The Baltimore Ravens had to overcome multiple challenges during the 2021 season that included multiple injuries, a COVID outbreak in their locker room and more. They ended up finishing the season at 8-9 and missing the playoffs after an 8-3 start that saw them stand atop of the entire AFC.
Throughout the year, one player that had a very up-and-down season was inside linebacker Patrick Queen. The second-year linebacker struggled in the first half of the season, but came on strong in the second half, showing that he was a first-round pick for a reason. When asked about the strides that he made during the season, Queen talked about his struggles and how he went to work to fix them.
“I’m always critiquing my game. Every play, even if I make a big play, I’m critiquing it even more. Like, the TFL [tackles for loss] that I had, like, what could I have done more? Could I get the ball out? Could I [have] done something else to make a bigger play, make a bigger impact to help our team win? So, I’m always critiquing myself. It was tough [in] the beginning of the season, [with the] ups and downs that I went through, with the position stuff and just trying to be a better player. I just battled back and never … I pouted for a few days – I’m not going to lie – I did, but I just got back into it, got back into the grind mode and just went to work and tried to be a better player for my team, for my coaches, for my family, for everybody that knows me.”
Queen finished his sophomore year at the NFL level with a team-leading 98 tackles to go along with two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He looked much more confident as the season wore on, and his answer shows that he expects the best out of himself, which helps him strive for greatness at all times.
