The Ravens' defensive woes have forced them to dive deep seeking solutions. Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr believes the effort has been there, but he believes emotion is also important.
"I'm looking forward to us playing with that passion," Orr said. "Playing hard here in Baltimore, that's just the standard. Guys are playing hard, but we need to come out with our own energy and feed off of that. We need to start fast, bring the energy, and get our swag back.
"No matter what the situation is, when we take the field, our mindset is, we're going to stop them, and then if they do score, we should be mad and trying to fix what's going on so it won't happen again. I think once that mindset is right, everything else will start getting better."
An increased emphasis on takeaways has been a focal point all week. Baltimore is tied with the Green Bay Packers for the second fewest takeaways in the NFL (two), ahead of only the New York Jets, who are still looking for their first. In addition to putting themselves in position for interceptions, forced fumbles, strip sacks, or tipped balls, Orr wants players to be more willing to take risks.
"We haven't had a takeaway in what, three weeks, something like that," Orr said. "Which is crazy. We have to have some.
"The only way you're going to make plays is to take chances, man. Scared money don't make money."
Orr Responds to Question About His Job Security
With the defense under scrutiny, Orr was asked Thursday if he has concerns about his job security with the Ravens approaching a bye in Week 7. Orr said the outside noise isn't bothering him.
"I'm able to block that out," Orr said. "I'm honestly not worried about it. I'm just focused on this Sunday. If you had asked me last year, I probably would honestly tell you that it would be something that would bother me, or get to me. I've grown closer to faith, to God honestly. I know that he's in control. Everything that's going to happen, it's going to be written, it's already done."
In his second year as coordinator, Orr quickly learned that social media can be cruel.
"Stay off of social media," Orr said. "That stuff can really infect your mind and your heart. The older I'm getting, I'm really focusing on what's important, what my job is, and that's to be here and do the best I can. This job already entails a lot. Adding other distractions, I've learned, makes it even more difficult. I've just got to stay focused, locked in, and block out that noise."
Todd Monken Wants to Get Ravens Offense Out of Its 'Rut'
The Ravens' point production has steadily declined during their three-game losing streak, from 30 points in Week 3, to 20 points in Week 4, to 10 points in their loss to the Houston Texans.
That's a trend Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken wants to halt when Baltimore hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Lamar Jackson (hamstring) did not practice Thursday and is trending toward missing his second straight game, but the Ravens hope to play far better than last week.
"We've got ourselves in a little bit of a rut," Monken said, when asked specifically about the offensive line's performance. "It's not just the O-line, it's us in general. We've got to coach better. We've got to scheme it better, call it better, execute better. Everybody's a part of that, just like we're all a part of it when it's really good. We've got to own it when it isn't, starting with me. How do we get it done during the week that it shows up on Sunday?"
Baltimore's inability to sustain drives has put more of a burden on the defense, which has given up the most points in the NFL. Monken wants Baltimore's offense not only to score more points, but to run more plays.
Baltimore ran just 43 offensive plays versus the Texans and has averaged an NFL-low 50 plays per game. Last season, the Ravens averaged 62.3 plays per game.
"We can't be off the field as quickly as we've been, and we're better than that," Monken said. "We're better than that. We're better coaches, we're better players. We just need to go show it."
An ineffective rushing attack has been a major stumbling block for Baltimore. After leading the NFL in rushing last season, the Ravens are ranked 17th heading into Week 6, and Derrick Henry has not rushed for more than 50 yards since Week 1. As one of the team's leaders, Henry has spent part of this week reassuring teammates that the rushing attack will eventually click.
"Don't let the circumstances dictate our future. Just stay focused," Henry said. "We can turn this thing around and get what we want to get out of the season."
Alohi Gilman Will Help 'Maximize' Kyle Hamilton
Alohi Gilman and Kyle Hamilton were teammates at Notre Dame for one season, and now they'll team up again in the Ravens secondary.
While trading away Odafe Oweh puts more strain on the Ravens' pass rush, Baltimore feels it's a net positive largely because of how good Gilman is and how much better it will make Hamilton.
"We obviously know 'K-Ham' can play all across the secondary, and he's very effective everywhere else, not just in the back end, but up close to the line of scrimmage," Orr said. "So, the better players that you're able to put back there in the back end definitely frees him up. So, I'm excited to see if the guys can get caught up to speed by Sunday and see what we can do."
Orr acknowledged how significant losing Ar'Darius Washington to an Achilles injury in May was to the Ravens defense. Safeties not named Hamilton or Malaki Starks played just 17 defensive snaps in the first four games before Hamilton's groin injury thrust undrafted rookie Reuben Lowery III into the lineup.
"I'm probably the biggest Ar'Darius Washington fan there is in this building, and he has a lot of fans in this building. He's a heck of a player, he's a heck of a piece of our defense," Orr said.
"So, when he went down, you definitely had to reorganize, see all the pieces and what's the best 11 to put on the field. But 'K-Ham,' he's going to make an impact wherever he's at, and we just have to find ways to maximize his impact. So, that's something that we're definitely looking at and look forward to doing."
