Tag Archives: detroit lions

NFL

Orlovsky, Dan

Card: Sage HIT 2005
Acquired: TTM 2009, Texans Blitz

Dan Orlovsky was a league leading quarterback out of UConn who helped turn the Huskies into a football contender in the Big East during the early 2000s. He would be drafted in the 5th round by the woeful Detroit Lions to compete for 3rd string behind Joey Harrington and Jeff Garcia. After winning a roster spot on the team Orlovsky, he would bounce around the depth chart and after Joey Harrington was traded- Dan would be given the dubious honor of being called “the quarterback of the future” for the Lions. In 2008 he’d finally be give the opportunity to start for the team, almost leading the team to victory but comically stepping out of the back of the end zone against the Vikings for a safety.  (The Lions would eventually lose the game 12-10.)  After the season he’d sign with the Houston Texans to back up Matt Schaub.

In 2009 he was beaten out by Rex Grossman on the depth chart, and in 2010 after a lackluster preseason found himself in a battle with Matt Lineart for the job for the remainder of the season.  Dan’s a real head scratcher to me. He has many of the physical attributes of a starter in the league, with good mechanics, and a nice touch on short routes.  Probably his worst drawback is that he does need to improve his defensive read timing.

Dan has not had to throw a regular season pass since joining the Texans. As we enter 2011, Orlovsky is in the final year of his contract with the Texans, and at this point the team is content with a battle for second string between him, Matt Leinart, and newcomer TJ Yates.

My first Orlovsky sighting actually appeared back around 2005 when I was working on a Tecmo Super Bowl ROM mod called “Tecmo Fiesta Bowl”. I input over 80 teams into the ROM, and when I got to Connecticut, I was extremely surprised to see such a statistically accomplished quarterback playing for the Huskies- who were a doormat of their Conference for a long time. Below are his NFL statistics:

G/Gs  13/7     Att    272    Comp  150    Yds  1679   Pct  55.1    Td 8   Int  8     Rat  71.3

A highlight film of the good and bad of Orlovsky:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KsrNa2wtl0&feature=related

UPDATE: 12/7/11 – Orlovsky would be cut by the Texans, but would find himself on the roster of the Colts shortly thereafter. He now has the distinction of being the only player in NFL history to play for two 0-11 franchises.

 

 

College Football HoF, NFL, usfl

Carter, Anthony “AC”

Cards: Proset 1989, Proset 1990, Pinnacle 1992
Acquired: TTM 2011, C/o Home.
Sent: 1/13    Received: 3/12  (42 days)
See Also: Anthony Carter (2)

An elite, hard- working speedster allowed to wear the hallowed #1 jersey while in college at Michigan, Anthony Carter is the Wolverines all-time receptions leader and was nicknamed “AC” and “the Darter”.
The Michigan Panthers of the USFL drafted Carter where he elected to play over the NFL counterpart Dolphins. With quarterback (and Autograph HoF member) Bobby Herbert at the helm, Carter had a nice rookie season with 60 receptions for 1081 yards in 1983. AC would be named to the All-USFL team as a punt returner after the season.  An injury would sideline Carter in 1984 after only 6 games, but he’d rebound in 1985 with the Oakland Invaders with 70 receptions for 1323 yards and 14 touchdowns, which would earn him All USFL team honors.

As a member of a USFL team, Carter’s rights were locked in by the Dolphins who drafted him back in 1983 (so he was not subject to the USFL CFL talent dispersal draft that the NFL later held). He would be traded away to the Minnesota Vikings who were still looking for a solid receiving force to replace Ahmad Rashad.  AC would fit right in with the Vikings, plus it kept him close to Michigan where he went to college and played the majority of his time in the USFL. He would be a great asset to the Vikings and would demoralize opposing defensive backs with his speed averaging 19.1 yards a reception his rookie season on 43 receptions. In 1987 he earned his first Pro Bowl honor with a jaw dropping 24.3 yards per catch on 38 receptions. He’d hit paydirt 7 times that season including a career long 73 yard bomb for a touchdown.  1988 would see career highs again in receptions (72) and yards (1225) for the USFL speedster. Carter would follow this up again in 1989 and 1990 going over 1000 yards both seasons. He’d also have an incredible playoff game where he burned the San Fransisco defense for 10 receptions and 227 yards.  As the 1991 season approached, Cris Carter arrived in Minnesota effectively halving AC’s production, but Anthony would continue playing for the Vikings over the next 3 seasons providing the team solid veteran leadership. Anthony would be left exposed during the free agent purge of 1993 by the Vikings and signed with the Lions, however injuries and time had caught up with the former Wolverine and he’d play only 4 games with the Lions and retire in 1995.

A college football hall of fame inductee, Carter has amassed a fair amount of accolades since retirement. Like many former USFL greats, one has to wonder how Carter’s legacy would figure into the football landscape if he had declared for the NFL draft or been paired up with Dan Marino in Miami.  He is considered one of the 50 greatest Minnesota Vikings players of all time and was named the the USFL All Time team as first team wide receiver and second team punt returner. In 2011 he was also named the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame.

After the stranglehold by Topps was loosened on the football card industry by Score and ProSet, the market was flooded with companies trying to cash in on the frenzy.  Carter’s Topps cards really never did him justice, but Pro Set never failed to hit its mark. Since the implosion of the former card giant, I have gained a new found respect for how it revolutionized the industry and the 89 and 90 cards of Carter are excellent examples of this. Pinnacle was late to the party, and by that point I was sporadically collecting. They were revolutionary cards with a nice design at the time with a profile and action shot on the front.

With an average team on offense, AC was about ALL the Vikin– I mean ‘Monsters’ had in the original Tecmo Bowl.  I also had Carter’s Starting Lineup action figure, which was a very plain action pose that Kenner used in that mold at the time.

USFL: 
Rec    160     Yds  3042     Avg 19.0     TD  28  
PR   45     Yds   408    Avg  9.0    Td  1

NFL:  
G/Gs  140/126    Rec: 486    Yds  7733    Avg  15.9     Td  55  Lg  73

NFL, ufl

Bing, Darnell

Card: Topps Total 2006
Acquired: Texans Blitz 2010

A physical specimen, Bing declared early and entered the draft and was picked by the Raiders in the 4th round of the 2006 draft. Rex Ryan was confident he could find a place for Bing, but Darnell proved to be a difficult tweener to place because  as an in-line safety  he lacked the hip fluidity to play deep routes. Ryan however felt that they could utilize the athlete at outside linebacker and he was transitioned into the position.  After injuring his neck in 2006, he’d lose his season to injured reserve. Bing would be moved back to his native safety position for 2007 but be cut by the Raiders. He’d be picked up off of waivers by the 49ers and ended the season on the practice squad. In 2008 Bing would be signed by the Jets and subsequently released. The Lions would sign Bing, who once again thought that Darnell was a linebacker, where he’d would make 5 tackles on the active roster of the Lions. He’d be cut during the 2009 season. Signed by the Texans in 2009, he spent the next season on the practice squad. An injury during training camp would end his 2010, and in early 2011 he was cut again and is currently a free agent. A physically chiseled athlete, the knock on Darnell is that he looked like Tarzan but hits like Jane. Perhaps a year or two in the UFL will help him refine his skills but at this time his current plans are not known.

-UPDATE- 4/26/11 What a call. The UFL announced their ‘protected player list’- (which amounts to a supplemental draft of veterans from the NFL who were cut from squads that the teams want) and Bing was among the names selected by the Omaha Nighthawks today.