“He was in NFL for 12 years; nobody could spell his name”: When Geno Auriemma and Diana Taurasi talked about Detroit Lions’ pro’s career trajectory

UConn coach Geno Auriemma and his former player Diana Taurasi engaged in an insightful conversation on Instagram Live in May 2020. In a video uploaded on YouTube, they covered a range of subjects, including the career path of former NFL star Dan Orlovsky.

Orlovsky, a backup NFL quarterback for over a decade for several teams, including the Detroit Lions and the Houston Texans, was brought up by Taurasi as an example of how some athletes can gain more attention and public recognition than others, despite similar or even lesser accomplishments.

"I don't know his name anymore. I think he's a better sportscaster than quarterback," Diana said (38:40 onwards).

"We're talking about Dan Orlovsky," Geno Auriemma chimed in. "He was in the NFL for 12 years, and nobody could spell his name. Then, after like six months on ESPN, he's the second coming of Tony Romo."

Taurasi further took a jab at the current sports media, while acknowledging Dan Orlovsky's competency as a football analyst.

"He's like this hipster Jesus from Connecticut that saved ESPN," she said. "It's nice to watch someone on TV who knows what they're talking about. We know a lot of people on TV these days — they seem very uninformed, but he just knows, he just knows what he's talking about."

Orlovsky played college football at UConn from 2001 to 2004 before being drafted by the Lions in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL draft. He retired in 2017 and has since established himself as a respected football analyst for ESPN.

---

Are the glory days over for Geno Auriemma and UConn basketball?

Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies were last crowned national champions in 2016, and it has almost been a decade since their previously unparalleled dominance.

The No. 6 Huskies are 19-2 overall and 10-0 in the Big East this season. However, despite the strong record, there are questions about whether UConn's reign atop is coming to an end. They lost to top-10 teams Notre Dame and USC earlier this season.

As ESPN anchor Elle Duncan pointed out, it's the longest gap Geno Auriemma has gone without winning a national title.

"(UConn) is still a program that as this space is expanding and growing, they are still the team that everyone comes up to me and goes, 'How’s UConn this year? Are they going to win it all?' Like every year. I'm like, 'Well, you know South Carolina is the new dynasty,'" Duncan said in her show (18:35).

Paige Bueckers, a senior guard for the Huskies who's averaging 19.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, is on a mission to win her first and UConn's 12th NCAA championship.