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The Baltimore Ravens have a player set to take on the NFL in rookie linebacker Patrick Queen, and so far, Queen has been phenomenal in his adjustment to the league.
How good has Queen been? Good enough to get some major credit early on from his coach. As John Harbaugh said to Ravens.com, Queen hasn’t looked out of place whatsoever in his transition to the NFL, which has been excellent news thus far for the Ravens
“He wants to be right, he really studies he’s real conscientious. He’s a rookie at the same time without reps in the offseason so I’d say he’s doing really well, better than anticipated.”
If Queen could come into the league right off the bat and start playing well it would be a huge boost to the Ravens and their needy defense. So far so good on that front.
Ravens Defensive Coordinator Likes Patrick Queen
It’s not just on the field where Queen has impressed. Speaking to the media, Ravens defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale was asked to break down what he’s seen from the young players so far. As he said, they’re typical rookies with ups and downs on the field, but he is more impressed with the caliber of person each player is.
Martindale said:
“I think they’re exactly what we expected. They’re young and they’re making some mistakes but for the most part, first of all, they’re great people. I’ve had some good conversations with them besides just football. We really haven’t gotten into the 11 on 11 pads where you can see their instincts. I think from all the film we’ve watched they’ve both done a really nice job and haven’t disappointed anyone.”
Queen and Harrison figure to be in the mix for the team moving forward and leading the charge at a position that needed tons of help this offseason. When they get on the field, it’s likely they will continue to not disappoint their coach, but it’s nice to see he’s already excited about the new players and personalities coming into the mix.
John Harbaugh Explains Plan for Rookie Linebackers
Earlier on this offseason, John Harbaugh joined BaltimoreRavens.com and spoke about the plans for Queen as well as fellow rookie Malik Harrison this season when they get immersed into their new Baltimore defense.
As he said, there figures to be some diversity in what they will do, but the duo will see the field a ton.
“We’ll play him probably at MIKE for the most part, right there in the middle. Let him use his speed and instincts to run around and make plays in all 3 phases and be a 3 down guy both in our base package and sub package,” Harbaugh explained. “Those guys will be rolling in there at those linebacker spots and we’ll see how much play time they earn. We expect them to earn a lot of playing time and play a lot of football this year. We’re really fired up about those guys.”
Given the team’s needs on defense, it’s safe to understand why anyone would be fired up about Queen and also Harrison. The pair are aggressive and tough, and are rock solid at positions where the Ravens had a big need after last season’s epic playoff collapse.
The quicker the rookies see the field and get accustomed to the pace of play, the better it will be for the Ravens in the end as the season progresses. It’s great to see Queen already being praised for his work.
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