Three days earlier than possibly the most effective sport of his profession, Ravens inside linebacker Patrick Queen stood outdoors the crew’s locker room and talked about sharks. His deal with on Twitter is a shark emoji. He as soon as requested his tens of hundreds of followers whether they’d rather fight a cheetah on land or a shark within the water. (He’d quite take his possibilities on land.) Queen can’t clarify the place the fishy fascination started, solely that it began as a child and hasn’t light since.
“I don’t know what it is,” Queen mentioned Thursday. “I just like how they are calm creatures, but at the same time, they’re very dangerous and stuff. So I feel like that’s how I am. Off the field, I’m cool. I’m just chill. But once I get on the field, I feel like I’m just dangerous.”
Queen’s taken a chew out of offenses not too long ago. On Sunday, he had a season-high 12 tackles, recorded his fourth sack of the 12 months and led a dominant Ravens protection in a 13-3 win over the Carolina Panthers. According to Pro Football Focus, the 2020 first-round decide, a lightning rod for criticism over his two-plus seasons in Baltimore, has graded out because the NFL’s second-best off-ball linebacker since Week 5, behind solely the Buffalo Bills’ Tremaine Edmunds.
“Patrick Queen has been playing great football,” coach John Harbaugh mentioned after the sport Sunday, “and today, just took another step in that direction.”
Before that final step ahead, Queen talked with The Baltimore Sun about his transition from LSU, his second-year struggles below former defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale, his renewed confidence and luxury and whether or not he’s reached out to free-agent extensive receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
(Editor’s be aware: Questions and solutions have been edited for brevity and readability.)
Coming from that stacked 2019 LSU crew, you and a bunch of your teammates had been drafted. You’ve seen sure guys do their factor, sure guys take time to search out their residence. Has that strategy of seeing not solely your growth right here, but additionally seeing how some guys have actually latched on and a few guys have struggled, given you a perspective on touchdown with the correct crew, the correct teaching workers, the correct tradition?
Yeah, it positively does. What most individuals don’t notice is, all people in my class was 20 years previous popping out. We had been all younger. All of us got here out early. Some of us got here out injured. Some of us got here out simply younger. And then you definitely get to the league, such as you mentioned — you would possibly slot in sure programs, you won’t slot in sure programs.
Me, I performed the weak facet [as an inside linebacker] in faculty, and coming to the league, I performed Mike [middle linebacker] coming into Wink’s system, which could be very sophisticated. So it’s only a exhausting time adjusting to studying it.
I believe it’s simpler for ability gamers to come back into the league and simply be capable to do what they do as a result of — I ain’t taking nothing away from them … however defensive-wise, you’re making an attempt to be taught. You’re making an attempt to adapt to what offenses do every week. There’s one thing new — new sport plan, new this. But so far as offense, it’s similar to, “OK, they run these coverages, they run this, they run this.” Yeah, it’s nonetheless a variety of work, however on the identical time, I really feel prefer it’s simpler for a ability participant to progress than the defensive participant.
One factor that’s attention-grabbing with this knowledge revolution is that it’s powerful to judge off-ball linebackers. You can skew the numbers in your favor or not in your favor. I do know you’ve gotten a complicated relationship with Pro Football Focus, however do you suppose it’s tough for the conventional individual or algorithm to resolve whether or not you’re doing a great job or not on a snap-to-snap foundation?
I positively do. I really feel like individuals simply go off what, like, announcers say, or simply off what they are saying on TV: “Oh, he was close to the play, so I’m going to blame him.” But they don’t know what name we had been in. They don’t know whose accountability is what. They don’t know what hole is meant to be what. They don’t know if he had a slant or not, gap-wise. There’s simply a lot stuff that goes on that folks don’t find out about, and so they’ll be fast responsible any individual that’s simple responsible, like myself. I really feel like a variety of stuff, I get blamed for.
But on the identical time, no one can push me more durable than I’m going to push myself. Nobody’s a much bigger critic than I’m. So in terms of stuff like that, it’s simply, like … I don’t know. I simply have a look at it and typically simply chortle. I used to clap again at individuals as a result of I used to be similar to, “You have no idea what you’re talking about, so now I’m about to show you that you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Then I’d get into the argument of, like, “Oh, now I just want to be relevant.” “Oh, you’re coming back to a regular person.”
Like, yeah, I’m coming again. It’s not that massive of a deal. But I simply don’t really feel like individuals outdoors of what we bought ought to have that impact on us. Just be a fan. You can criticize us if it’s proper to criticize, however there’s a sure method to criticize gamers. You go on the market calling individuals “b-words” [bust] and stuff, there’s a degree to it.
John Harbaugh has mentioned that you just need to be good so unhealthy. I ponder when you suppose there was an insecurity in you clapping again at individuals since you wished to be seen a sure means, and also you weren’t pleased with that notion.
Rookie 12 months, I really feel like I performed superb. Yeah, there have been occasions of ups and downs. But I really feel like: I’m a rookie. You can’t count on me to be a Hall of Famer proper once I are available. And that’s what I really feel such as you see when individuals on Twitter are at all times evaluating me to Ray Lewis, me to Ray Lewis, me to Ray Lewis, what Ray did, what he’s doing. And I really feel prefer it’s not truthful as a result of it took Ray time. He got here in, and, yeah, he got here in balling. But he wasn’t a Hall of Famer the primary two seasons. It took time for him to get to that objective.
So I really feel like now, it’s simply vital to now be constant. I’ve proven the strides. I’ve proven the steps, the leap. So now I simply need to be constant. And I really feel like I’ve remained constant.
So simply going again to my rookie 12 months, I felt like I used to be doing my job as a rookie ought to. … Second 12 months, I began off rocky, and all people was criticizing me, rightfully so. But, like I mentioned earlier, I don’t just like the criticism of, like, disrespect. You can criticize me, however don’t let it’s with disrespect — the b-word or, “He’s never done anything for us.” There’s a number of occasions the place I’d hear that stuff, and I really feel like that stuff will get previous. But you can also make nice performs all sport, and you may have one unhealthy play, and that’s the one play that will get talked about.
In coaching camp, defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald mentioned that, by no fault of your individual, you didn’t know full-field passing ideas coming into the NFL in addition to you do proper now. In the Southeastern Conference, there have been a variety of half-field passing ideas. How a lot of an element do you suppose that was for you?
In faculty, you realize the [pass] rush’s getting there, so he ain’t bought that a lot time to throw. But so far as the NFL, the entire line’s good. They’ve bought time to undergo their progressions. And I didn’t play Mike in faculty, so it wasn’t like I needed to undergo progressions. I performed Mike on third down, and it was simply, like, both blitz or run the seam.
I bear in mind you carrying extensive receivers up the seam in opposition to Clemson.
And [then-Alabama wide receiver] Jaylen Waddle. They had been like, “Can you run with Jaylen Waddle?” I’m like, “Yes, I can run with Jaylen.” Coming in right here, it was like, “OK, we’ve got this ‘Cover 2′ concept, but then it’s ‘Cover 2,’ ‘Cover 4′ on one side.” Or it’s “Cover 4,” “Cover 6,” “Cover 9,” no matter it might be. So it’s like the whole lot adjustments.
But coming in, you don’t know all that. You simply see the identical sort of ideas, so that you’re pondering, “Oh, I’ll play the same.” I believe that’s what you be taught and also you develop into. It’s like, “OK, just take a step back and slow down and just ask someone to break it down for you.” And I believe that’s the massive factor [former inside linebackers coach] Rob [Ryan] helped me with final 12 months, was breaking stuff all the way down to make it easy. And then seeing [current inside linebackers coach] Zach [Orr] and Mike are available … it’s so easy now. They actually helped us with that. So now, being in Year 3, that’s why I mentioned I took the leap — as a result of it’s really simpler to know now.
Back in April, after Macdonald and Orr had been employed, you mentioned you had coaches who belief you. I do know you’re not the sort of man to throw individuals below the bus, however what does that quote imply when you think about the way you’re doing proper now?
It means so much as a result of you realize if you go on the sphere, you perceive the playbook, for one. It’s not prefer it’s altering every single day. And when you get into the sport, it’s like, I do know what coach advised me and I do know coach trusts me, so I simply exit and play my sport. That’s why I really feel you see now that this crew’s a lot extra comfy speaking, as a result of all people doesn’t really feel like they’re fallacious once they talk one thing. It’s simply, like, the whole lot’s flowing now.
So I believe the largest factor was, Mike coming right here was simply — all people there was settling all the way down to belief what we’re really calling and figuring out. Everybody is aware of the checks, all people is aware of the calls, all people is aware of precisely what to do. It was, like, the D-line didn’t know what possibly any individual else needed to do on the play or one thing as a result of there was at all times one thing altering. And the whole lot’s simply settled down now.
Do you’re feeling like being the place you might be proper now mentally has made you a happier individual?
Yeah, positively. Last 12 months was tough, particularly with the stuff I had occurring. … It was simply tough. Every day was like coming to work, like, “I wonder what’s going to be the problem today?” Now, as you come to work, it’s like, “I can’t wait to get to work now.” You’ve bought guys right here that you realize.
That’s how I ought to’ve approached it final 12 months: coming right here for the fellows. But as a substitute, I used to be extra coming right here for myself, specializing in myself so far as figuring out I’m about to get fussed at for one thing that’s most likely not my fault. But it’s simply means totally different now, like I mentioned. I come right here now, I can’t get wait to get to work. … We’ve bought every kind of fellows. Happy guys within the locker room. Got Harbs. Just higher vibes.
Do you’re feeling comparable vibes with you and Roquan Smith when it comes to being top-of-the-line pairings at your place?
That’s the purpose that we’re making an attempt to get throughout to one another: “We’re going to get there.” It would possibly take a while simply to get the chemistry down, see how one another’s enjoying, simply figuring out what we are able to do with one another and stuff. I really feel like as soon as we get that chemistry down, as soon as we get down pat how one another performs, I really feel prefer it’s going to be that time the place no one’s going to do nothing. We simply performed the [New Orleans] Saints on Monday night time [in Week 9], and it was an incredible offense that we performed, and I wouldn’t say shut down, however we just about had the enterprise. … I really feel like, as time progresses, simply proceed to think about one another and preserve working with one another, and the sky’s the restrict.
As an LSU man, do you’ve gotten a line to Odell Beckham Jr.? And have you ever made your pitch to him to come back to Baltimore?
I haven’t made my pitch but. I most likely will quickly. I noticed we weren’t on the listing [of teams reportedly under consideration]. I’ve bought an issue with that, so I’m about to verify in with him.
What’s the pitch?
Come be a Raven. We’ve bought Lamar [Jackson]. Simple.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com