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ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky doesn’t hate Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams.
“It’s the opposite,” he told the Sun-Times.
Bears fans might not buy it after hearing his breakdown of the team’s 59-point outburst in the season opener Sunday.
“That Carolina defensive tape is putrid,” Orlovsky said Monday on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “That’s bad defensive football more than jaw-dropping offensive performance.”
Fans perceived the analysis as a swipe and attacked Orlovsky on social media, a typical reaction these days. Also typical, sadly, was the extent of the venom.
“When you pop on and you’re trying to do work and all of the sudden you see everybody telling you, ‘Kill yourself,’ it’s like, All right, guys,” Orlovsky said.
Fandom can be a blinding force and block out the most sensible sentiment, which is the case here. Orlovsky, in his seventh season as a daily ESPN contributor, is one of the most studious analysts in the business, thanks to film study that kept him in the league for 12 years as a backup quarterback.
Orlovsky said he learned how to study game tape in high school, in Shelton, Connecticut. Admittedly not the most athletic person, Orlovsky said he needed to study opposing team’s “tells and tendencies” to play at the level he aspired to.
In college at Connecticut, Orlovsky knew the opposition would be the more talented team most of the time. The way to close that gap was for him to study defenses. The Huskies called much of their offense at the line of scrimmage, so Orlovsky often would audible to a different play.
After the Lions picked him in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Orlovsky maintained his study habits.
“That is the main reason how I stayed in the NFL,” he said. “I often tell people the biggest challenge of being a backup quarterback is, I’m the only person on the team that doesn’t get game day to prove my worth. So how do you prove your worth? Studying the tape.”
Orlovsky shared what he learned with not only the starting quarterback, but wide receivers, tight ends, offensive linemen, anyone who needed or wanted help. Now he does it on TV for everyone. He’ll analyze every game each week, keeping notes in a five-subject notebook.
Which brings us to the Bears’ game against the Panthers. Under the heading “CAR D,” for Carolina defense, Orlovsky had listed, among other observations:
• First quarter, 3:01, blown coverage
• Second quarter, 14:48, blown coverage
• Fourth quarter, 8:51, blown coverage
All resulted in Bears gains of double-digit yardage, the first being a 47-yard pass from Williams to Rome Odunze. But Orlovsky also had these notes listed under “CHI O,” for Chicago offense:
• First quarter, 9:49, phenomenal timing
• First quarter, 9:23, efficient play
• First quarter, 8:51, great job not throwing
The results: A Williams 15-yard pass to Luther Burden, a seven-yard pass to Kalif Raymond and a Williams scramble for six yards.
See? He doesn’t hate Williams. He doesn’t hate the Bears.
“They were awesome,” Orlovsky said. “I thought Caleb was awesome.”
His point was, while any team scoring that many points performed at a high level, it more than likely benefitted from some low-level defense.
“I’m not trying to be an a-hole,” Orlovsky said. “I’m really not.”
Orlovsky slowed the roll most national NFL observers were on after the Bears’ performance, offering a well-reasoned yet singular point of view. As for fans, they’re going to be fans.
“Trust me, I played in Detroit, so I get that the fan base is so passionate,” he said. “But you’ve got to have courage to say things that your eyes tell you. And I think people struggle with that because they’re worried what people are going to think about them, they’re worried about the pushback from people on social media.
“No one was waxing poetic about Ben Johnson more than me when he was in Detroit, and certainly since he got to Chicago. I’ve raved about Caleb. Caleb’s an unbelievably talented young man. Did I like [Commanders quarterback] Jayden Daniels more coming out of college? Yes. Is Caleb playing better now? Yes.”
Even with all the blowback that comes with the job, Orlovsky loves it. He’s a football junkie and a film-watching nerd, badges he wears with pride. And he keeps a schedule to match. He appears on “NFL Live” every day, “Get Up” and/or “First Take” on Monday and Friday and “SportsCenter” on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.
Orlovsky will be in Chicago on Sept. 28 for the Bears’ “Monday Night Football” game against the Eagles. It’ll be a busy day. He’ll be on “Get Up” in New York, fly to Chicago and appear on “NFL Live” before the game even starts.
“I absolutely love it. I’m wired that way,” he said. “It’s a busy schedule, but they don’t pay lazy people.”
Remote patrol
The area college-football schedule Saturday: Illinois hosts Southern Illinois at 1 p.m. on Peacock, Northwestern hosts Colorado at 6:30 on Fox 32, Notre Dame hosts Michigan State at 6:30 on NBC 5 and Northern Illinois visits Arizona at 9:30 on TNT and truTV.
• All four Blackhawks preseason games will air on Chicago Sports Network, starting at 7 p.m. Saturday against the Wild. WGN Radio will carry the remaining three games. The team officially hired Steve Konroyd to be the late Troy Murray’s successor as radio analyst.
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Jeff Agrest
Chicago Sun-TimesDeputy sports editor
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