He’s overseen a rapid revival of the Baltimore Ravens’ defense in recent weeks, but coordinator Zach Orr has warned about the dangers of Week 12’s opponents the New York Jets making his former teammate, Tyrod Taylor, their starting quarterback for the game at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday, November 23.
Orr was an inside linebacker for the Ravens when Taylor was the backup QB after being selected in the sixth-round of the 2011 NFL draft. After seeing Taylor up close, Orr knows he’s “very talented, athletic, can make all the throws,” per The Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker.
Aside from the physical traits, Orr highlighted an important intangible about Taylor’s game. Orr pointed out Taylor’s “a real diligent guy. He’s real smart, so he’s gonna be prepared. That’s one thing that I know he took seriously, was his preparation and you see that carry out throughout his career.”
Those are timely words from Orr, who should be wary about his rejuvenated defense getting overconfident about the chances of feasting on Taylor and a struggling Jets offense. Taylor has a Pro Bowl pedigree, and the 31-year-old is enough of a veteran of the pro game to find the weaknesses in even the most nuanced scheme.
The Ravens can test all of Taylor’s experience with their increasingly sophisticated pressure packages.
Tyrod Taylor Change Gives Ravens a New Challenge
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn switching from Justin Fields to Taylor has presented a new challenge for the Ravens and their resurgent defense. Fields posed a threat because of his mobility, a trait the Jets were packaging around read-option concepts with some effectiveness.
Taylor will do things differently. He’s likely to stay more patient in the pocket and chance his arm. A career average of 11.2 yards per completion, per Pro Football Reference, proves Taylor has never been afraid to attack coverage vertically.
The Ravens are still among the more generous pass defenses in the league. Orr’s unit has given up 2,441 yards through the air, with 35 completions of 20-plus yards, including six of 40 or more.
Finding the best counter hasn’t been easy for a secondary beset by injuries at various points this season. That’s why Orr has leaned into manufacturing greater pressure to protect coverage.
Zach Orr’s Defense Bringing More Heat
The Ravens rank in the top 10 for blitz percentage, going after opposing QBs 26 percent of the time, according to Pro Football Reference. It’s an aggressive but necessary approach to compensate for the lack of truly dominant edge-rushers, and the Ravens’ blitz plan is bearing fruit.
A great example occurred to seal last week’s 23-16 win over the Cleveland Browns. The Ravens showed seven potential rushers to rookie signal-caller Shedeur Sanders, including safety Kyle Hamilton.
Orr ultimately sent five, with Hamilton and All-Pro middle linebacker Roquan Smith bailing into underneath coverage. Smith made the play to rebuff a pass thrown by Sanders, who was under intense pressure from Dre’Mont Jones, who’s proved a terrific mid-season trade acquisition.
Using Jones in a different role is just one way Orr and his staff have improved how the Ravens put heat on the pocket. Their adjustments are adding layers of complexity for quarterbacks to decipher when setting protection and calling route adjustments pre-snap.
Those are challenges Taylor will struggle to overcome in his first start of the season, despite Orr’s warning.
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