Ravens' Kyle Hamilton calls out 'spoiled' fans, denounces 'unfair' criticism of DC Zach Orr

The first three weeks of the NFL season saw the Baltimore Ravens get off to a shockingly uncharacteristic start, particularly on defense. They rank dead last in the league in yards allowed and only the Miami Dolphins surrendered more points through three games. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr faced criticism for his unit's play during the 1-2 start, and one of his players, star safety Kyle Hamilton, came to his defense and called the scrutiny "unfair."

To be fair to the Ravens, they did see two of the NFL's best offenses when they squared off against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1 and Detroit Lions in Week 3. For a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, though, allowing no fewer than 38 points to both of those squads is simply not good enough.

"I feel like sometimes Ravens fans can be a little spoiled, just the amount of success that this franchise has had," Hamilton said on Thursday. "We lose five games and the world's about to end. I think on Zach, it's unfair to put all the blame on him when there's 11 guys out there on the field that are playing their hearts. He's put us in the right positions. It's just a matter of us doing the right stuff."

Orr's track record as a defensive coordinator is minuscule but impressive. He took over last season after spending the previous two years as the Ravens' inside linebackers coach and fielded a top-10 defense in his debut campaign. It is a small sample size, but it suggests Baltimore still has a high ceiling on Orr's side of the ball.

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The personnel is nearly identical to last year's unit, which should also be a source of optimism for a turnaround. Getting defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike and linebacker Kyle Van Noy back into the lineup after they missed Week 3 with injuries should help, too.

"That's where I feel like the critiques of Zach or whatever coaches are unfair because he can't go out there and play for us," Hamilton said. "As much as he'd want to, he can't. So it's up to us to go out and get the job done. It's not a Zach thing. It's not a coaching thing on the defensive side of the ball. It's just players gotta get the stuff right."

Baltimore's schedule is front-loaded with the biggest tests of the year, and another one is on tap for Sunday. If the defense does not make strides in practice leading up to the Week 4 road trip to play the Kansas City Chiefs, it could be a long afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium for the visitors.

The road ahead after the Chiefs showdown gets far more manageable and could give the Ravens the runway they need to revitalize a group that looks far from Super Bowl caliber in the early going.