Kevin Ashcraft
Footballguy
http://www.detroitlions.com/document_displ...ument_id=445147
________________
By Chrissie Zavicar
Detroitlions.com
May 19, 2006
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The quarterback is easily the most famed position in professional football. Successful (and unsuccessful) teams of the past are quickly defined and identified by who took the snaps.
A quarterback receives all of the glory or all of the blame, and generally isn’t completely deserving of either. It takes a good quarterback to make a successful team and a good team to make a successful quarterback.
But there is also an assumption that there is a spark among the great ones. A natural talent possessed by all the great names in football history. And while that is true, it shouldn’t be assumed that quarterbacks who don’t take the immediate path of a well-decorated college career to a well-decorated pro career don’t make the grade.
There is such a thing as a quarterback who work his way to the top. A quarterback who has that mentality that will allow him to one day carry a team.
Second-year quarterback Dan Orlovsky is a player who believes he has what it takes. He was a successful leader at Connecticut as a four-year starter before he was drafted in the fifth round by the Lions in 2005. While he played in two games last season – both of which the Lions trailed significantly – he was mostly a student.
He has begun this offseason with the same mentality, looking to capitalize on the football minds around him – and he isn’t giving up anytime soon.
“I’ve always been a hard worker [who] puts in my time,” said Orlovsky. “I think I have a good future as long as I continue to work. My whole thing is, I don’t ever want to take the easy route and I’m kind of obsessed with being great.”
"I feel a lot of guys can be starters. I want to be a guy who is remembered."
To say Orlovsky is a regular at the Lions practice and training facility would be a huge understatement. Throughout the team’s offseason conditioning program he was in the building before 7 a.m., working out twice a day and studying plays and on-field situations.
He studies game film of St. Louis Rams teams under current Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz to learn more about his quarterbacks coach and the players he helped glorify.
He is even getting a film room put into the house he is currently building.
“I’ll take a sheet of plays and visualize what would I do versus those coverages just so I can get a lot of reps,” he said. “I try to spend some time on the field just watching a lot of Rams film over the last few years and seeing what [Coach Martz] likes to do in different situations and what these guys – Trent Green and [Mark] Bulger and Kurt Warner – have seen and what I’m seeing and trying to scrutinize what they do and try and learn as much as I can.”
The arrival of Martz and the rest of the new coaches signified change for almost all players involved. Orlovsky has had to learn a new way of doing things in regards to mechanics and play-calling, but it is Martz’s coaching style that will likely serve as the greatest impact.
“He just tries to break you down and he tries to make non-game situations as game-like as possible,” said Orlovsky. “He tries to put a lot of pressure on you and see how you’ll handle it. His whole thing is, if you can handle it in practice and he makes it harder than it is in a game then in a game it’ll be easy.”
As a self-proclaimed student of the game, Orlovsky is taking advantage of not only his new coaches, but his new teammates. When the Lions brought in veteran quarterback Jon Kitna, Orlovksy jumped at the opportunity to learn from a player who has been in the League for over nine years.
“In the short period of time [he’s been with the Lions], I’ve gotten to learn a lot from him and take a lot of different things,” said Orlovsky. “Throw them into my game, how to handle stuff. He’s already told me, anything he can help me with he’d be more than happy to. I’ve just tried to be in his back pocket on a bunch of different things.”
In looking at the way Orlovsky approaches his NFL career, it would be hard to tell whether he is a starter or a backup, simply because he has a veteran-like football mentality. While his NFL experience is currently two games and he would obviously like to add to that resume, his first priority is to win, and he will do whatever it takes to see that happen for the Lions.
“It was a good experience to get out there versus some live game action and there are some things I look back on that I did well and some things I did stupid,” he said. “It’s just going to grow experience-wise and hopefully I continue to get more and more and more [experience] and eventually develop into a good starter … a great starter – I want to be great.
"I don’t ever want to take the easy route and I’m kind of obsessed with being great."
“I think last year was tough because I was excited to play, but at the same time I thought, ‘I would much rather have been winning and not played.’ But obviously it is what it is and I got some experience and I’ll learn from it and build from it.”
While he has the selfless attitude that winning means everything no matter what his role, fans shouldn’t misunderstand that this is a player who believes he can be a starter in this League and expects himself to someday achieve that.
When asked how often he thinks about being a starter, Orlovsky replied with, “How many minutes are there in a day? Non-stop. I don’t want to say it’s who I am, but it is who I am. It’s why I’m here all the time and why I put all this work in and I feel it’s what I was meant to do.
“It’s on my mind all the time and it’s not like I just want to be a starter though. I feel a lot of guys can be starters. I want to be a guy who is remembered – who changes an organization like this one. Similar to what I was a part of at UConn as far as I was the quarterback – and I’m not saying I did it myself at all – but I was the quarterback who was in the forefront of changing that program and that’s what I want to do here. I feel like I can and I feel I will. [being a starter is] on my mind non-stop.”
Whether Orlovsky will turn into a franchise quarterback for the Detroit Lions remains to be seen. But he is certainly focusing all of his attention on and putting all of himself into becoming just that.
What may hint at the idea that Orlovsky may be something special is that he shrugs off the fact that he is in the Lions facility all the time. He feels putting forth that commitment is something that is expected out of NFL players and he sets the bar high for himself without thinking anything of it.
“I don’t think my work ethic is anything quote-unquote special,” he said, “but I feel it’s just what everyone should be doing.”
As far as what he has to offer the Detroit Lions, he said, “I offer a lot of leadership and camaraderie with teammates and just looking to have fun playing football. Hard work and work ethic and diligence and I pride myself on being a student of the game and knowing myself inside and out and what I do well and what I don’t do well and [knowing] my opponent [the same way].”
But Lions fans will just have to watch and wait for the possible emergence of Dan Orlovsky. Just entering his second NFL season, he has spent all of his time in the background learning and studying every aspect of being a successful quarterback and he has continued that this offseason.
“I always say that there’s always an ‘it’ factor,” he said. “It’s what a lot of people say – you either have it or you don’t. It’s easy for me to say I have it. It’s still yet to be proven at this level, but I have full confidence I do. That’s where you get guys who are first-round draft picks and don’t develop and you have guys who are fifth-round draft picks and win three Super Bowls in four years like Tom Brady.
“You either have it or you don’t. It’s not something that can be faked. In time you find out if you do or don’t.”
Well … Detroit Lions fans will just have to wait to find out.
________________
By Chrissie Zavicar
Detroitlions.com
May 19, 2006
ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The quarterback is easily the most famed position in professional football. Successful (and unsuccessful) teams of the past are quickly defined and identified by who took the snaps.
A quarterback receives all of the glory or all of the blame, and generally isn’t completely deserving of either. It takes a good quarterback to make a successful team and a good team to make a successful quarterback.
But there is also an assumption that there is a spark among the great ones. A natural talent possessed by all the great names in football history. And while that is true, it shouldn’t be assumed that quarterbacks who don’t take the immediate path of a well-decorated college career to a well-decorated pro career don’t make the grade.
There is such a thing as a quarterback who work his way to the top. A quarterback who has that mentality that will allow him to one day carry a team.
Second-year quarterback Dan Orlovsky is a player who believes he has what it takes. He was a successful leader at Connecticut as a four-year starter before he was drafted in the fifth round by the Lions in 2005. While he played in two games last season – both of which the Lions trailed significantly – he was mostly a student.
He has begun this offseason with the same mentality, looking to capitalize on the football minds around him – and he isn’t giving up anytime soon.
“I’ve always been a hard worker [who] puts in my time,” said Orlovsky. “I think I have a good future as long as I continue to work. My whole thing is, I don’t ever want to take the easy route and I’m kind of obsessed with being great.”
"I feel a lot of guys can be starters. I want to be a guy who is remembered."
To say Orlovsky is a regular at the Lions practice and training facility would be a huge understatement. Throughout the team’s offseason conditioning program he was in the building before 7 a.m., working out twice a day and studying plays and on-field situations.
He studies game film of St. Louis Rams teams under current Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz to learn more about his quarterbacks coach and the players he helped glorify.
He is even getting a film room put into the house he is currently building.
“I’ll take a sheet of plays and visualize what would I do versus those coverages just so I can get a lot of reps,” he said. “I try to spend some time on the field just watching a lot of Rams film over the last few years and seeing what [Coach Martz] likes to do in different situations and what these guys – Trent Green and [Mark] Bulger and Kurt Warner – have seen and what I’m seeing and trying to scrutinize what they do and try and learn as much as I can.”
The arrival of Martz and the rest of the new coaches signified change for almost all players involved. Orlovsky has had to learn a new way of doing things in regards to mechanics and play-calling, but it is Martz’s coaching style that will likely serve as the greatest impact.
“He just tries to break you down and he tries to make non-game situations as game-like as possible,” said Orlovsky. “He tries to put a lot of pressure on you and see how you’ll handle it. His whole thing is, if you can handle it in practice and he makes it harder than it is in a game then in a game it’ll be easy.”
As a self-proclaimed student of the game, Orlovsky is taking advantage of not only his new coaches, but his new teammates. When the Lions brought in veteran quarterback Jon Kitna, Orlovksy jumped at the opportunity to learn from a player who has been in the League for over nine years.
“In the short period of time [he’s been with the Lions], I’ve gotten to learn a lot from him and take a lot of different things,” said Orlovsky. “Throw them into my game, how to handle stuff. He’s already told me, anything he can help me with he’d be more than happy to. I’ve just tried to be in his back pocket on a bunch of different things.”
In looking at the way Orlovsky approaches his NFL career, it would be hard to tell whether he is a starter or a backup, simply because he has a veteran-like football mentality. While his NFL experience is currently two games and he would obviously like to add to that resume, his first priority is to win, and he will do whatever it takes to see that happen for the Lions.
“It was a good experience to get out there versus some live game action and there are some things I look back on that I did well and some things I did stupid,” he said. “It’s just going to grow experience-wise and hopefully I continue to get more and more and more [experience] and eventually develop into a good starter … a great starter – I want to be great.
"I don’t ever want to take the easy route and I’m kind of obsessed with being great."
“I think last year was tough because I was excited to play, but at the same time I thought, ‘I would much rather have been winning and not played.’ But obviously it is what it is and I got some experience and I’ll learn from it and build from it.”
While he has the selfless attitude that winning means everything no matter what his role, fans shouldn’t misunderstand that this is a player who believes he can be a starter in this League and expects himself to someday achieve that.
When asked how often he thinks about being a starter, Orlovsky replied with, “How many minutes are there in a day? Non-stop. I don’t want to say it’s who I am, but it is who I am. It’s why I’m here all the time and why I put all this work in and I feel it’s what I was meant to do.
“It’s on my mind all the time and it’s not like I just want to be a starter though. I feel a lot of guys can be starters. I want to be a guy who is remembered – who changes an organization like this one. Similar to what I was a part of at UConn as far as I was the quarterback – and I’m not saying I did it myself at all – but I was the quarterback who was in the forefront of changing that program and that’s what I want to do here. I feel like I can and I feel I will. [being a starter is] on my mind non-stop.”
Whether Orlovsky will turn into a franchise quarterback for the Detroit Lions remains to be seen. But he is certainly focusing all of his attention on and putting all of himself into becoming just that.
What may hint at the idea that Orlovsky may be something special is that he shrugs off the fact that he is in the Lions facility all the time. He feels putting forth that commitment is something that is expected out of NFL players and he sets the bar high for himself without thinking anything of it.
“I don’t think my work ethic is anything quote-unquote special,” he said, “but I feel it’s just what everyone should be doing.”
As far as what he has to offer the Detroit Lions, he said, “I offer a lot of leadership and camaraderie with teammates and just looking to have fun playing football. Hard work and work ethic and diligence and I pride myself on being a student of the game and knowing myself inside and out and what I do well and what I don’t do well and [knowing] my opponent [the same way].”
But Lions fans will just have to watch and wait for the possible emergence of Dan Orlovsky. Just entering his second NFL season, he has spent all of his time in the background learning and studying every aspect of being a successful quarterback and he has continued that this offseason.
“I always say that there’s always an ‘it’ factor,” he said. “It’s what a lot of people say – you either have it or you don’t. It’s easy for me to say I have it. It’s still yet to be proven at this level, but I have full confidence I do. That’s where you get guys who are first-round draft picks and don’t develop and you have guys who are fifth-round draft picks and win three Super Bowls in four years like Tom Brady.
“You either have it or you don’t. It’s not something that can be faked. In time you find out if you do or don’t.”
Well … Detroit Lions fans will just have to wait to find out.
I see this as a 3-way competition, Kitna and McCown are the favorites, Orlovsky the underdog, but by the end of camp, I see Orlovsky as the #2. Or at least, a guy the staff is grooming to possibly take over.
I have both :yipee!: 
I'd say Orlovsky, but they're comparable.
64 teams, start 5 QBs. 
. I see Kitna is a GTD, I guess I was just hoping to see Stanton get a shot but of course if the kid isnt ready, then he isnt ready. But how well prepared do you have to be, to beat out Orlovsky ?
