The Baltimore Ravens hired defensive coordinator Zach Orr following the team’s AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs during last year’s postseason. Orr has had his set of ups and downs this season, as has his unit, which ranks in the bottom of the league in terms of pass defense.
When asked about Orr, Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey went to bat for his defensive coordinator. He said that he hates coaches get under scrutiny when it’s the players that are messing up, mentioning that it’s never a good thing and he “hates” how that goes.
“I don’t exactly know what’s going on besides what I get told. My only social media is Instagram Live after victories, so I haven’t seen a lot, but I do know or feel like there’s been some chatter. For me as a player, knowing what’s going on, I hate seeing coaches get under scrutiny when it’s the players’ fault. If I felt that there was, ‘This [isn’t] being coached this way right. This [isn’t] being this, [or] this isn’t being this,’ it’s a little different, but it really sucks when the product we’re putting out there isn’t what we’re being coached [and] isn’t what we’re practicing. That’s kind of what hurts me. Some of the plays I’ve given up, is that the coaches’ fault, or did we practice it this week, and then I got in the game, and I didn’t play it exactly how it was supposed to be, and it resulted in a big play. I hate how coaches get … I hate how that goes, but that is the NFL. The person over [seeing] it kind of gets whatever, but it is kind of what it is. I hate that just because when it’s your fault sometimes [on] why somebody is getting scrutinized. It’s never a good thing.”
Orr is still coming into his own as a play-caller after having no signal-calling experience prior to being promoted to defensive coordinator. There is still plenty of room for Orr to grow, and that’s what Baltimore will be banking on moving forward.