Here is our weekly look at how the 12 former players from the UConn Huskies have fared in the NBA for the previous week.

Links to game recaps are provided as well with the stats after the jump.

Continue reading →

Here is our weekly look at how the 12 former players from the UConn Huskies have fared in the NBA for the previous week.

Links to game recaps are provided as well with the stats after the jump.

Continue reading →

Former UConn Huskies and current Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky has decided to wait on surgery for his injured right thumb.

“I’m not going to get surgery,” Orlovsky said Wednesday. “I’m going to try and do everything I can not to have surgery. I’m going to give it time to let it heal on its own, and we’ll reassess it in a couple weeks.”

Given the fact that the Lions have not placed him on injured reserve and actually released third string quarterback Drew Hensen, tells you how highly the Lions think of him. Despite not leading the Lions to a win, he has shown that he can play in the NFL.

Newly signed Daunte Culpepper gets the start again for the Lions this week against the Carolina Panthers.

Lions QB Dan Orlovsky not giving up yet [Detroit Free Press]

Here is our weekly look at how the 12 former players from the UConn Huskies have fared in the NBA for the previous week.

The stats are located after the jump.

Continue reading →

Former UConn Huskies and current Detroit Lions quarterback Dan Orlovsky is likely done for the season after suffering two fractures and a torn ligament in his thumb.

An official decision won’t be made on Orlovsky until he sees a hand specialist next week but the odds are he’s done for the season.

He was most likely going to lose his job at some point seeing how the Lions signed Daunte Culpepper.

Orlovsky sustained the injury on the first play of the game last Sunday against the Chicago Bears but ended up finishing the game. He was 28-of-47 for 292 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. On the season, Orlovsky was 88-of-156 for 1,033 yards with 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.

Orlovsky is a free agent after the season.

UConn In the NBA returns again this season where we will take a look at how the 12 former UConn Huskies have fared during the previous week. This year I am including a link to the game recap as well that is available in the game date column.

The stats are located after the jump.

Continue reading →

With the Detroit Lions placing quarterback Jon Kitna on injured reserve on Tuesday, former UConn Huskies quarterback Dan Orlovsky will get another chance to start for them on Sunday when they face the Houston Texans.

Orlovsky wasn’t bad in his first start last Sunday but then again he wasn’t great (12-of-21, 150 yds, 1 TD) especially given this bonehead play he committed.

Orlovsky had this to say about the play:

“The team had fun (at my expense), the coaches had fun, friends had fun, family had fun … America had fun,” said Orlovsky. “Drew (Stanton, now Orlovsky’s backup) came in this morning and said you’re now a household name on ESPN. But like I said after the game and on Monday, it’s not something that I’m enjoying being a part of, but I’m not beating myself up over it. I know how dumb it was, but I’m not dwelling on it.”

For Orlovsky, it’s another chance to lead the Lions to there first win of the 2008 campaign and a chance to maybe secure his future since he’s a free agent at the end of the season. No matter what though, he is prepared to start.

“Just because it’s my dream doesn’t make it wrong,” said Orlovsky Wednesday night. “I have a goal and there’s a lot of other people in our organization who have a goal to fix things and change (the culture). In a way it’s like when I was at UConn. Eventually, you get sick and tired of being embarrassed. Guys stand up for what they believe in, and what they believe in changing. When you get enough people who are sick and tired of something and dedicated to change, it can happen.

“It’s easy for me to say. It was hard to do that (at UConn). It was the hardest two years I’ve ever had to go through athletically. It took complete commitment from top to bottom. But I’ve been through that … I’ve seen it happen. I’ve seen it go from a laughing stock to being close to the top. I’m not saying I’m going to be the individual that can make it happen myself, but I want to be a part of it. Eventually you get tired of being punched in the mouth and decide to punch back. There are a lot of guys around here who think that way.”

Having seen what Orlovsky did at UConn for four years, I have no doubt that he will help the Lions win a few games this season. It’s going to be hard but it’s a fight he’s willing to take on.

Orlovsky, now Lions’ starting quarterback, has history of turning teams around [New Haven Register]

With One Start Under his Belt, QB Dan Orlovsky is Looking Toward Houston [DetroitLions.com]

Dan Orlovsky makes his 1st career NFL start this afternoon.

When the Detroit Lions take their first offensive snap at the Metrodome this afternoon against the Minnesota Vikings, there will be a familiar face for UConn Huskies fans behind center in Dan Orlovsky. The former UConn quarterback makes his first NFL start today due to a back injury to Lions starter Jon Kitna.

Orlovsky’s last start at UConn came at Ford Field, home of the Lions,  back in 2004 when he led the Huskies to a 39-10 win over Toledo in the Motor City Bowl. In that game, he was 20-of-41 for 2 touchdowns with 1 interception and earned MVP honors for the game.

Orlovsky, a 5th round pick of the Lions in 2005, saw action in two games back in 2005. He was 7-of-17 for 63 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He has played in 3 games this season for the Lions and is 15-of-29 for 103 yards with 2 interceptions thrown. He took over last week when Kitna got hurt and was 13-of-23 for 97 yards and an interception in the 34-7 loss to the Chicago Bears.

He has the UConn school record for most pass completions (916), attempts (1,567), yards passing (10,706) touchdown passes (84), interceptions thrown (51), total yards (10,401), yards per game (232.7) and plays (1,710).

Orlovsky has spent his career in the NFL as the backup or #3 QB.

Orlovsky took most of the repetitions this week at the QB1 spot and should be well prepared for today’s game. He has spent his NFL career as either the backup or third QB in Detroit.

“I don’t have any superstitions. Saturday morning, I look at every play versus every defense. I do this every day. This won’t be anything out of the ordinary.

“I just go into every game like I’m going to play. I’ve done that all my life.”

Orlovsky is a free agent after this season and with Drew Stanton kicking at his heels for playing time as well, he will need a good outing this afternoon. Plus a good game today and a few others down the line could help him garner another NFL contract at the end of the season.

And who knows, maybe he’ll lead the Lions to their first win of the 2008 season.

After signing with the Green Bay Packers when he went undrafted in the 2008 NFL Draft, former UConn Huskies linebacker Danny Lansanah made it all the way to the end of training camp only to get cut and was signed to the Packers practice squad the next day.

Danny Lansanah

Now all of Lansanah’s hard work has paid off as he was signed off the Packers practice squad to their 53-man roster yesterday. Linebacker Tracy White was released to make room for him on the roster. Lansanah will play primarily on special teams to start out.

“We appreciate everything Tracy has done for us,” general manager Ted Thompson said this afternoon. “We just felt like Danny is a guy that we believe, based on the way he played in pre-season and the like, that he can add a little bit more juice to us. He’s a guy that we want to have on our team.”

“We’re kind of excited about Danny,” Thompson said. “We think he’s ready to play. We thought he had a good summer and he’s done well so far.

“I think he’s one of those guys that can play in a lot of different spots. He has the athleticism to run and do some things in coverage and he’s also a big guy that can hold his ground. Looking forward to seeing what he can do”

Lansanah had 9 tackles for the Packers during their 4 preseason games. 8 of those tackles were on defense with the other coming on special teams.

He finished his UConn Huskies playing career with 323 tackles and 10 interceptions, including two returned for a touchdown. He is also one of 6 players to play in both of UConn’s bowl games.

The addition of Lansanah to the Packers roster gives UConn six former players in the NFL although Lansanah’s former teammate Donald Thomas of the Miami Dolphins is out for the season.

to Shelto for the link.

Donald Thomas was placed on IR by the Miami Dolphins today.

Former UConn Huskies and current Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Donald Thomas was placed on injured reserve by the team ending his rookie year after just 1 game. Thomas was injured during the Dolphins loss to the New York Jets on Sunday.

He was wearing a protective boot after the game and was planning on practicing this week and playing against the Arizona Cardinals this weekend but the injury is obviously a little more serious than anticpated.

Donald is expected to have surgery to repair the ankle this week.

It is really is a shame for Thomas. He went from being possibly released to making the team as the starting right guard 3 weeks before the season started and now will have to watch his teammates from the sideline all season.