Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is not at his highest level of popularity and acclaim right now. That’s been true for a while with Baltimore Ravens ILB Patrick Queen, apparently. The fourth-year veteran has been holding a grudge against him not because of any sort of division rivalry but because of an interaction he had as a rookie.
“When I was on their sideline, my rookie year, Mike Tomlin was looking at me [and] yelling at me, [saying] ‘You’re not a Raven. You’re not a Raven. You’re not supposed to be there. You’re not one of them’”, he told reporters, via the team’s website, “so every time I play them, it’s something personal”.
Now, is that exactly what happened? Quite possibly? But is it taken within the proper context? Almost assuredly not. Particularly in the rivalry between the Ravens and the Steelers, those in the locker room define themselves by success against one another.
Queen even said that just before the above statement. “You’re not a Raven until you beat the Steelers”, for example, and vice versa. Those who have lived the rivalry for quite a while all understand that. It’s all just part of the gamesmanship given the importance of divisional games.
I’m sure he’s come to understand that over the years, but it doesn’t change his opinion about that interaction with Tomlin, telling reporters that it’s stuck with him. “I don’t care if he was joking. I don’t care if he was serious. At the end of the day, I’m on your sideline, and you’re telling me I’m not a Raven. It’s kind of disrespectful”.
Okay, so be it. I’m not aware of any video, let alone audio evidence of this interaction so it’s impossible to judge in detail. How accurate is Queen’s interpretation and recollection of what happened? Well, it really doesn’t matter, does it? You’re not required to respect your opponent or its head coach.
And besides, it’s something that he uses as fuel, and it’s hard to knock a player for finding motivation wherever he can. Queen acknowledged that he has a different mindset when he plays the Steelers and that it’s rooted in his feelings about Tomlin based on this interaction.
“At that point, it’s like…I’ve never even told you anything. He’s just coming at me, so from that point on, it was just…”, he said, declining to complete the thought. “It is what it is”.
Queen did not specify if it was the first game that season in 2020 against the Steelers or the second, both of which Baltimore lost. He recorded four tackles in the first game and nine in the second. The Ravens are 1-5 against the Steelers since he joined the team.
As far as I can find, this is the first time that he has mentioned this publicly. It would be interesting to hear what Tomlin has to say about it. He did offer praise for Queen a year ago, and again Tuesday during his weekly press conference. Chances are, he had no idea about this, and may still not.
