Ravens DC Shares Message Before First Game

Zach Orr's first regular season game as defensive coordinator will be against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Mike Wallace (17) and Baltimore Ravens inside linebacker Zach Orr (54) walk off the field following the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Ravens defeated the Browns 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports / Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Facing the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes is a tall task for any defensive coordinator, let alone one in their first game in that role.

That's the situation Baltimore Ravens first-year defensive coordinator Zach Orr will find himself in on Thursday when they travel to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to face the Chiefs on Thursday at 8:20 p.m. ET. While it's a tall task facing the back-to-back Super Bowl Champions in their building, Orr isn't backing down from the challenge at hand in his first game as the defensive play caller.

"They can score from any part of the field because obviously, Andy Reid is a great coach, but Patrick Mahomes is obviously a problem," Orr said. "He can beat you with his legs. He can beat you with his arm from every part of the field, and they have great players around him, so that's what makes them tough to defend."

Prior to entering the coaching ranks, Orr was a linebacker for the Ravens from 2014-2016 and was a Second-Team All-Pro in his final season before a congenital spine and neck condition cut his promising career short. Orr spent six of the last seven seasons on the Ravens' coaching staff and was most recently the team's inside linebackers coach for the last seasons. With former defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald departing to become the Seattle Seahawks head coach, the former Ravens linebacker was in line to continue is ascension up the coaching ranks.

While Orr is in a new role, he hasn't changed one bit in the eyes of his players, particularly All-Pro linebacker Roquan Smith. Given everything Orr has overcome to get to this point, Smith is excited to see how Orr performs on Thursday night.

"He's still himself [and the] same energetic guy; it's just, he has a different title by his name, and he carries that very well," Smith said. "I don't look at him any different, but I'm very excited for him to showcase [it] to the world, as well. He's been counted out many times throughout his life, as we all know, so he'll have the perfect opportunity this season and a perfect opportunity Thursday night – us as a team – to go out and show exactly what we've been busting our tail for, day in and day out."

The Ravens were arguably the best defense in the NFL last season, allowing the fewest points per game while also leading the league in turnovers. While much of the unit is the same, they lost important pieces with the departures of outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney, linebacker Patrick Queen and safety Geno Stone in free agency.

Time will only tell how well Orr is going to be as defensive coordinator, and he'll be thrown right into the deep end of the pool when he opposes Mahomes and Chiefs head coach Andy Reid. But even with the inevitable ups and downs that lie ahead, Orr is grateful for the position he's in and plans to make the most of it.

"Every night before I go to sleep I pray and I thank God for blessing me for this opportunity and putting me in this position," Orr said. "I think I reflect every single night because I don't want to take it for granted and I want to give thanks where it's due."

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