The Baltimore Ravens needed to decide quickly on their next defensive coordinator once Mike Macdonald chose to jump ship to become the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. There was plenty of interest in Baltimore assistants, including then-inside linebackers coach Zach Orr.
In the process, the Ravens decided to move quickly to name Orr as Macdonald’s successor and kept him in the building and away from prospective teams. Orr reflected on his playing career in Baltimore and his journey as a coach, mentioning how tough it was but how he learned from plenty of great people and is continuing to work.
“It was tough. It was tough initially when I had to come in and sit with you guys last time [in this auditorium] and hang up the cleats, hang up the pads [and] hang up the helmet, but like I said, I had great support from my family and from the organization. They supported me right away. Talking to the organization, they were like, ‘I know you want to get right into coaching. We want you to come right back up here and get to work, and I did that. I learned what it took to be a coach in the National Football League.
I learned from a lot of great people, and [I] just continued to work, work, work, work, work. I fell in love with the game as a coach, and now we’re here. It definitely was a crazy journey from that moment last time I was here [in 2017 until now. Like I said, I’m excited and it just shows [when] you put in the work [and] you treat people the right way, great things can happen.”
Orr genuinely loves football, which has carried him far as a player and coach throughout his career. He loves the Ravens’ organization as well, and his hard work and effort have landed him the job of a lifetime, once again as the leader of the Baltimore defense.