The Baltimore Ravens signed inside linebacker Zach Orr as an undrafted free agent 2014. Baltimore has had plenty of success stories signing UDFAs, and Orr was a prime example, playing three incredible years before retiring due to a neck injury.
Since his playing days, Orr has found a new passion for coaching, resulting in him becoming the Ravens’ newest defensive coordinator. Orr is the latest of a long list of former inside linebackers to find success in the coaching world, something he says he takes inspiration from.
“I definitely take inspiration from that. Just playing the position, all of those guys you named – DeMeco Ryans, Mike Vrabel [and] Antonio Pierce. Those guys were great players, I grew up watching those guys. And I just think [with] the linebacker position, you’re in the middle of the defense. You have to be able to understand what’s going up front, understand what’s going on behind you [and] understand what’s going on beside you in the run game and in the pass game. You’re in all of those meetings. They say, ‘Run game meeting,’ linebackers in there. We say, ‘Pass game meeting,’ linebackers in there. OK, ‘Protection meeting, blitz meeting,’ linebackers are in there. You’re everywhere. You have to have a grasp of the whole defense and how it fits together, because you’re in the middle of it, and you have to execute a lot of jobs; you also have to get everybody lined up because when people want to know the call, when people want to know where they need to go, they’re going to look at you, just like they look at Roquan Smith now.”
Orr mentioned how being an inside linebacker prepared him for a lot, mainly because you’re in the middle of everything. He’ll look to get off to a fast start as Baltimore’s defensive play-caller, as the team has a big year ahead of them.