If you go back through some of the all-time great defenses, there are usually at least a couple players who loved talking trash. At the end of plays, you might see a little extra chirping to offensive players as they jog back to the huddle. When I think of the early 2000s defenses for the Pittsburgh Steelers, I immediately think of players like Joey Porter and Ike Taylor as guys who would engage in the extracurriculars. And if you think back to the Legion of Boom secondary for the Seattle Seahawks, Richard Sherman was one of the league’s great villains at the time.
There is no measurable difference that trash talk makes, but football is just as much a mental game as it is physical. If you are getting in the head of your opponent, maybe they are more likely to retaliate and draw a penalty flag. Or perhaps their confidence can be chipped away over the course of a game. Sometimes it will backfire, too. Players can get caught up in the emotions of the game and get carried away. Certainly, if a player is constantly talking smack, it can make them an easy target for fans and the media if things don’t go well.
Patrick Queen spoke to the media after practice on Wednesday and was asked about the level of trash talk the defense might be capable of with this group of players.
“Elandon [Roberts] is definitely a good trash talker, I think I’m still the best,” Queen said in a video posted on the Steelers’ YouTube channel. “Minkah’s more, he gonna say something quiet. D-Jack is extremely loud…I think it’s a couple guys that really like to talk trash out there.”
They already have the makings of a very solid and physical defense, so adding the psychological element with a healthy dose of smack talk is like adding insult to injury. According to Queen, two of the loudest players are himself and Donte Jackson—two new additions to the team. I certainly noticed it in Jackson’s tape when working on his pass breakup film room. It is a little different these days with taunting calls, but he is animated and walks a fine line with his post-play celebrations.
Queen has already said that he hopes to be the villain after defecting from the Baltimore Ravens to the other side of the rivalry. And then Joey Porter Jr., a player Queen didn’t mention, appears to be following the footsteps of his father. He already started the 2024 trash talk, disrespecting the Washington Commanders in front of CB Emmanuel Forbes on Instagram. As he continues to ascend into a top corner in the league, that type of talk will only increase.
Some don’t care for this type of personality, but it will certainly provide a sharp edge to the defense. In an ESPN piece on CB Jalen Ramsey’s trash talk, WR Cooper Kupp confirmed that it can provide tangible results, saying “you know it gets in people’s heads.”
How many times have you heard the football expression, “You have to have a short memory?” It is important to not let bad plays change a player’s mentality and they need to be able to bounce back. I would assume trash talk makes that significantly more difficult to do. The Steelers’ defense should have plenty of personality in 2024.
