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Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on ex-Ravens LB Patrick Queen: ‘One man’s trash is another man’s treasure’

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Leave it to Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to pour some fuel on the fire that burns at the heart of one of the NFL’s most fascinating rivalries.

Entering Sunday’s matchup in Pittsburgh, much was made of Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen playing his former team for the first time. A Pro Bowl selection last year in Baltimore, Queen became a free agent this offseason and signed a three-year, $41 million deal with the Ravens’ hated division rival.

While Queen said he didn’t receive a contract offer from the Ravens, the writing was on the wall regarding his future when Baltimore acquired Roquan Smith from the Chicago Bears midway through the 2022 season and later re-signed the two-time All-Pro to a five-year, $100 million extension. The Ravens also picked linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round of the 2023 draft, an obvious succession plan for whenever Queen commanded a lucrative contract in free agency.

While Queen acknowledged that he was hurt by being cast aside by the organization that drafted him in the first round in 2020 — and has embraced taking on a “villain” role with his new team — he’s largely avoided the kind of bulletin board material that fans and media gravitate toward. Maybe the most inflammatory thing he’s said since leaving Charm City has been his take that Pittsburgh’s food scene is better than Baltimore’s.

So after Sunday’s 18-16 win over the Ravens, Queen didn’t gloat. It was his coach.

“You know, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” Tomlin told reporters when asked about Queen’s performance. “I’m glad he is on our team.”

He certainly should be, considering Queen finished with a team-high 10 tackles and forced a fumble near the end of the first half that led to a Steelers field goal. With 38 seconds left in the second quarter, Queen ripped the ball from tight end Isaiah Likely’s hands and recovered it himself near the Ravens’ sideline. Though safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and left guard Patrick Mekari were called for offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after the play, Queen celebrated by running toward the end zone and soaking in the moment with the home crowd.

It was a moment Queen’s teammates predicted would happen.

“You dream about plays,” he said. “Some games they don’t happen, and then everybody said, ‘You’re gonna get one [a turnover], you’re gonna get one.’ And today was my dad’s birthday too, so he said, ‘You gotta get me one.’ It’s just crazy how things work out.”

Tomlin also poked the Ravens by making Queen a captain for the coin toss before the game, allowing the linebacker to greet some of his former teammates at midfield. Queen later received a game ball for his performance and said he respected and appreciated what Tomlin did for him. He also said that he didn’t speak to Ravens coach John Harbaugh after the game.

Of course, Tomlin heard all the talk about a Ravens offense that ranked among the best in recent memory behind NFL Most Valuable Player front-runner Lamar Jackson and superstar running back Derrick Henry. Tomlin has been referring to the Ravens’ star quarterback as “Mr. Jackson” in a show of respect, but he’s clearly found the formula for slowing down the two-time MVP. Jackson finished 16-for-33 for 207 yards with one touchdown and one interception — good for a 66.1 passer rating that ranks as his worst since a 17-10 loss to the Steelers last season — and is now 1-4 as the starter against Pittsburgh.

“A lot was written and said about that offense coming into this game, and rightfully so, man. They got a lot of talent, they got a lot of weapons, they got good schematics,” Tomlin said. “Our guys play hard and together, and I’m appreciative of that.”

So what’s the secret?

“We did what we always do,” Tomlin said. “You better play hard, fast and together when you play this group and when you play Mr. Jackson. His talent’s so unique, their schematics are unique. Forget the minutiae of what it is you do.”

Perhaps no play better exemplified that preparation and mindset than the Steelers’ stop on the Ravens’ potential game-tying 2-point attempt late in the fourth quarter. After calling timeout, Tomlin said he “saw some of the semblance of the schematics of what they intended to run.” He noted that Jackson is “a little bit less dangerous when he’s going to his left than his right” and was thankful to see his defense force Jackson to scramble to his left and force a desperation throw while falling out of bounds that fell incomplete.

“Seeing [Jackson] after the game, I know he really wants these wins, especially in the division,” Queen said. “Give him all the credit, great player, MVP, but Pittsburgh just has a plan.”

Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon.