OTL: Zach Orr Bring Infectious Energy to Ravens DC Position

It has been a rough stretch of days for the Baltimore Ravens. From losing a disappointing and self-inflicted-wound-filled AFC Title Game against the Chiefs to losing Joe Hortiz to the Chargers, Mike Macdonald to the Seahawks, Dennard Wilson to the Titans, and potentially Anthony Weaver, this might have been the most brutal week for the Ravens in a long time (at least since all the Lamar Jackson contract drama last offseason.)

We lost our first home AFC Championship game, with a game plan which can only be described as malpractice by the Ravens’ offensive coaches and players. We also lost a lot of staff on the one thing keeping us afloat in that game, the defense.

With free agency also on the way and the amount of talent that could still depart, this will get worse. The sting from this loss won’t go away for a while, and in this time of grieving, small victories like a good coach hire or retaining a player need to be cherished.

Thursday gave us one of those victories:

The Ravens have hired Zach Orr as their new defensive coordinator, moving quickly after Mike Macdonald left to become the head coach of the Seahawks.
Orr, 31, is a former Ravens players and he’s been the ILB coach the past two years. Meteoric rise for Orr.

— Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiec) February 1, 2024

There was no one on the market or in-house that could completely replace Macdonald, but this seems like the best option. Zach Orr is more than deserving of this job. He brings a type of energy that I haven’t seen before. Sure, Macdonald could show some passion and energy here and there, but he tried his best to be calm and calculating.

On the other hand, Orr is a huge ball of energy that genuinely loves his players and can motivate anyone.

Look at this scene when Roquan made his interception against the Dolphins:

THATS DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR ZACH ORR TO YOU AND DONT YOU FORGET IT. pic.twitter.com/0IYXCmUMSq

— Zach Bollinger (@zachbollinger18) February 1, 2024

While Patrick Queen is right there with Roquan, hyping him up, Orr is the first to meet him at the bench and praise him. This type of energy is rarely seen in Defensive Coordinators.

Wait a minute. Weren’t there a couple of coaches from San Francisco who had this type of energy and impact on defensive players?

Why yes, there was:

I’m really happy for Zach Orr. I hope he Can be on that Demeco Ryans path. To go from what we thought was going to be a press conference to announce an extension, to announcing he had retire. He deserves everything good coming his way

— Chris (@ChrisJustJoking) February 1, 2024

Orr reminds me so much of both Robert Salah and DeMeco Ryans from their time with the 49ers. Both had an undying passion for the game and found a way to connect to players through that energy. It is unknown what schematically he will bring differently from Macdonald, but the energy on defense will be the same with him on the sidelines.

Outside of Orr’s energy, his story is just one that is easy to fall in love with:

Zach Orr went from an undrafted rookie to second-team All-Pro in just three seasons.

He was playing lights out when his career was abruptly cut short due to a congenital neck/spine condition.

He didn’t sit around and ask, “Why me?” Instead, he jumped into coaching, and gave…

— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) February 1, 2024

Zach Orr is such an easy person to root for in life. His players love him, and he will carry that passion for football to the his new position.

There was no easy way of replacing Mike Macdonald. Many fans had hoped the team would remove Harbaugh and give Mike the head coaching job. As much as fans wanted that (yes, I am in that group), there was no way Steve Bisciotti was going to do that.

This organization is too married to stability to make a move like that. If we had to replace Macdonald because this is how the Ravens operate, I am happy to see it go to someone who deserves it and will continue that legacy of great coordinators.

Congratulations, Coach Orr. You deserve this opportunity and we can’t wait to watch you work!

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