Patrick Queen is known for his trash talking and the high levels of energy that he brings to the playing field. He spoke about it several times throughout the offseason and training camp. That is part of his identity as a player, and it definitely shows. The very first play of the game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Queen tackled his former teammate J.K. Dobbins and was amped up.
Below is that play.
He came dangerously close to getting a taunting penalty after the first play of the game, but that is just the type of player Queen is. It feeds into his energy and the energy of the defense.
According to Queen, there is at least one player on defense who brings an even higher level of energy. That is second-year OLB Nick Herbig.
“I actually think his energy be higher than mine,” Queen said of Herbig via TribLive’s Breakfast With Benz podcast on Thursday.
Herbig’s play alone has provided energy to the defense. It’s hard not to when you are tallying two sacks and a forced fumble in 19 defensive snaps.
“I think he definitely has higher energy than me,” Queen said doubling down. “And when I got somebody like that and I see that every single day, that just motivates me even more to just keep the same level of intensity every single day. If not try to raise it.”
With Alex Highsmith out for a couple weeks with a groin injury, Herbig should be bringing that high level of energy and intensity to the defense much more frequently. He played 17 snaps in each of the first two games and 19 in the third game. He could easily end up with 30-35 snaps with DeMarvin Leal absorbing what’s left.
Patrick Queen, Donte Jackson, Nick Herbig, and others all seem to have that energizing aura on defense. With how much talent there is, having some guys who can motivate others to play with maximum intensity can only be a good thing. And good for a young buck like Herbig to be one of those motivators.
