Jose Reyes, Marlins Agree At $106 Million: REPORT: Dan Orlovsky, Indianapolis Colts quarterback

Dan Orlovsky, Indianapolis Colts quarterback

This is my third Unsung Heroes column of the 2011 season. Up to this point, all of the heroes I’ve highlighted have been affiliated with winning teams. But I’m going to make an exception for Colts quarterback Dan Orlovsky. Orlovsky took over the starting job from Curtis Painter this week and made his first start since 2008 when he started 7 games for the Lions.

The Colts have been dreadful this year. They are 0-12 and have been outscored by a total of 184 points. They lost 17-3 at home to Jacksonville in Week 10. They’re ranked 19th in passing defense and 26th or lower in everything else.

You get the picture.

Going into Sunday’s game at New England, Indianapolis was a 3-touchdown underdog. But the Colts, thanks in large part to Orlovsky, managed to make things interesting.

After an Adam Vinatieri field goal tied the game at 3 early in the second quarter, the Patriots went on a run, scoring the next 28 points. Entering the fourth quarter, the Pats led 31-3. Orlovsky, a seventh-year journeyman from UConn who has fewer passing yards in his career than Travaris Jackson has this season, came alive in the final period, throwing for 240 of his 353 yards and 2 touchdowns. In all Indianapolis scored three fourth quarter touchdowns, trimming the lead to 31-24. (The Colts failed to recover an onside kick that would have given them 36 seconds to attempt a game-tying drive.)

Sure, lots of quarterbacks can pick apart a prevent defense, but the Colts haven’t come within 7 points of an opponent in nearly 2 months. (They lost 28-24 at home to Kansas City on October 9.) The fact that they were a few fluky plays away from beating one of the AFC’s best teams on the road is remarkable. And Orlovsky deserves a lot of credit.

Kansas City Chiefs linebackers

It was a good week for linebackers. Chiefs linebackers Derrick Johnson, Justin Houston, and Jovan Belcher were part of a defensive unit that held Chicago to only 3 points, the Bears’ lowest output of the season. (You don’t really appreciate Jay Cutler until he’s not there.)

The trio combined for 22 tackles (including 6 for a loss), 4 sacks, and a forced fumble. The Bears went 3-and-out 5 times. Each of those fruitless drives featured a big play by a Chiefs linebacker.

Houston Texans secondary

When Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub suffered a season-ending foot fracture three weeks ago, the Texans hopes of making their first playoff appearance in franchise history appeared to be in danger. But the Texans are 2-0 without Schaub and are in excellent shape to clinch a division title and a Playoff bid later this month.

Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates, starting in Schaub’s absence, has posted modest numbers but avoided turnovers. Arian Foster and Ben Tate continue to be one of the league’s best running back tandems. And the Houston defense is arguably the NFL’s best.

Sunday the Texans held Atlanta to 10 points. The Houston secondary made things specially difficult for quarterback Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense. Ryan completed only 20 of 46 passes (that’s 43.5 percent).

Texans corners Jason Allen and Kareem Jackson each intercepted Ryan in the first quarter. Safety Glover Quin deflected 2 passes and led Houston with 6 tackles, including one for a loss. Safeties Quintin Demps and Troy Nolan added 4 tackles apiece.

Baltimore Ravens offensive line

No one outside of the Browns organization was surprised to see Baltimore beat Cleveland by 2 touchdowns. But the Ravens offensive line—tackles Bryant McKinnie and Michael Oher, guards Ben Grubbs and Marshal Yanda, and center Matt Birk—nonetheless deserves praise for its remarkable performance.

The Ravens on Sunday ran for 290 yards behind this talented quintet. Ray Rice went for 204; Ricky Williams added 76. Quarterback Joe Flacco struggled, but protection wasn’t a problem: He was only hit twice and sacked once. Only 3 of the Ravens’ 78 plays resulted in negative yards.

Green Bay Packers fans and owners

Once upon a time the NFL had teams in Dayton, Ohio, Evansville, Indiana, and Duluth Minnesota. As the game grew, the NFL franchises in these mid-sized Rust Belt cities folded or moved to one of the nation’s emerging population centers. But one managed to stick around.

Green Bay, Wisconsin, a city whose metropolitan area is less than half the size of Wichita’s, has managed to keep its football team for 92 years. In that time the Packers have become one of the most storied teams, with one of the most passionate fan bases, in all of sports. The team’s unique ownership situation is the main (and perhaps only) reason the Pack has stayed in Green Bay all these years. Unlike most pro sports franchises, which have a single owner or ownership group, the Packers are a publicly owned nonprofit corporation. 112,158 stockholders own 4,750,937 shares of Green Bay Packers stock.

This week the team announced the sale of 250,000 shares of Packers stock at $250 each. The sale, which is only the franchise’s second stock sale since 1950, begins tomorrow and continues until February 29 of next year. The sale will finance renovations to Lambeau Field.

While stock owners get voting rights in the company, Packers stocks cannot appreciate in value and never pay dividends. Still Packers fans always seem to come through, doing whatever is necessary to make sure the team from the little city on Lake Michigan is among the league’s best.

Jose Reyes, Marlins Agree At $106 Million: REPORT

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Dan Orlovsky, Indianapolis Colts quarterback

Dan Orlovsky, Indianapolis Colts quarterback

Dan Orlovsky, Indianapolis Colts quarterback

Kansas City Chiefs linebackers

Houston Texans secondary

Baltimore Ravens offensive line

Green Bay Packers fans and owners

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