Former Ravens Linebacker Looking to Bounce Back

Patrick Queen was an excellent Raven. The former-first round pick ascended into an All-Pro-caliber contributor to a star-studded defense in four seasons in Baltimore before departing the team a year ago, taking his talents north to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in agreeing to one of the bigger contracts a defensive player's signed.

Despite making the move in an attempt to "win now," Queen now finds himself in one of the more interesting situations in the league. While the Ravens continue looking like a potential championship favorite, he and the Steelers look to bounce back and take some control of their destinies and reclaim some glory.

He notched another Pro-Bowl appearance, but didn't play up to the standards he'd set for himself in his earlier years, claiming that his brief slippage in adjusting to a new scheme "really aggravated me this whole offseason."

"It wasn't the season I wanted," Queen told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "Just because I didn't play the type of football I wanted to. You could blame it on a whole new system and all that other stuff, but at the end of the day, I'm a professional football player. That was Year 5. So, I think I should've been a little more well-prepared for that. I definitely take all accountability for that."

Queen reportedly labored through his debut season in Pittsburgh, playing through various minor injuries en route to a 56.8 PFF grade, his worst in three years.

While his former teammates have been surrounded by draftees and free agents to form one of the NFL's premier defenses, Queen has some expectations to match for himself and the rest of the league. Aaron Rodgers is calling the shots now, opening the door for the linebacker to return to form with plenty of motivation to improve and win.

"Being able to go through that process of being at the top of my game and then going down, it kind of fuels you even more to get back to your old self," he said.