Roquan Smith insists he's still friends with Patrick Queen, even after the former Baltimore Ravens linebacker joined the rival Pittsburgh Steelers last year.
Smith did not miss an opportunity, however, to trash talk his ex-teammate Saturday night after the Ravens eliminated the Steelers from the playoffs, saying Queen will "be in Cabo, or somewhere."
Smith was referring to a comment Queen made ahead of the previous time these AFC North rivals squared off in Week 16, when the Steelers could have clinched the division title with a win over the Ravens. Queen had called the Dec. 21 contest a "chance to get T-shirts and hats."
The Steelers fell well short of T-shirts and hats that night, and were overmatched again Saturday night in their return to Baltimore, as the Ravens rolled to a 28-14 victory and a spot in next weekend's AFC divisional round. Smith clearly relished ending Pittsburgh's season and sending Queen and the rest of the Steelers home.
"I think I remember my guy PQ saying the last time we played them was (for) a hat and T-shirt," Smith said. "But, I guess he (got) the T-shirt he got on, and he'll be in Cabo, or somewhere."
Queen was not asked about Smith's postgame comments. The five-year veteran recorded 10 tackles Saturday night as the Steelers yielded 464 yards of total offense -- including 299 on the ground -- en route to a fifth consecutive loss to end the season.
Queen became a focal point of the Ravens-Steelers rivalry last summer when, after spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with Baltimore, he signed a three-year deal with Pittsburgh. The former first-round draft pick said in November that he "wasn't wanted back" with the Ravens, who declined his fifth-year option.
Smith was Queen's teammate on the Ravens for parts of two seasons and said in November that he was "happy for (Queen) as a brother," when asked about being on opposite teams. The three-time All-Pro linebacker added Saturday that Queen "is still my guy, much love."
Smith and the Ravens will either play the Bills in Buffalo or host the Texans next weekend, depending on the outcome of Sunday's AFC wild-card matchup between the Bills and Broncos.
Queen and the Steelers, on the other hand, saw a once-promising season end in disappointing fashion Saturday night. Pittsburgh was 10-3 entering Week 15 and owned a two-game division lead over Baltimore at the time, before faltering down the stretch.
"I think we just got too comfortable," Queen said when asked about the Steelers' defensive struggles. "We started chasing too many things. I think we just let off the pedal."
