We’re not supposed to root, but it was hard not to root for Dan Orlovsky on Sunday.
No one deserves to go down in history as the quarterback of the only two NFL teams that went 0-16. Orlovsky didn’t do a lot of passing in the Colts’ win, but he did make a big block for teammate Donald Brown.
Also known as roommate Donald Brown.
“I’ve been living at [Brown’s] house for four months, rent free,” Orlovsky told Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star. “He told me the hip check was the least I could do.”
Brown’s touchdown assisted by Orlovsky was probably the greatest NFL moment in the long, proud tradition of former UConn players in the league.
Brown’s beautiful 80-yard cutback run pushed him to 161 yards for the game. It guaranteed the Colts their first win, but they didn’t celebrate like they won the Super Bowl. (Unlike, say, the 2007 Dolphins.)
Phil Richards of the Indianapolis Star note the team quietly savored the win. The players were very happy, but this a franchise that has been near the top of the NFL mountain for a while.
Sunday’s victory was cause for relief perhaps more than unrestrained joy.
“No one wants their name attached to that,” Orlovsky said. “Not that we’re patting ourselves on the back for how the season’s gone, but today, Sunday, the 18th of December, we won. This week we feel great about ourselves as a football team.”