​Elite inside linebacker play with the Pittsburgh Steelers has always relied on one fundamental truth: heavy, disruptive defensive linemen keep blockers off the second level.For former franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, watching the current Pittsburgh Steelers defense flash in the preseason brought back immediate memories of his championship-era backfield partners.Analyzing the defense on his podcast, “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger,” the two-time Super Bowl champion highlighted inside linebacker Patrick Queen as a primary candidate for an explosive statistical jump. Drawing a direct parallel to legendary anchor Casey Hampton, Roethlisberger explained how trench monsters up front completely change the geometry for modern linebackers.”When James [Farrior] and Larry [Foote], the guys that I was playing with, were at their best, they had big Casey Hampton up there, right?” Roethlisberger noted. “What happens is Casey Hampton is taking on two to three guys at a time. Well, that’s another guy that can’t get to the next level and get the linebacker. So, now linebackers can fly downhill, make tackles.”With disruptive interior pieces like Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black drawing heavy double teams, Roethlisberger sees that exact formula repeating itself for Queen.Early in the preseason matchup against the Jets, that schematic design manifested instantly when Queen shot through a gap to blow up a backfield run. Having seen Queen operate as an “absolute torpedo” during his time in Baltimore, Roethlisberger senses the linebacker is ready to unleash his full capability in black and gold.”Early in that game, you see Patrick Queen flying downhill, making a tackle in the back field,” Roethlisberger said. “I just think that our D-line is going to be able to like attract attention and I think we’re going to be able to get downhill and I just have this like sneaky feeling that he’s going that Patrick Queen is going to have a big season.”This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Ben Roethlisberger predicts monster season for Steelers Patrick Queen