A lot has changed for the Baltimore Ravens in recent days.
The emergency quarterback to start the season (and four days ago), Joe Fagnano, will start their Nov. 5 “Thursday Night Football” contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Quarterback Lamar Jackson suffered a thumb injury that will require surgery and landed him on injured reserve, meaning he’ll miss at least the next four games. His backup, Tyler Huntley, had his season end shortly after entering against the Buffalo Bills. Baltimore found its stopgap in veteran signal-caller Jacoby Brissett, whom they traded for Wednesday, Nov. 4.
All of which made my interview with Ravens safety and two-time All-Pro Kyle Hamilton a bit outdated by the time he was ready to announce that he was joining
New Balance as their newest addition to an athlete roster that includes Shohei Ohtani, Coco Gauff, Josh Allen and Cooper Flagg.
Below you’ll find a condensed version of our conversation that still had plenty of interesting tidbits – from his relationship with first-year Ravens head coach Jesse Minter to his former coach John Harbaugh, that game-winning interception against the Atlanta Falcons, a concerning Ravens’ defensive trend and, of course, why he chose to partner with New Balance.
(Questions and answers have been edited for length and clarity.)
USA TODAY: So why New Balance?
Kyle Hamilton: It’s been, this process of picking whichever company and everything, it’s been interesting. I think the moment I found out New Balance was interested, I think the interest was mutual. Being a family-owned company and talking to all the people there, it seemed a no-brainer. And I think my style fits with New Balance’s style.
USAT: How would you describe Kyle Hamilton’s style?
KH: First and foremost, I think it’s on brand for both brands – me and New Balance. I’m very athleisure, comfortable, I call it a “cozyfam” type of thing that I do. I don’t do a lot coming into games. Just sweatpants, sweatshirt, and I think that fits me pretty well with New Balance.
USAT: Josh Allen is on New Balance’s roster, joining forces with him is kind of unique, a different dynamic for you I imagine?
KH: Yeah, it’s a limited roster, obviously players like Josh, (Arizona Cardinals rookie running back) Jeremiyah Love, a Notre Dame guy, obviously a plethora of athletes in different sports as well, it’s pretty cool to be a part of. It’s a blessing. … Maybe we’ll have to talk about it on the field.
USAT: Any product or line that you would like to have your input heard on immediately?
KH: I’m still finding my way through the website. I’m trying to get as much stuff as I can first before I make decisions like that. But all the gear that I’ve gotten is amazing and they’ve done a great job with my family, getting them situated with a bunch of stuff. It’s more than we could ask for and it’s honestly a pretty cool feeling to have that family feel and be welcomed in by them.
It’s only been positive reviews. I’m not just saying that. It’s really true. They’re just excited by the volume of stuff that they’re getting. They might feel sponsored by New Balance by the end of this. It’s been great. I’ve always loved their stuff. I feel like New Balance has its own style and identity within all the sports brands around the whole industry. It’s pretty cool to be a part of it and excited for the opportunity.
USAT: You’ve known him for a few months now and we’re coming up on the halfway point of the season, how would you describe your relationship with Jesse Minter?
KH: He’s very cool. Very detail-oriented. He’s a player’s coach through and through. He’s always asking us how we’re doing, what we feel, physically, mentally, and trying to get us to be our best selves as players and as men. I think we have somewhat of a similar mindset, just the way we approach certain things, which is pretty cool. Our relationship is growing by the day, so we’ve been having more and more conversations over the season, so I’m excited to get to work with him for the foreseeable future.
USAT: Similar mindset in what sense?
KH: I think we’re both just pretty cut and dry with how we talk and how we think. When it comes to scheme stuff, and how we’re supposed to be playing certain things, able to listen to each other about what we do on the field and how guys are feeling about certain calls. All that stuff matters when it comes to playing defense. Fixing problems, too. I think he’s very solution-oriented – him along with Anthony Weaver, our (defensive coordinator) and all the coaches involved, creates a good environment for the players. That’s something that doesn’t go unnoticed and that we appreciate. It can be rare around the league, honestly.
USAT: How would you describe what is happening to the defense in second halves of games?
KH: I mean, I think you hit it, stringing together a full game, haven’t done a lot of that on the defensive end. That’s solely on us and we got to get that fixed. I think we’ve had great moments. I think we’ve had good games, even. But there’s always something to improve on, whether you give up zero points or 30 points. There’s always something to improve on. I think, for us, it’s a mindset, mentality. Like, how to respond to things happening. It’s been a theme and something that we want to kind of shake. Everybody’s doing their best to get that done.
It’s not giving up an inch. If a bad play happens, being able to reset and refocus on the sideline and all that stuff. That all plays into a game. You do that, you look up at the end of the game, you say ‘Hey we had a good game’ and you just kind of keep stacking those weeks. I think we have to perfect that process throughout the season and hopefully get to that point where we feel confident trusting one another to do that.
USAT: Speaking of signature moments – one had to be the game-winning interception on “Sunday Night Football” Week 5 against the Atlanta Falcons, in your hometown. How cool was that?
KH: Yeah, that was pretty sick. Not going to sit here and act like I dove across the field to make the catch, obviously. Right place, right time. It was obviously a cool experience being able to play in Atlanta for the first time in the NFL. … It was a pretty sweet moment. I had a ton of family there. I had family drive up from Alabama there. Seeing them after the game – the best part was seeing the smile on their faces and make them proud. That’s what I was trying to do.
USAT: What have you seen from Zay Flowers this year?
KH: I just attribute it to his hard work. Dude works harder than anybody. He deserves the big contract he got, deserves the recognition, deserves the stats he’s getting. He’s reaping the benefits of all the hard work he put in.
He’s always got great energy. In the game, he produces. He’s kind of a spark plug for our team. He’s kind of been doubted his whole career and to see him having success so far this season is pretty cool.
USAT: What does he do that is maybe underrated that we don’t talk about enough?
KH: Probably his understanding of defensive concepts and ‘Where is this going to hit in a zone?’ or spatial awareness, people around him – not only juking and making people miss, but finding gaps in the defense where Lamar feels comfortable throwing the ball to him. I don’t think there’s a ton of thinking involved, but he does understand certain defensive concepts and coverages and zones and after he gets the ball he lets his body take over. I feel like that’s the best part about Zay. He just has that innate ability to just move and maneuver around a football field that he just lets himself play free. I think it’s something we can all learn from.
USAT: What did you absorb the most from John Harbaugh?
KH: Yeah, I think 'Harbs' instilled a way to work in all of us. And it was kind of unspoken in a sense. Like, you understand when you get in the building from day one, what it’s gonna be like around here. You’re gonna put in the work and we’re gonna earn everything that we get and I think that’s a great mentality and perspective to have as a head coach and an organization. He didn’t win a lot of games for no reason. There’s definitely a formula that he has, and obviously he has the Giants playing well and they’re doing a great job up there. I could have predicted that. You don’t stay a head coach in this league for as long as he has without having some sort of formula. I would say just hard work and how to approach being a NFL player.
USAT: What do you think of the similarities between yourself and Seattle Seahawks defensive back Nick Emmanwori and the way you’re both used by Seattle head coach Mike Macdonald (Hamilton’s defensive coordinator in 2022-23)?
KH: Nick’s his own player. He’s uber talented. He’s going to be a guy in this league for a long, long time and is going to be arguably one of the best players at the position – is arguably, now. Seeing a young guy like that have so much success so early in his career is really cool. I think that’s just the natural way things go. You see there’s so much talent in college and then obviously they get to the league, seeing them figure it out really quickly – I feel like I was just a rookie not too long ago trying to figure it out. It’s not an easy task. So somebody like that, who’s doing so many things on a football field and is so multiple in his abilities is really cool to see. Obviously, Mike’s got him playing at a high level. It’s cool to kind of, I guess, be somewhat attached to that. I see Mike here and there and talk to him and he loves Nick and I’ve had a couple of chats with Nick, too. Great kid, great player and just excited to see where his career goes.
USAT: What’s it like playing in a division in which every team is above .500?
KH: It’s tough but it’s fun. It’s great football being played in the AFC North and all around the league, obviously. When you get in those games, there’s gonna be a little bit more angst involved for sure. We all beat each other up. It’s kind of funny, it’s like a bunch of cousins or siblings having a fight or something like that. There’s mutual respect. There’s also some hatred there. It obviously makes for great games. So much history, and I’m just happy to be a part of it.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kyle Hamilton Q&A: All-Pro talks New Balance, Ravens defense, John Harbaugh, more | Exclusive
