The Baltimore Ravens are navigating a very serious, season-defining period these days if only because of the multiple bodies that have gone down in recent days and during the summer preseason.
The Flock entered Week 1 without starting TE Mark Andrews and starting CB Marlon Humphrey. They went on to beat the Houston Texans, yes, but that victory came at a high cost: losing RB J.K. Dobbins for the season, S Marcus Williams for months, and OL Tyler Linderbaum and Ronnie Stanley for weeks.
With starting safety Williams out for "a while," per coach John Harbaugh, and mulling about whether or not to undergo pec surgery facing a potential months-long rehab, the Ravens will need to double down on trusting sophomore Kyle Hamilton and veteran Geno Stone, who is pegged as the main replacement for Williams.
Media members attending Wednesday's practice were able to ask Hamilton some questions at the podium. One of those was how much chemistry there was between him and Stone. Hamilton's answer was, at the very least, honest to God.
“It feels like we’re all brothers.”@kyledhamilton_ on having chemistry with @GenoStone22
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 13, 2023
and @WorleysWorld20: pic.twitter.com/9RER6qFjDn
"We all probably play too much video games together," Hamilton said per BaltimoreRavens.com. "A lot of Call of Duty. We go through some arguments on the game, so we can definitely handle each other out here."
Stone later confirmed his teammate's comments, saying "I just started picking up Call of Duty." The fourth-year safety, perhaps not that interested in video gaming these days, added "We communicate a lot on that. Communication goes a long way for me and Kyle right now."
Now, how healthy is spending a whole bunch of hours training on the field, then the rest of your day playing Call of Duty, is a question worth asking in terms of how healthy those habits are.
According to Harvard Medical School, "more than two-thirds of Americans play video games." Count Hamilton and Stone in that group.
Peter Grinspoon, in an article published in Harvard Health Publishing, warns that "While gaming can be a fun distraction or hobby, there are health risks that come from too much gaming." Questions, questions!
In Hamilton and Geno's favor, though, Grinspoon also wrote that gaming "can provide a way for people to interact with each other as they work together toward completing common tasks." That's something really positive for the duo, and for the Ravens secondary looking to build a strong and well-connected pairing!
But... There is always a but! So Grinspoon surely had one, writing in his article "Gaming has also been associated with sleep deprivation, insomnia and circadian rhythm disorders, depression, aggression, and anxiety." Oh, no. Ohhhh, very no.
On a positive note, though, both Hamilton and Stone seem to fit the summary of the author about gaming: "In short, playing video games can be fun and a social activity when integrated into a healthy lifestyle that includes plenty of sleep, exercise, and good nutrition, rather than letting the game become your life."
I for one can tell you these two lads sleep a whole lot, exercise a ton, have professionals controlling their nutrition, and care more about playing actual games than videogames. Bullet dodged!