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With the Wednesday morning news of Dwayne Haskins getting the start in the final preseason game against the Carolina Panthers, this raised some eyebrows across Steeler Nation. Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin has been adamant about several things throughout the preseason, two of which being that he is not ready to set a final depth chart at any position and every player needs to prove themselves for each roster spot. With that said however, we’ve seen Mason Rudolph take the bulk of the first team snaps in the preseason games, leaving Haskins with the second and third teams. With the offseason extension of Rudolph’s contract paired with him taking the large share of first and second team reps, it was almost as if coach Tomlin saw the second-string quarterback job as Rudolph’s to lose. But with one last week of preseason game preparation and the final wave of cuts looming, who has the upper hand to secure the second quarterback spot? Let’s get into it.
We know there is a multitude of different ways coaches, general managers, and analysts rate and gauge players. Whether if it is numbers, leadership, football acumen, or otherwise, there are so many different variables that play into player comparisons. For sake of argument, let’s look at some basic numbers from the preseason thus far. First, we have Rudolph. In the past three games, Rudolph completed a total of 27 passes of 36 attempts (equating to a 75% completion rate) for 299 total yards (average of 11.07 yards per completion) with no touchdowns nor interceptions. Haskins completed 28 passes of 42 attempts (equating to a 67% completion rate) for 271 yards (average of 9.6 yards per completion) with a touchdown and no interceptions. These numbers tell us that Rudolph is much more efficient in his passes compared to Haskins, but Haskins can get the ball across the goal line. On paper head-to-head, I consider Rudolph and Haskins to be almost equal in production with a slight edge to Haskins. I think coaches would settle for a 67% completion rate over 75% if it leads to touchdowns. However, the quarterback is responsible for leading the team of 11 players down the field. So what about other scoring opportunities?
The only way to win football games is to score more points than the opponent. If the offense can’t score, there is no way of winning, regardless of how good the defense is (look at the 2019 season). Therefore, let’s look at what score totals Rudolph and Haskins have posted. In the span of the last three games when Rudolph was in the game, a total of 9 points were scored. These came in the form of three field goals; no touchdowns to account for. Haskins on the other hand was able to post 36 points when he was on the field. This statistic comes back to what I just mentioned, in that although Haskins has a lower completion percentage and lower yards-per-pass average, his offense is productive on the field.
A final assessment fans rely on most is the eye test. When we watch Rudolph on the field, we tend to see poor pocket awareness, poor judgement on throws, and limited mobility. Just think back to that third-and-short play against the Detroit Lions. Rudolph bypassed an easy completion underneath for a first down in favor of a deep 50/50 ball to JuJu Smith-Schuster that resulted in an incompletion and a field goal attempt. Meanwhile in the fourth quarter on a third-and-five play, Haskins was able to escape the pocket and make a 10-yard run for a first down. Although the eye test is the most basic (and maybe amateur) assessment, it is still very effective, and I give Haskins the edge in that test.
Looking at what we’ve seen in preseason play so far, I like Haskins as the Ben Roethlisberger back-up. Compared to Rudolph, I feel more comfortable seeing Haskins in command of the offense. Who knows, looking into the not-so-distant future, we may see Haskins rise to QB1.
Who do you think wins the QB2 spot? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
We know there is a multitude of different ways coaches, general managers, and analysts rate and gauge players. Whether if it is numbers, leadership, football acumen, or otherwise, there are so many different variables that play into player comparisons. For sake of argument, let’s look at some basic numbers from the preseason thus far. First, we have Rudolph. In the past three games, Rudolph completed a total of 27 passes of 36 attempts (equating to a 75% completion rate) for 299 total yards (average of 11.07 yards per completion) with no touchdowns nor interceptions. Haskins completed 28 passes of 42 attempts (equating to a 67% completion rate) for 271 yards (average of 9.6 yards per completion) with a touchdown and no interceptions. These numbers tell us that Rudolph is much more efficient in his passes compared to Haskins, but Haskins can get the ball across the goal line. On paper head-to-head, I consider Rudolph and Haskins to be almost equal in production with a slight edge to Haskins. I think coaches would settle for a 67% completion rate over 75% if it leads to touchdowns. However, the quarterback is responsible for leading the team of 11 players down the field. So what about other scoring opportunities?
The only way to win football games is to score more points than the opponent. If the offense can’t score, there is no way of winning, regardless of how good the defense is (look at the 2019 season). Therefore, let’s look at what score totals Rudolph and Haskins have posted. In the span of the last three games when Rudolph was in the game, a total of 9 points were scored. These came in the form of three field goals; no touchdowns to account for. Haskins on the other hand was able to post 36 points when he was on the field. This statistic comes back to what I just mentioned, in that although Haskins has a lower completion percentage and lower yards-per-pass average, his offense is productive on the field.
A final assessment fans rely on most is the eye test. When we watch Rudolph on the field, we tend to see poor pocket awareness, poor judgement on throws, and limited mobility. Just think back to that third-and-short play against the Detroit Lions. Rudolph bypassed an easy completion underneath for a first down in favor of a deep 50/50 ball to JuJu Smith-Schuster that resulted in an incompletion and a field goal attempt. Meanwhile in the fourth quarter on a third-and-five play, Haskins was able to escape the pocket and make a 10-yard run for a first down. Although the eye test is the most basic (and maybe amateur) assessment, it is still very effective, and I give Haskins the edge in that test.
Looking at what we’ve seen in preseason play so far, I like Haskins as the Ben Roethlisberger back-up. Compared to Rudolph, I feel more comfortable seeing Haskins in command of the offense. Who knows, looking into the not-so-distant future, we may see Haskins rise to QB1.
Who do you think wins the QB2 spot? Let us know in the comments below!
#SteelerNation
Support SteelerNation by clicking here to read the story..
