After two seasons of orchestrating top-level defenses with the Baltimore Ravens, defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald was hired as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. The Ravens turned to inside linebacker coach and former All-Pro Baltimore linebacker Zach Orr to replace Macdonald.
Orr was asked about his comfort level heading into his first season as an NFL play-caller.
“I’m getting comfortable every single day,” Orr said. “Like I said, Coach [John] Harbaugh does a great job of putting us in real-life game situations, so you have to think on the fly, you have to be prepared, you have to have your call sheet ready, you have to think a step ahead. It’s a combination of that, and then going against our offense and going against ‘Monk’ [offensive coordinator Todd Monken] and Lamar [Jackson], Mark [Andrews], Zay [Flowers], both Zay’s [Zay Flowers and Isaiah Likely]. I can name a lot of people with our offense. Going against those guys makes it even that more challenging, but it’s preparing me for the moment, and I feel more comfortable every single day with that. And another thing is the coaching staff that we have helped prepare me on defense. Those guys are great coaches [and] great humans, so it’s not just me by myself; I’m leaning on those guys, and those guys are helping me out along the way.”
Filling Macdonald’s shoes will be no small feat, but the Ravens seem confident they picked the right man for the job.