There's some smoke around the idea that ESPN's Dan Orlovsky could be considered for the Lions offensive coordinator position, but will there be fire?
The Detroit Lions are in the middle of a mass exodus of their coaching staff. Ben Johnson has already gone to the Bears and more coaches could be following him there. The Lions will soon need to begin their search for a new offensive coordinator. The belief for a while was that the Lions would […]
The Detroit Lions are in the middle of a mass exodus of their coaching staff. Ben Johnson has already gone to the Bears and more coaches could be following him there.
The Lions will soon need to begin their search for a new offensive coordinator. The belief for a while was that the Lions would simply promote a guy from within, but it doesn't seem to be that simple in reality. Lions head coach Dan Campbell is prepared to take his time on this and look inside and outside.
"I think we’ve got guys on staff that I think are more than qualified and would be outstanding in those roles, but that does not mean that I’m not looking outside either."
One name that has been coming up recently is ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky. There's a little bit of smoke rising on the idea that he could be considered.
For starters, there is connectivity there. Campbell and Orlovsky played together in Detroit for two seasons. They know each other pretty well and there's a rapport there. Orlovsky was also Jared Goff's backup in Los Angeles for a short time in 2017.
Orlovsky recently stated on TV that he would be interested in coaching. Since then, two coaches have contacted him: one who is looking to get a head coaching job and is building a staff, and one who is already a head coach and is losing a coordinator.
The latter makes the list pretty small, doesn't it? Could Dan Campbell have been the guy that reached out to Orlovsky? right now we don't know. But what we do know is that Orlovsky seems to be open to the opportunity. Maybe even hoping for it.
Now, I know what some Lions fans might think here. You might think that some of his takes are a little crazy and that this is the guy who ran backward out of bounds and all that. That's totally understandable and I get why that would give you pause.
The thing about Orlovsky though is that he has always been a very smart football guy. There's a reason the guy who ran out of the back of the endzone still played eight more seasons in the NFL after that. It's the same reason why former quarterbacks like Sean Payton, Jason Garrett, and Jim Harbaugh are head coaches right now.
While they may not have been good quarterbacks or had talent, they had a high understanding of the game and offenses. I mean the last OC the Lions just had was a quarterback that wasn't able to make it to the NFL. That clearly didn't mean he didn't understand the game. Some can execute and others can teach people how to execute.
Keep in mind the Packers also reached out to Orlovsky last season. This is not just a gimmicky thing. He's a real candidate.
We'll see very soon what the Lions choose to do, but don't be surprised if they have Orlovsky in for at least an interview.
8 outside coaches we believe could get an interview for the Lions’ open offensive coordinator job
The Detroit Lions have officially lost Ben Johnson to the Bears. Now it's time to fill the open spot and there is going to be some serious interest in this job from coaches around the league. The expectation for a while now is that someone on the inside would fill this job. Someone like Tanner […]
