He’s come a long way from the time he ran the wrong way.
It was reported a month ago by Andrew Marchand of TheAthletic.com. It was re-reported elsewhere earlier this week. It’s now official.
ESPN has announced that NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky has signed a “multi-year agreement” to remain with the network.
He’s a regular on NFL Live and a member of the three-person “B” team Monday Night Football booth, which will work five games in 2025.
Orlovsky joined ESPN in 2018, after an NFL career that includes 26 regular-season appearances and 12 starts. Seven of them came during the Lions’ 0-16 season of 2008, the first in NFL history.
That was the year Orlovsky ran out of the end zone against the Vikings in Minnesota. And, to be fair and accurate, it wasn’t that he accidentally stepped on the white stripe. He took eight or nine steps on the back line before realizing he had handed the Vikings the first two points of a game that ended with Minnesota winning, 12-10.
Which means that the game was a safety away from going to overtime, and possibly giving the Lions what would have been their only win of the year.
And, yes, I picked a photo of Orlovsky with Chris “Mad Dog” Russo in the frame, because I’m trying to imagine what Mad Dog was saying to Orlovsky at the time. I choose to think it went something like this.
Can I ask you a question? Just one question. What were you thinking when you ran out of the end zone? When you looked down and saw it was white under your feet, did you think that stadium in Minnesota had lost its roof and it was snowing? Had you gotten into my gummies? And why didn’t you do it like six more times? I had Minnesota giving 13 that day. You killed me, Orvolebowski. Killed me!