By CARLOS MONARREZ • FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER • March 1, 2009
Quarterback Dan Orlovsky
officially ended his tenure with the Lions when he signed a $9.15-million, three-year deal with Houston.
He played four seasons with the Lions and started seven games last year. He received a $2.4-million bonus and is expected to back up Matt Schaub with the Texans.
“I’m very excited, I’m stoked,” Orlovsky said in a phone interview. “Just to get the opportunity to come down here, walking into a really good situation, just a great organization, a team that I really feel is where it needs to be.
“I like the makeup of the team. I loved coach (Gary) Kubiak and the time I spent with him and (offensive coordinator) Kyle Shanahan; the moments and the time I got just to sit with them and talk football and talk everything. I’m really excited, and I think it’s a great opportunity to come learn from them and work and get pushed and learn from a really good starting quarterback.”
Orlovsky also was scheduled to visit Denver. But after talks fell through, he signed with the Texans, whom he visited Saturday and Sunday.
Orlovsky said last week he preferred to test free agency rather than accept the Lions’ offer to return as Daunte Culpepper’s backup. Orlovsky said then he did not understand why Culpepper was deemed the starter, especially because Orlovsky felt he outplayed Culpepper.
Orlovsky did not dwell on any ill feelings and said he would miss some of the personnel in Detroit.
“I will be eternally grateful to the Ford family for giving me the opportunity,” he said. “I will very much miss some of the coaches, but most importantly, just the people in the building in the background that I built relationships with, from the PR to the cooks to the equipment people to the strength coaches. You build a relationship over four years.
“And just the players. I’ll miss playing with Dom (Raiola) and Jeff (Backus) and Calvin (Johnson) and Kevin (Smith) and guys that I was good friends with like (Don) Muhlbach and Drew (Stanton). I’ll miss them, but I had to make my decision and what’s best for my career and my family, and I did it.”