL veteran, most recently spent three seasons with the Lions, but he appeared in only two games.

The Lions drafted Orlovsky in the fifth round out of Connecticut in 2005 and he made his biggest impact in 2008, when he started seven games and threw for eight touchdowns and eight interceptions during the Lions’ 0-16 season.

Orlovsky then moved on to Houston (2009-10), Indianapolis (2011) and Tampa Bay (2012-13) before he returned to Detroit in 2014. Orlovsky has appeared in 26 NFL games but hasn’t made a start since 2011.

Goff, the Rams’ 2016 No. 1 overall pick, clearly is the starter, and Mannion, who spent last season as the Rams’ No. 3 quarterback, has been expected to back up Goff in 2017. That will sort itself out in training camp, which opens at UC Irvine next week.

snowman wrote:

I sure hope that Mannion is the backup to Goff while Orlovsky is the practice mentor and 3rd QB. I think Mannion has talent and it would be shame for him to languish behind a 34 year old guy.

I feel the same.