ExtremeRavens Posted Wednesday at 11:18 PM Posted Wednesday at 11:18 PM It was the last question after the last voluntary practice of organized team activities Wednesday in Owings Mills, and pass rush coach Chuck Smith couldn’t wait to share his thoughts on second-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr. The words were as impassioned as they were revealing. Asked about Orr’s growth from last spring to this one, Smith spoke fervently for 2 1/2 minutes about Orr, calling him the “truth,” “smart,” and a “special coach.” His answer also appeared to lessen the impact of former senior adviser Dean Pees. “I was hoping somebody asked me this,” Smith began. “All of last year, I was watching everybody broadcasts and talking. I’ve lived it; I’ve walked it; I’ve seen it. I watched this coordinator stand on 10 toes. Zach is the guy. “Zach Orr, I’m telling you, is going to be an incredible coordinator, and let me tell you why. When we were struggling last year, I watched him stand in front of these mics every week and talk to you all, and he didn’t flinch.” Over the first half of last season, Baltimore had one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses in what was Orr’s first season calling defensive plays on any level. The nadir came in a Week 10 win over the AFC North foe Bengals, with Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow torching the Ravens for 428 yards and four touchdowns despite being without No. 2 receiver Tee Higgins. His top target, Ja’Marr Chase, also went wild, with 11 catches for 264 of those yards and three scores. The game also sparked changes, with Orr meeting with players, altering the structure of defensive meetings as well as making personnel and scheme adjustments. Down the stretch, Baltimore boasted one of the league’s top defenses. Ravens pass rush coach Chuck Smith couldn’t wait to share his thoughts on second-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr after the last voluntary practice of organized team activities Wednesday. "He is smart, he is a leader, and when you watch him work every day, this dude comes to… pic.twitter.com/ldiBOJPdGw — The Baltimore Sun (@baltimoresun) June 12, 2025 “Zach Orr looked those players in the eye, and he never lets the highs get too high or the lows get too low; he stayed in the middle,” Smith said. “And I’m telling you, he always would be positive, but he was tough. He’s tough on the coaches and the players. He would tell everybody, and he would show everybody how close we were to actually having success. It might be an angle of a defensive back running to the ball, or it might be a pass rusher that ran past the quarterback, and the quarterback ran, and he led.” It was after a Week 5 win over the Bengals in another wild shootout, however, that Pees, who was the Ravens’ defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017, was brought on by coach John Harbaugh. Harbaugh described him as a good sounding board and credited him for connecting last year’s defense to prior ones. Should the Ravens' defense return to being among the best in the NFL this season, Zach Orr could be a head coaching candidate next offseason. (Kim Hairston/Staff) On Wednesday, Smith pointed to Orr, though. “I know last year a lot of people in the media were saying, ‘Well, this guy came in and helped,’” Smith said in an apparent reference to Pees. “No, Zach Orr did it. Zach Orr, in those rooms, with the coaches, he led, he made the changes in support with coach Harbaugh and the guys on that staff. But, Zach Orr truly led the charge. I’m a witness to it, and I’ve been wanting to say this, because the dude is the truth. Dude didn’t flinch, and dude is going to be one of the best coordinators in the league. “He is smart, he is a leader, and when you watch him work every day, this dude comes to work, I’m telling you. I’m just glad that was my last question, because I wanted to set the record straight because I’m a part of it, and I have no reason to come up here and ‘B.S.’ you all, because you know how I roll. But, Zach Orr was the one who changed what we did last year, and give [coach] John Harbaugh a lot of credit. He was in there with us, too. But, I’ve got to give Zach most of the credit for the adjustments that happened in that secondary … He’s a special coach, and I’m really blessed to be around a guy like that.” Should the Ravens’ defense return to being among the best in the NFL this season, Orr could be a head coaching candidate next offseason. Pees, meanwhile, is expected to stay on as a consultant but will not have a full-time role, according to Harbaugh. Pees’ son, Matt, was also hired as the team’s assistant inside linebackers coach this offseason. Have a news tip? Contact Brian Wacker at bwacker@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/brianwacker1. View the full article Quote
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