Before former Detroit Lions QB Dan Orlovsky became one of ESPN’s most recognizable analysts, he lived through some of the strangest and most painful years in Lions history as a quarterback in Detroit. And during a recent appearance on Unsportsmanlike, he reminded everyone just how surreal that era truly was.
A Sideline Story That Sounds Made Up (But Isn’t)
The conversation turned to how quarterbacks and coaches communicate during games. That’s when Orlovsky casually revealed a moment that feels more like a movie scene than real life.
“We had a couple of coaches, experience-wise, where the coach would call the play into me, I was on the sideline as the backup, and we would relay the play to the starting quarterback,” Orlovsky said. “I don’t know why the mechanism was like that.”
Then came the unbelievable part.
“There was a change of possession. Punt, commercial, we come out of the commercial, the play clock is starting, and I’m waiting for the playcall,” Orlovsky explained. “And all I’m hearing is [snoring]. The coach, our playcaller, our offensive coordinator, fell asleep in the middle of the game and didn’t get a call in.”
Yes. Snoring. In the headset. From the offensive coordinator.
Why This Somehow Feels So… Lions
Orlovsky didn’t name the coach, but he did hint that it happened during a home game in Detroit. That narrows the list to the offensive coordinators he worked with during his two stints with the team.
From 2005–2008, including the infamous 0–16 season, the Lions cycled through:
- Greg Olson
- Ted Tollner
- Mike Martz
- Jim Colletto
Later, from 2014–2016, Detroit’s offense was run by:
- Joe Lombardi
- Jim Bob Cooter
Somewhere in that group is the coordinator who literally fell asleep while calling plays in an NFL game.
A Snapshot of the Old Lions Era
For longtime fans, the story is both hilarious and painfully familiar. The early-2000s Lions were defined by dysfunction, constant turnover, and moments so bizarre they almost defy belief.
A play-caller nodding off during live action somehow fits right into that chapter of franchise history.
The irony, of course, is that Detroit has since transformed into one of the league’s most stable and respected organizations. But stories like this remain a reminder of just how far the Lions have come — and how wild things once were on the sidelines at Ford Field.
