Dan Orlovsky and Shannon Sharpe on First Take Photo credit: ESPN
By Sam Neumann on

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Dan Orlovsky was going about his business trying to turn a new leaf Tuesday morning.

Just a day before, the ESPN NFL analyst was accused on-air by his colleague, Shannon Sharpe, of being a “shill” for Aaron Rodgers. After vehemently disagreeing with Sharpe on-air about his role as an analyst, saying that he’s the guy who puts context on performances, Orlovsky told his followers on X, “Let’s have a day.”

But his message was much more than that, saying his job is “To give football fans better analysis than ‘this guy sucks.’ I’m going to keep doing that,” he wrote.

Well, it didn’t take much for him to be mocked — again.

He and Nick Wright have previously clashed over Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, and Wright’s tweet below suggests he is having a bit more fun at Orlovsky’s expense.

But it just wasn’t Wright who mocked Orlosvky for trying to explain his role on Get Up, First Take, and various other ESPN programming. In response to Awful Announcing’s clip, Cris Carter, formerly of ESPN and FS1, told Orlovsky that he shouldn’t be on TV if he doesn’t have the “guts” to criticize Rodgers.

Though Orlovsky had already tried to explain his role as an analyst, things heated up even more once Sharpe put him on the spot. Orlovsky’s job, as he sees it, is to analyze why things happen and let the audience draw their own conclusions. That’s the kind of analysis fans should expect. He can be critical of Rodgers’ performance without simply declaring that Rodgers is a bad quarterback.

There’s a key difference between breaking down the nuances of a game and making blanket judgments, but not everyone agrees on where that line should be drawn.

The way Carter sees it, if Orlovsky isn’t willing to cross that line and openly criticize a player like Rodgers, he shouldn’t be on TV at all.

While Wright’s “shot” (if you want to call it that) at Orlovsky seems more tongue-in-cheek, the likes of Carter and Sharpe, who come from a different era of the NFL (and analysis) want the ex-quarterback to take a stance more in line with their approach.

Seemingly, both expect analysts like Orlovsky to deliver blunt critiques, especially when it comes to star players like Rodgers. Their brand of analysis prioritizes directness over nuance, while Orlovsky insists that providing context and letting the audience form their own opinions is the heart of good analysis.

Orlovsky’s commitment to depth might not always be the easiest path, but it’s the one he’s determined to stick to.

[Cris Carter]

About Sam Neumann

Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.

View all posts by Sam Neumann