ESPN football analyst Dan Orlovsky made it clear that grinding through Super Bowl week isn’t just limited to players and coaches. While calling the tournament finale is a career highlight for any broadcaster, it comes with a hectic schedule and doing things on the fly. After the Seattle Seahawks edged out the New England Patriots 29-13, the former QB opened up about the nonstop grind behind the scenes. 

“Called the Super Bowl!!!!!” Orlovsky tweeted on X. “Sprinted to airport (shoutout all ESPN help). Made the flight to LA for morning TV tomorrow. I don’t deserve this life but I’m thankful for it!”

Dan Orlovsky barely had time to catch his breath and flight after Super Bowl LX. While summing up his grind, he shared a picture of himself seated on a plane in formal wear. His message highlighted the tough side of broadcasting, where a few minutes of on-screen work could stretch across cities and time zones. As for his exciting role, he delivered the NFL’s international coverage for Australia and New Zealand.

Sitting alongside him in the broadcasting booth were Chris Fowler, Louis Riddick, and Lindsey Thiry. Meanwhile, NBC managed the primary US broadcast with Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth at the helm. Nevertheless, Orlovsky had a major presence throughout Super Bowl week. In the days leading up to the ultimate battle, he appeared regularly on multiple ESPN shows, including NFL Live, Get Up, and First Take.

He weighed in on quarterback play, coaching decisions, and other league storylines. Orlovsky’s partnership with the sports broadcasting giant dates back to 2018. Just months after hanging up his cleats in October 2017, he joined ESPN as an NFL analyst. Besides his regular coverage, he also broke down college football. Over the years, he started appearing on other shows under the company and emerged as a steady presence.

In 2025, the company signed him to a multi-year contract extension. His workload has only shot up, but his message suggests he wouldn’t want it any other way. However, amid the hectic schedule, Dan Orlovsky found time to send a message to Sam Darnold ahead of Super Bowl LX.

Dan Orlovsky dismissed the “Ghosts” narrative around Darnold

In the early years of quarterback Sam Darnold’s career, he fell apart against the same team he just beat in the Super Bowl on Sunday. The year was 2019, and the QB played for the New York Giants. In one of the regular-season games, the Patriots’ defense completely smothered him. He could only throw for 86 passing yards while facing three interceptions.

Moreover, he couldn’t score a single touchdown, and‌ the game ultimately culminated in a lopsided 33–0 loss. After the game, he delivered one of the most quoted lines of his career. 

“I’m seeing ghosts,” he said while recounting the struggles New England pushed him into.

Years later, many reporters revisited that moment. It gained traction, especially when the probability of a showdown between Seattle and New England looked plausible. Dan Orlovsky recently addressed it, pushing back on the idea that the dreadful night should still define Darnold’s play.

“I remember doing the breakdown honestly after [the match] that morning,” he said on the latest episode of the Dan Patrick Show. “It was one of my first times on Get Up, and I, still to this day, am adamant that wasn’t a Sam Darnold thing. I think a lot of quarterbacks would have done that because New England showed the same thing all the time and brought something different.

So, a lot of quarterbacks, I think, were going to struggle with that. Certainly, young kids, the first time you’re ever experiencing, you’re like I have no idea what’s going on.”

On the field, Darnold has shown that the past has nothing on him. In 2014, he delivered a breakout season with 4,319 yards, 35 touchdowns, and twelve interceptions. He doubled down on that momentum this year, with another year of elite production and a Pro Bowl selection. And yet, the biggest flex remains bringing the Lombardi Trophy home at last.

So, it holds when Orlovsky says that infamous night was less about Darnold failing. Instead, it was more about a young quarterback learning against a tough defense.