ExtremeRavens Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 Ravens coach John Harbaugh is taking a gamble by naming Zach Orr his new defensive coordinator, but at least his record is more proven on that side of the ball than on offense. Orr, 31, was named the successor to Mike Macdonald, who reportedly signed a six-year contract to become head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. The decision to hire Orr was not surprising, especially since he became an in-house favorite once he rejoined the franchise as a coaching analyst in 2017. A former Ravens linebacker who retired because of a congenital spinal condition, Orr has spent the past two seasons as the team’s inside linebackers coach, where he has worked with Roquan Smith in the middle and Patrick Queen on the outside. They were the only teammates in the NFL to each have more than 130 tackles this season. Orr has a history of working well with players, and he was also well-liked by Kansas City Chiefs defensive line coach Joe Cullen, who named Orr the Jaguars’ outside linebackers coach when he was Jacksonville’s defensive coordinator in 2021. Cullen, 56, along with former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, 64, are both more proven than Orr, who has to rebuild the league’s top defense. It’s a risk, especially with a coordinator so young and inexperienced, but Harbaugh has more credibility on defense. His list of former offensive coordinators is like a Who’s Who? The Ravens have had Cam Cameron (2008-12), Jim Caldwell (2013), Gary Kubiak (2014), Marc Trestman (2015-16), Marty Mornhinweg (2017-18), Greg Roman (2019-22) and currently Todd Monken. With the exceptions of Caldwell, Kubiak and the yet unproven Monken, all have been disappointments. Harbaugh’s slate is cleaner on the other side of the ball, having had Rex Ryan (2008), Greg Mattison (2009-10), Chuck Pagano (2011), Dean Pees (2012-17), Don “Wink” Martindale (2018-21) and Macdonald (2022-23) as defensive coordinators. All, except Mattison, were successful. Ryan, Pagano and Macdonald went on to become head coaches. Ryan had stints with the New York Jets and Bills, while Pagano led the Indianapolis Colts from 2012 to 2017. That’s a pretty good pedigree. Playing tough, physical defense has been the trademark of the franchise since the record-setting 2000 unit led the team to the Super Bowl title. Macdonald kept the tradition going in 2023 as the Ravens became the first team to lead the league in sacks (60), takeaways (31) and points allowed per game (16.5). The Ravens had seven Pro Bowl selections this past season, including Smith, Queen, safety Kyle Hamilton and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike. A major key for Macdonald-led defenses were the in-game adjustments he made, including in the first half in San Francisco and the second half against Jacksonville. Harbaugh’s background has probably been a major part of having defensive success. He spent eight seasons as Philadelphia’s special teams coach from 1998 to 2006 and one year as the Eagles’ defensive backs coach in 2007 before the Ravens hired him. He spent a lot of time learning the game under former Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson, who died in 2009. Harbaugh knows about blitz packages, stunts and other schemes and philosophies. Orr has a tough act to follow. The Ravens have several top players who are set to become free agents in March, including Madubuike, Queen, outside linebackers Kyle Van Noy, Jadeveon Clowney and Malik Harrison, cornerbacks Arthur Maulet and Daryl Worley and defensive end Brent Urban. Just a few years removed from his playing career, Orr is part of the youth movement among NFL coaches. Owners want them young. These coaches can identify and communicate with the players. They can interact with them because they are in the same peer group. Orr is unique because he originally signed with the Ravens in 2014 as an undrafted rookie free agent from North Texas. He played in 46 career games over three seasons (2014-16), posting 163 tackles, one sack, eight tackles for loss, six passes defended, three interceptions, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. He was named second-team All-Pro in 2016. He knows about the struggles of getting into the NFL but has also coached Pro Bowl players such as Queen and Smith and assisted with outside linebackers such as former Ravens star Terrell Suggs and Jacksonville’s Josh Allen. Does that translate into victories? We’ll find out, but at least the Ravens have history on their side. View the full article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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