We hope that one day, you can find someone who loves you as much as Dan Orlovsky loves Matthew Stafford. The former Detroit Lions quarterback turned ESPN NFL analyst can’t get enough of Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. Of course, this is the same Orlovsky who went through the wringer choosing between Stafford and the Lions.
Luckily, he wasn’t forced to pick because the game was on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, but the result was great for Orlovsky. While the Lions came away with a 26-20 Week 1 overtime win, it was Stafford who completed 34-of-49 attempts for 317 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
And needless to say, that has Orlovsky feeling a certain type of way. On Monday, it led him to say that all but one NFL team should abandon shotgun-centric offenses. And for those of you at home, there’s no need to guess. The quarterback of that offense rhymes with Satthew Mtafford.
Orlovsky boldly claimed that the Rams are the only team in the league that shouldn’t abandon their shotgun-centric offense. As he diagnosed the offensive struggles seen across the league throughout Week 1, which he attributed to a number of players not playing in the preseason, he also took aim at many of the schematic elements in the offenses he saw.
“The schemes I’m seeing so much in the NFL, there’s so much shotgun that’s happening in the NFL,” said Orlovsky. “When you do that, I think defensive lines tee off way more. I think defensive lineman have the awareness to get their hands up at the line of scrimmage more. There is nothing when it comes to timing and rhythm and marrying the quarterback’s drop with the depth of the routes. I can’t tell you how much I saw yesterday of a quarterback being ready to throw and receivers not even looking for the football…
“We got to get back to putting quarterbacks under center more on a consistent basis. There’s one team that I truly believe can play shotgun football and play well, and that’s the Los Angeles Rams. Everyone else, you gotta get rid of it being the foundation of your offense.”
It’s a daring stance, but considering his deep-seated love for Matthew Stafford, who can argue?