The Baltimore Ravens hired now-defensive coordinator Zach Orr following a search that included plenty of candidates from both inside and outside of the organization. The team had to move quickly with the hire, especially considering so many of Baltimore’s coaches were getting looks elsewhere at multiple different positions.
Orr had a three-year NFL playing career, but has never been a play-caller at any level of football. When asked about getting used to play-calling duties, Orr gave credit to head coach John Harbaugh for putting the team in game-like situations, saying he’s taking the situation “day by day”.
“It’s just taking it day by day. You definitely get more comfortable. Coach [John] Harbaugh does a great job of putting us in these game-like situations, even as play-callers and as coaches. We always do ‘move the ball,’ [and] we do ‘call-it periods,’ where there is no script, [and] you have to call it, and you have to think on the fly and use your play-calling sheet. And just how I prepare, I just go back and – when I’m watching the film or watching games from last year – just look at how I would call it, looking at the situation [and] trying to put myself in those shoes. And then, just before practice, just reviewing my play-call sheet and just trying to play out scenarios in my head that could possibly come up.”
While it’d be ideal for Orr to be able to ease his way into the defensive play-calling role for Baltimore, there’s no time. The Ravens are in win-now mode with big games on the schedule throughout the entire year, meaning Orr will have to get his bearings quickly.
