There’s a fine line between insightful analysis and information overload, and according to fans watching the Panthers–Buccaneers game, Dan Orlovsky crossed it. He sat down in the TV booth with Louis Riddick and called the action. But fans didn’t like his overly technical analysis. They called out his habit of over-explaining plays and told him to learn from John Madden, who kept things simple and fun.

Amid the outrage, he thanked ESPN for allowing him to use his analytical talent.

“I’m unbelievably grateful to be a part of the call tonight with @Buccaneers and @Panthers,” Orlovsky wrote on X. “I’ll never take for granted the opportunity to call these games on this network in these moments. 🙏🙏”

The game was full of controversial moments. In the third quarter, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young passed the ball to running back Rico Dowdle. The referees called it a backward pass with a loss of six yards. It pushed them out of field goal range. Dan Orlovsky was enraged and clashed with the rules analyst, Mike Chase.

Almost two minutes remained in the third quarter when Baker Mayfield threw the ball down to tight end Cade Otton. The referees called it a defensive pass interference on safety Nick Scott. Orlovsky got into a heated discussion with Chase.

“I just think it’s guys competing down the field… I just don’t think that’s PI,” the broadcaster said.

Chase replied that he could understand Orlovsky’s feelings. There were some hilarious moments, too. Some fans also laughed at him, pushing the T-Mac nickname for the rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

Meanwhile, fans urged the commentators to find a better balance between deep analysis and letting the game breathe. It was pretty evident that they didn’t like Orlovsky’s broadcasting skills at all.

Dan Orlovsky targeted on social media

One fan became a little personal in his critique of Dan Orlovsky. He commented, “Dan Orlovsky is like the annoying girlfriend who won’t shut up. He must get paid by the word because he dominates the color commentary. The WORST. So annoying.”

Some of them gave unique feedback about his broadcasting skills to their friends. One of the fed-up fans wrote, “I just told a friend that Dan Orlovsky might be the most annoying color commentator ever!”

The game was full of horrible moments for the Panthers fans. In the third quarter, referees penalized rookie receiver Tetairoa McMillan for OPI, which cost them 10 yards. But they were even more annoyed at Dan Orlovsky and compared him to another analyst. “Dan Orlovsky is literally Temu Tony Romo and holy fuck is it painful to listen to,” one fan wrote.

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Some of the fans targeted his speech, feeling that his delivery was too fast. One such fan tweeted, “Dan Orlovsky is horrible; too much talking, overanalyzing everything, and his cadence is too fast. I don’t mind Riddick, but together they don’t mesh well.” Well, ESPN could definitely learn from the reviews and make necessary changes.

However, some just weren’t happy. They wanted both commentators to stay quiet and let the fans watch the game in silence. One such fan mentioned, “This game would be so much better if Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick would just SHUT UP!”

Dan Orlovsky has been a staple at ESPN for many years now. But the critique in the season finale might force ESPN to reconsider its commentary pairings.