Dan Orlovsky suggests Patriots sit rookie QB if offense isn’t ready

Dan Orlovsky has a tough, yet fair, suggestion for the Patriots if they take at QB at No. 3

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky has a plan for how New England should approach taking a quarterback with the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft. He broke it down during an appearance on “The Mina Kimes Show.”

“Going into last season, I was like, ‘This is a bottom-three skill group in the NFL.’ I don’t think I feel that different this year,” said Orlovsky. “One, they don’t have a speed guy. The left side of their offensive line is a weakness. The right side, I think, is solid. I have been adamant [about] two things about New England.

“I’m OK with you taking a quarterback in the top-five at [No. 3], but you have to break the mold of, ‘Oh, well, he’s a top-five pick, so we’re going to play him.’ You have to sit him. If you’re New England and you’re Eliot Wolf, and you’re honest about who your football team is talentwise, you can’t take a quarterback and expect that person to play and play well within the first year or two. So I sit there and go, prime candidate to go back and just rebuild your roster.”

New England has a bunch of options they could choose from. Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels are the expected top three picks.

Maye has been getting rave reviews recently. Daniels has also popped up to New England in several mock drafts the last couple of months.

With that being said, the Patriots offense is more than just a quarterback away from competing. They have many holes to fill, some of which can be addressed in the draft.

New England’s offense needs a full-scale rebuild. Properly developing their quarterback is not something they did in their last attempt at a rebuild with Mac Jones.

That’s a mistake they can’t afford to make again.

Commanders should sit Drake Maye for a least a year

If the Commanders draft Drake Maye, should he sit for one season?

Thursday, Logan Paulsen said he strongly feels the Commanders should draft North Carolina QB Drake Maye if they keep the second overall selection in April’s NFL draft.

Should the Commanders start Maye at quarterback in 2024?

If not, would they start Sam Howell? Or might they start another veteran?

Friday, on the “Pat McAfee Show,” ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky offered his thoughts on Drake Maye starting in 2024.

“I think Drake Maye has to get the Jordan Love treatment. You have to sit Drake Maye for at least a year or two. Orlovsky recalled Tar Heel coach Mack Brown telling him, “Mechanically, Maye is so raw.”

Orlovsky continued, “If you sit him for at least a year, you have a chance to have a really good player. But you can’t play him early.”

Both Orlovsky and The Team 980 show host Craig Hoffman voiced on Friday that Maye really needs work on his feet. Hoffman went as far as to say that the UNC offensive line was not very good, and thus, Maye, unlike Jayden Daniels, couldn’t be as smooth due to the pass rush he was facing often last season.

Hoffman also feels that Love learned and improved his footwork, sitting, and learning from watching Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.

Hoffman suggested that Maye needs a veteran (other than Sam Howell) from whom Maye can learn footwork. He suggested Ryan Tannehill, Jacoby Brissett, and Tyrod Taylor.

If the Commanders hope to get the most out of Maye in 2025, perhaps the most effective method will be to spend the 2024 offseason and regular season being prepped daily, on reading defenses, mastering his footwork, while avoiding the fire of NFL pass rushes and blitz packages.

Rodgers, Love, and Patrick Mahomes are very good examples of current quarterbacks who have sat for at least a season and reaped the benefits.

ESPN NFL draft analyst: Jayden Daniels will be better than Caleb Williams

Dan Orlovsky doesn’t think Caleb Williams is the best quarterback in the 2024 NFL draft class.

ESPN NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky is sold on Jayden Daniels, so much so that the thinks the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner will be a better NFL quarterback than Caleb Williams, the 2022 Heisman winner. Everyone can decide whether Orlovsky is right or wrong. The delicious and always-interesting part of NFL rookie seasons is that we begin to find out which camp was right — the skeptics or the supporters?

It’s true that liking one quarterback more than another doesn’t automatically make a pundit a skeptic of the other quarterback. However, when one quarterback is viewed as the presumed top pick and a commentator breaks from the consensus to say that another quarterback will be better, it’s a more noticeable break from the rest of the pack. Anyone who directly and publicly says that other 2024 quarterbacks will be better than Caleb Williams will face more scrutiny — and criticism — if Caleb Williams turns out to be the great quarterback most people think he will be.

Orlovsky, by saying Jayden Daniels will be better than Caleb Williams, is going out on a limb. Let’s see if that limb holds.

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Dan Orlovsky believes Bears should draft Jayden Daniels at No. 1

Not everyone believes Caleb Williams is the consensus No. 1 pick for the Bears.

The Chicago Bears are the center of the hottest draft debate in the streets right now. Should they keep Justin Fields and trade the No. 1 pick? Should they draft USC star Caleb Williams and move on from Fields? Only general manager Ryan Poles knows which direction he is leaning.

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, who is known for giving hot takes, made a bold statement on the situation. Orlovsky believes neither of those two scenarios is the right answer for the Bears. He thinks they should go off script with their selection.

Orlovsky thinks the Bears should draft last year’s Heisman winner, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels at first overall. That would leave the presumptive top two prospects in Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye on the board.

“Jayden Daniels should be the guy,” Orlovsky said. “If I were the Chicago Bears right now I would take Jayden Daniels out of LSU.”

If the Bears listened to Orlovsky and took Daniels, Poles would automatically be on the hot seat in town before the season even started. Taking Daniels instead of Williams (or even Maye) would cause chaos in the Chicago community. Going against the grain might not be the best option here.

Orlovsky believes what he is saying is right, but he doesn’t exactly have the best track record either. Ultimately, it’s Poles who has the final say. And he’ll be  listening to the staff that he has in place and then ultimately doing what he thinks is right.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky predicts Patriots’ defensive approach vs. Bills (video)

Orlovsky provides and early week #Bills vs. #Patriots preview:

Former NFL quarterback and huge Josh Allen fan from ESPN, Dan Orlovsky, provided viewers a glimpse on what QBs and offenses are doing right.

With the Buffalo Bills (9-6) playing the New England Patriots (4-11) this Sunday, Orlovsky joined the team’s radio show, One Bills Live, to predict what he expects the Patriots defense to do to keep Allen and the Buffalo offense at bay.

Orlovsky expects a bend, don’t break New England defense to mask their defensive coverage when the Bills reach the red zone. The multiple coverages the Patriots will show will aim to limit the Bills offense to field goals instead of touchdowns to give them a chance to win.

You can watch the full One Bills Live clip with Orlovsky here:

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College football fans crushed Dan Orlovsky’s disingenuous argument about Florida State’s CFP snub

But Florida State did go undefeated, Dan.

Going into Sunday’s College Football Playoff selection, the committee knew their decision was going to be controversial no matter what. After all, this season had three undefeated Power 5 champions and several deserving one-loss teams. It wasn’t a clear-cut top 4.

That being said, the committee’s justification for leaving undefeated Florida State out of the playoff was silly … as was Dan Orlovsky’s defense of that decision on ESPN.

The selection committee penalized Florida State for losing its starting quarterback Jordan Travis to injury. It didn’t matter that Florida State remained undefeated after Travis went down and held Louisville to just six points in the ACC title game. The committee felt that Travis’ injury made Florida State are worse team (or at least worse than Alabama). But on Monday’s edition of Get Up, Orlovsky went on to claim that the FSU team that went undefeated was not the same team that got left out of the CFP.

He said:

“But we have to stop saying that this Florida State team went undefeated as a Power 5 conference champion. This team did not. The team two weeks ago with Jordan Travis did. This is a different football team.”

Who did Florida State lose to then, Dan? That’s the problem with the argument. Florida State is an undefeated Power 5 conference champion. It’s the same team. They didn’t lose with Travis, and they didn’t lose without Travis. That would be like saying the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t deserve to make the postseason in 2018 because Carson Wentz (when he was good) got injured. And we all know what happened there.

College football fans weren’t kind to that faulty argument either.

Dan Orlovsky goes off on ‘impossible’ QB situation in New England

Has Mac Jones been setup for failure? The Patriots have had “one of the worst QB situations over the last decade,” per ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky.

Anyone considering dumping Mac Jones and the New England Patriots drafting another quarterback should probably hear ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky out first.

Orlovsky has built a personal relationship with Jones behind the scenes over the years, and he has served as an outside source of information for the third-year player in his quest towards improving at the quarterback position.

In many ways, Jones has been scapegoated for everything that is wrong in New England. The Patriots have one of the worst offensive lines in the league, and their playmakers at receiver, outside of rookie sixth-round draft pick Demario Douglas, are relatively non-existent.

Orlovsky took things a step further when criticizing the situation around Jones in a social media post on Friday. He called the Patriots’ quarterback situation one of the “worst over the last decade.”

It’s hard to argue with statistics, which honestly aren’t even needed at this point. It has been obvious from the start how poorly constructed the Patriots’ roster has been, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.

But it’s also true that Jones looks like a broken quarterback at this point.

One thing everyone can agree on is the fact that this current version of Jones doesn’t look anything like the same guy that played under center in 2021. It’s a night and day difference.

If the Patriots don’t make the necessary changes as an organization, the same could hold true for any other quarterback that walks in the door in 2024 and beyond.

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Dan Orlovsky adds substance to Bill Belichick-Patriots split rumor

If Bill Belichick leaves the Patriots, where would he coach in 2024? The potential landing spots wouldn’t be shocking, per ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky.

ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky floated a rumor regarding the future of New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick earlier this week. He recently expanded on those rumors as the chatter continues to heat up.

Will Belichick and the Patriots part ways at the end of the season, and if so, where might Belichick coach next?

Orlovsky would not specify what teams would be in the market for Belichick, but he did say he heard chatter surrounding his departure. He talked more on this on “Jones & Mego with Arcand.”

“I heard a couple different places that were potentially attached,” said Orlovsky. “They’re not going to be shocking to anybody ’cause they’re places that have had question marks at the head coach attached to them throughout this season, I would say. So it’s not all that, again, if you sit down and say, ‘What teams do we think at least maybe entertain moving on from their coach?’ It’s not all that impossible to connect some dots, you know?”

The Patriots are currently 2-8 and at the bottom of the NFL. New England looks to be in the market for a rebuild, as they still hold a top-five draft selection. If the season ended today, they currently hold the third overall pick in 2024.

Will Belichick be the one making the decisions next year? If the recent rumblings hold true, it would mean a mutual break-up between the Patriots and Belichick. There is still a fair amount of the season left to go.

With such a bleak outlook, change might be inevitable for New England.

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ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky floats Bill Belichick-Patriots rumor

Could Bill Belichick’s next destination and team already be lined up?

NFL analyst Dan Orlovsky has seemingly heard rumblings that New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick already has his next job lined up for next season, and it isn’t with the Patriots.

When appearing on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Orlovsky wouldn’t go into specifics, but he did indicate that he heard speculation that Belichick and the Patriots were parting ways after the season.

It’s been a rough go for the Patriots in 2023. The team currently sits with a 2-8 record and is projected to land the third pick in the 2024 NFL draft right now. It’s an ideal spot for a Patriots team that needs several pieces on offense in order to contend in the AFC.

Belichick has already achieved the milestone of his 300th victory this season. Now, another team may be in the market for his services. The Athletic’s Diana Russini reported this last weekend, and Orlovsky elaborated on the theory.

“I have heard that’s going to be the case, and it’s kind of, who knows the likelihood of it? But I’ve heard that’s going to happen. And I’ve heard the location is kind of already determined, as well,” said Orlovsky. “I’m not giving [names] — I just have heard that. …It’s people who know what they’re talking about.”

This would certainly be a change for both New England and Belichick alike.

One has to wonder if a new voice in charge would benefit the organization. Orlovsky’s words are a bit of a tease at the moment. With that being said, there has been enough smoke around these rumors to at least entertain them.

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Ex-NFL QB says Mac Jones reached out to him for help

Ex-NFL QB admitted Mac Jones was one of multiple quarterbacks that have reached out to him for help.

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones reached out to former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky for advice recently. Orlovsky spoke about the interaction when appearing on WEEI’s “Jones and Mego”.

“I’ve had guys reach out to me and ask for it,” Orlovsky said. “…Mac had reached out awhile back and had kind of said, ‘Hey, if you see anything good or bad, let me know, please.'”

Orlovsky played eight seasons in the NFL and had his best year in 2008, when he threw for 1,616 yards and eight touchdowns.

Jones has been struggling this season.  He has thrown for 1,641 yards, nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. It has been a bumpy road for the Alabama product throughout the course of his NFL career.

It’s certainly worth noting that Jones reportedly sought outside help from Alabama last season, and it didn’t go over well with the Patriots. One has to wonder if there would be any sort of ramifications from this situation.

It’s also important to keep in mind that Orlovsky didn’t provide a timeframe. So Jones could have asked for help at any point. Orlovsky also mentioned helping multiple quarterbacks behind the scenes, which means Jones isn’t the only one that’s sought his help.

It’s no secret that Jones wants to work hard to improve his game. However, the results have just not been there as of late. Jones will need to bounce back if he wants to change the trajectory of his career and help the Patriots have a productive season.

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