09-01-2024 NFL Preview - Flipbook - Page 3
NFL ’24
Sunday, September 1, 2024 3
Orr
from Page 2
are for the high schools,” he said.
The kids dug out old VHS tapes of his
games. They went at it tooth and nail in the
backyard, in pee-wee, anywhere they could
find competition.
“Being a coach now, I’m grateful our
father didn’t push us,” Orr’s older brother
said. “Kids who are self-motivated end
up more successful. It was something we
decided to do, and because of that, we gave
it everything we’ve got.”
Brian Stansberry was an early influence
on all four Orr brothers, spotting their
promise in junior high physical education
class and nurturing the nose-to-nose feistiness that made them naturals on defense at
DeSoto High, where he coached the linebackers.
“Good priorities and good habits,” Stansberry said when asked what distinguished
sixth grade Zach Orr. “He was about being
the best version of himself every day. When
you’re a winner, you never think you’re
doing enough.”
He soaked up the daily 6:30 a.m. film
sessions before the first school bell.
Meanwhile, Rita Orr — the most assertive family member — shaped her sons’
communication skills, insisting they stand
up to speak in church and go out for school
plays.
The Orr brothers never struggled to
command respect. If Terry was away,
Terrance II or Zach thought nothing of
stepping in to coach one of their younger
brothers’ rec league teams.
“Zach’s always right,” his father said,
laughing. “No matter what the topic is, it’s
gonna be real hard to convince him he’s
wrong.”
‘He’s still that
undrafted player’
Orr called the signals for coach Claude
Mathis’ defense at DeSoto High. After the
bigcollegeprogramsignoredhim,hestayed
closetohometobecomeathree-yearcaptain
and all-conference linebacker at North
Texas. After NFL evaluators turned up their
noses at his sub-optimal height, he needed
just three seasons to go from undrafted free
agent to leading the 2016 Ravens with 133
tackles. Then, it all evaporated with the
devastating news about his neck.
He could have stayed on his parents’
couch cursing his fate far longer than he
did, but his brother’s urging worked on
him. Then came a serendipitous phone
call from Ravens general manager Ozzie
Newsome, Harbaugh and owner Steve
Players cheered Zach Orr’s promotion, noting his gift for bonding with each of them and the aggressive spirit he’ll preach in keeping with the
franchise’s vaunted defensive tradition. KIM HAIRSTON/STAFF
Bisciotti. “You’re coming right back up
here and getting ready to work with us,”
they told him.
Orr was a coach.
The hours were longer, the pay and notoriety less, but he recognized that so much
of his life preparation also applied to this
new vocation, way back to hearing his
father talk about how Hall of Fame coach
Joe Gibbs was a teacher at heart.
“It’s not an easy thing going from playing to coaching. It’s a different perspective,” Macdonald said. “He was so smart
as a player that I wasn’t surprised by his
acumen, but it was just so seamless. He
could connect with players and people so
well. He could give our perspective to the
players, because he still had those relationships from playing with the guys, but he
also could draw the line and provide the
same perspective to us.”
Terry Orr was not surprised his son
became a star apprentice to Macdonald,
who’s also sharp and confident beyond his
years. “They’re like the same person,” he
said.
When Macdonald came back to Baltimore to take over the defense after a year at
Michigan, he asked the Ravens to get Orr,
who’d spent the 2021 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
To those who know Orr best, the challenge of replacing Macdonald feels like
just another on the pile. He was never
the biggest or fastest player on any team.
High-major recruiters and NFL scouts
didn’t pay him much mind. None of that
stopped him from starting for the Ravens
in the spot once occupied by Ray Lewis.
So why would anything stop him from
becoming a stellar defensive coordinator?
“Zach is right now one of the youngest
[coordinators] in the NFL, so people are
going to doubt him, say he doesn’t have any
play-calling experience,” Terrance II said.
“But he’s always been the underdog. To me,
that’s his core identity. That’s where we get
our coaching identity from. In his mind,
he’s still that undrafted player.”
Orr’s defense wasted no time putting its
punishing stamp on training camp practices. “Those guys look like the throwback
Ravens defense,” quarterback Lamar Jackson said. “Bloodshed, a lot of smack talk
and a lot of big hits.”
OrrcoachedthelinebackersforMacdonald, building deep rapport with Roquan
Smith and Patrick Queen, but players from
other position groups also felt he was “their
guy” because of his natural gregariousness.
He “has no poker face” in Macdonald’s
words, so his enthusiasm for the art and
violenceofdefensebrimsoverateveryturn.
That part was a given. But would he feel
out of sorts when it was finally his turn to
make final play decisions from the sideline
in the Ravens’ first preseason game?
“Actually,” Orr said, “it felt pretty natural.”
