The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t open AFC North play until Week 11. That will be against the Baltimore Ravens, the team currently above the Steelers in the North standings. Both teams are 4-2, but the Ravens have the tiebreaker because of beating the Cincinnati Bengals. Week 11 will be a home game for the Steelers. But five weeks later, Steelers LB Patrick Queen will make his first appearance in Baltimore as a visitor since departing in free agency this offseason.
Perhaps the lengthy delay before playing the Ravens in Baltimore gives Queen plenty of time to settle in Pittsburgh. But he’s certainly aware that it’s coming, and he’s looking forward to it.
“It’s gonna be incredible,” said Queen on Tuesday’s episode of the Rich Eisen Show. “I think, I don’t think I know I’m gonna get a lot of F-bombs and stuff, so looking forward to that. But I can’t wait. That’s the type of football I like to play. I know them real well, obviously. I know the type of football they like to play, so I can’t wait for that matchup.”
It’s not often that a player of Queen’s caliber flips sides in the Steelers-Ravens rivalry. But he’s not the only Ravens player in Pittsburgh this season. Former Ravens teammate S DeShon Elliott is also a Steeler now. But Elliott spent a season each with the Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins before signing with the Steelers.
What sets Patrick Queen apart is that he signed with the Steelers to kick off free agency after his contract with the Ravens was completed. And he’s a former first-round pick in Baltimore. So, it should be no surprise that Ravens fans were unhappy that he had gone straight to Pittsburgh.
And by the sounds of it, Patrick Queen fully expects to get an earful when the Steelers travel to Baltimore in December. But that’s what makes rivalries special. It’s the players on the field and the fans in the stands. Queen joins a list of players who have suited up for both teams, including QB Kordell Stewart, RB Le’Veon Bell, wide receivers Miles Boykin and Mike Wallace, and even Hall of Famer Rod Woodson.
When Patrick Queen met the media for the first time as a Steelers player, he said he was looking forward to being the “villain” in the Steelers-Ravens rivalry. So, he is definitely looking forward to hearing the jeers from the same fans who used to cheer him come Week 16.
You can watch the full interview below:
