Former UConn quarterback Dan Orlovsky passed for a game-high 153 yards (completing 8 of 12 passes) in last night's preseason game against Oakland as the former Shelton High star continues his bid to be the top backup to Matthew Stafford with the Detroit Lions.

It marked the highest yardage total Orlovsky has thrown for since the 2011 regular-season finale as he threw for 264 yards for the Indianapolis Colts in a 19-13 loss to Jacksonville.

On Friday night Orlovsky came into the game in the second quarter after Stafford threw a pair of touchdown passes. He missed his first two throws but only threw two more incomplete passes the rest of the way. He had back to back completions of 23 and 34 yards on his second drive which ended with a field goal. On the next possession he completed passes of 36 and 15 yards to engineer a touchdown scoring drive to give the Lions a 23-10 lead.

Oakland rallied for the 27-26 with former UConn stars Sio Moore and Tyvon Branch finished with four and three tackles respectively for the Raiders. Branch would leave the game with an ankle injury.

In other action on Friday night former UConn star Kendall Reyes forced a fumble in the San Diego Chargers' 41-14 loss to Seattle. In the same game Donald Brown ran four times for 16 yards, caught two passes for 13 yards and had a 26-yard kickoff return for the Chargers. Also, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, who is fighting for a starting spot in Tennessee, got the start at cornerback and had a tackle for a loss late in the second quarter in a 31-24 loss to New Orleans.

With players starting to report to voluntary workouts with their NFL teams, I thought it would be a good time to look at the offseason movement involving UConn pruducts.

The biggest news was made by Donald Brown who signed with the San Diego Chargers after spending the previous five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.

Also, Dan Orlovsky is headed back to Detroit, rejoining the team he played for from 2005-08 after stints in Houston, Indianapolis and Tampa Bay.

However, not all the movement news involves changing teams. The departure of established stars could also pave the way for bigger roles this season for some former Huskies as Ryan Griffin could see more time at tight end in Houston with Owen Daniels now in Baltimore, Jordan Todman has a chance to compete for a starting running back spot in Jacksonville with Maurice Jones-Drew now a member of the Oakland Raiders and Blidi Wreh-Wilson could move into a starting cornerback role in Tennessee now that Alterraun Verner signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There was plenty of comings and goings involving UConn products in the Canadian Football League as well.

Larry Taylor, one of the most productive return specialists in CFL history, was traded from Calgary to Montreal, John Delahunt was taken in the expansion draft by Ottawa and most recently, Lindsay Witten was signed by Saskatchewan.

Former UConn wide receiver Marcus Easley continues his strong play during the preseason as he had three catches for a team-high 46 yards in the Buffalo Bills' 20-16 win over Minnesota on Friday night. Easley now has 10 catches in Buffalo's first two preseason games.

Tyvon Branch finished with four tackles in Oakland's 28-20 loss to New Orleans while Dan Orlovsky was 3 for 3 passing for 52 yards in Tampa Bay's 25-21 loss to New England.

While the NFL's preseason schedule began last week with Dallas beating Miami in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, tonight will be the first chance for former UConn players to get in on the act.

It begins when Tampa Bay hosts Baltimore at 7:30 p.m. with Dan Orlovsky among the Buccaneer quarterbacks.

Cornerback Robert McClain, one of the most surprising performers during the 2012 season, and the Atlanta Falcons will host Cincinnati at 8 p.m. in a game being televised live by ESPN.

At the same time a pair of members from the 2012 UConn team will be on opposing teams as receiver/return specialist Nick Williams of the Washington Redskins could cross paths with cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson of the Tennessee Titans.

Defensive lineman Kendall Reyes and the San Diego Chargers will play Seattle at 10 p.m. and the game can be seen on the NFL Network beginning at 11 p.m.

Darius Butler is the first of the three former UConn players to have a chance of seeing action in the NFL playoffs when the Indianapolis Colts play at Baltimore tomorrow at 1 p.m.

Butler, a cornerback, was originally drafted by the New England Patriots in 2009. After playing two seasons with the Patriots, he spent last year with the Carolina Panthers before being let go on Aug. 31. Butler was signed by Indianapolis on Sep. 25 and played 11 games for the Colts. Butler has 31 tackles and four interceptions for the Colts. Indianapolis also has two former Huskies on injured reserve. Running back Donald Brown ran for 417 yards in 10 games while linebacker Scott Lutrus was put on the IR in the preseason. Former UConn stars Kashif Moore and Greg Lloyd also spent time on Indianapolis' practice squad this season.

The other two UConn products on playoff teams will have to wait a week to get onto the field.

Donald Thomas, an offensive guard who played in all 16 games and started seven games, is another player who benefited from a change of scenery. Thomas started 13 games during the 2009 and 2010 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. He is in his second season with the Patriots and played a key role in allowing the Patriots to overcome a string of injuries on the offensive line. The Patriots are the second seed in the AFC and will host the highest remaining seed which emerges from this weekend's action on Jan. 13.

Cornerback Robert McClain of the Atlanta Falcons has been one of the biggest surprises of the NFL season. Like Thomas and Butler, he was given an opportunity to play due to injuries to established players.

McClain, who played 16 games for the Carolina Panthers in 2010, was an under the radar offseason signing by the Falcons and he has 61 tackles and an interception this season for Atlanta.

The Falcons are the top seed in the NFC and will host the lowest remaining NFC seed on Jan. 13 at 1 p.m.

Here is a breakdown on how the other UConn products fared this season (not including players on practice squads):

OT Will Beatty, New York Giants: Played 16 games and had 15 starts for Giants
S Tyvon Branch, Oakland: Had 94 tackles and an interception while starting 14 games
WR Marcus Easley: Did not have a reception in three games although he did return two kickoffs for 75 yards
QB Dan Orlovsky, Tampa Bay: Was 4 of 7 for 41 yards in 41-0 loss to New Orleans in only appearance
DT Kendall Reyes, San Diego: Had 28 tackles in 16 games and 3.5 of his 5.5 sacks came in win over New York Jets.
FB Anthony Sherman, Arizona: Played 13 games with four starts. Had no carries but had five receptions for 39 yards
RB Jordan Todman, Jacksonville: Had three rushes for eight yards and one catch for no yards in only game against New York Jets