Antoine Winfield Jr. vs. Patrick Queen
Ah yes, another Ravens player in the limelight. Baltimore is a larger market and gets more attention in the national media, but Patrick Queen may have the weakest argument versus Winfield.
As an off-ball linebacker, Queen has the highest opportunity to accumulate a wide range of stats. Coverage backers have the easiest time earning sacks, interceptions, and tackles at the same time, so a diverse stat line is critical when statistically evaluating a player in this position.
While Queen had a solid rookie season on the stat sheet, it ended up being far closer to Winfield at safety than the oddsmakers would like. Queen and Winfield both finished the season with the same number of interceptions, forced fumbles, and Queen only had 12 more tackles than his competition.
A similar issue arises with Queen’s chances, as he was able to beat Winfield in several statistical categories, but a player in his position is supposed to pull that off. Queen already had the advantage of starting closer to the line of scrimmage in the middle of the field to earn quick tackles and sacks, but he still finished with an almost identical stat line to a player that needs to focus on coverage first.
Defensive football players know; linebackers take their read steps forward, safeties take their read steps backward. Even with this added disadvantage at the snap of the football, Winfield was able to make his mark on a stellar defense with plays that rival any rookie in the league at different positions.