Malaki Starks did not hedge when he was asked about Kyle Hamilton. “Kyle’s the best in the league, hands down,” the Baltimore Ravens safety said Wednesday as the 4-1 Ravens turned to Sunday’s AFC North trip to Cleveland. “When his number was called, he ended the game. I think that just kind of trickles down. And we see that, you want to strive to be that consistently.”
Hamilton picked off Atlanta’s final pass to finish a 30-23 overtime win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Asked about Marlon Humphrey saying on his podcast that Hamilton called his shot, Starks said the message came before the extra period. “Even before overtime, he was just saying it’s going to come down to somebody in our room going to end the game,” Starks said. “And he stepped up and he made a great play, and back at his home state as well. So it was special for me to see that.”
The trip meant something to Starks, too. The former Georgia safety said “it meant a lot to be back at home,” adding, “I play a lot of games in that stadium.”
Facing Todd Monken
Sunday brings Todd Monken, Baltimore’s offensive coordinator during Starks’ rookie season and now the Browns’ head coach. Starks faced that offense in practice all of last year and kept the reunion simple. “I think the biggest thing is that he just knows our players and we know him,” he said. “I think he runs a very explosive offense. He’s a great-minded OC, head coach. So I think it’s going to be a great opportunity for us and him to just go out there and compete on Sunday.”
He also pointed to Cleveland’s rookie receivers, KC Concepcion Jr. and Denzel Boston. “I think they’re explosive. I think they do a lot within the offense, and they create explosive plays,” Starks said. “So that’s definitely something that we want to stay on top of. We just got to be on our P’s and Q’s.”
Physical, closer to the line
Asked about the physical plays he made in Atlanta, including tackles in the backfield, Starks said that side of the game is not optional. “I think you can’t play football without being physical,” he said, passing along a line his coach used that day: “You want to prepare how you want to play.” Asked what playing closer to the line of scrimmage brings out in him, he said, “Just my instincts and my physicality.”
Asked whether a division game feels different, Starks went back to his first AFC North special teams snap as a rookie. “Special teams is, you get one play and it comes with a certain mentality,” he said. “I think last year I saw that my first special teams play.” He said the Ravens “naturally just have a style of play that fits that.”
Connection and criticism
Starks said the third-down stops came from “connection, us being able to play as a unit,” and that it takes time no matter how much work is done in the summer. “Even when you think it’s at its peak, I think you’re still building that. You can never learn the people you’re playing with too much,” he said. “In the meeting room, if we’re able to talk things out and see how somebody else sees it and vice versa, I think it truly helps you build that trust.”
Asked about the criticism he has taken this season, especially after the Week 2 loss, Starks said he has handled it by looking inward. “My biggest thing is just, I want to earn the respect of the locker room, the guys I’m playing with,” Starks said. “I know I’m going to consistently get better day by day. And the best thing I can do for me is just try to be the best version of myself.”
Baltimore takes sole possession of first place in the AFC North into Cleveland, where the Browns are coming off a 17-12 loss to the Jets.
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