OWINGS MILLS — New Ravens defensive coordinator Zachary Orr plans to coach from the sideline during games.
He wants to be close to his players; his fiery personality gets his defenders energized for the next play.
Orr will put his stamp on the defense when the Ravens open training camp this weekend. He has big shoes to fill, replacing former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, who took the head coaching job in Seattle.
The players are confident Orr is up for the challenge.
“[Orr] is fiery guy, very intense, really matches my personality, but I think it matches the defensive personality as well as the organization, as being a Raven,” All-Pro inside linebacker Roquan Smith said this offseason. “I think what he embodies is exactly what you want in a coordinator. [I’m] very thankful for Mike [Macdonald] and everything that he had done here. But the players’ life goes on. So, at the end of the day, [I] wish all those guys the best who are going on with their career. But don’t anything change here. We’re still the Ravens, and we’re still going to get the job done and finish it by any means necessary.”
This past year, the Ravens became the first team in league history to finish a season ranking No. 1 in each of the following categories: points allowed (16.5 points per game), sacks (60), and takeaways (31, tied with the New York Giants).
Orr plans to maintain many elements of that system because it has taken years to refine that style of play. The Ravens will add more wrinkles to the defense.
For example, the Ravens could be more creative in how they move around their versatile safety Kyle Hamilton, who was named All-Pro last season. Hamilton can play cornerback, nickelback, and linebacker. He can also pressure opposing quarterbacks as an edge rusher and had three sacks last season.
Orr will also have to make adjustments for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Justin Madubuike, who had a team-leading 13 sacks last year. Opponents are going to try and neutralize Madubuike, which means Orr will have to counter that scheme.
“I’ve seen it done, I’ve been a part of it, and what makes me confident is my preparation that I’m going to put in,” Orr said. “I’m going to prepare my butt off, and that’s where your confidence comes in with anything you do. When you’re not confident that you can do a job, that means you haven’t prepared. If you prepare the right way, like you’re supposed to prepare, you’re going to be confident. And I plan on preparing the right way.”
After his retirement as a player in 2016 because of a congenital neck/spine condition, Orr transitioned to coaching with the Ravens as a personnel assistant (2017-18) and then as a defensive coaching analyst (2019-20) before becoming the inside linebackers coach. He credited owner Steve Bisciotti, former general manager Ozzie Newsome, and Harbaugh with helping expedite the transition from player to coach.
One of the biggest adjustments will be controlling his emotions on the sideline.
“I’ve got to calm myself down a little bit,” Orr said. “I can’t celebrate too hard. Now, everyone is looking at me like, ‘What’s the call? What’s the call?’ So, I’ve got to keep it mild-toned. I’m definitely going to express my excitement when the time is right, but I definitely have to be aware of that. Things get moving quick, and you have to be planning ahead.”
