Mason is back

[MT~Forged]

Sure but the Steelers had and still have other options. They shouldn't be waiting for Rodgers to decide. Work with Wilson to bring him and Smith together so they can work together. Bring in other QB's or look to trade for other vets - not 40 year olds but guys 35 or younger. Heck, Will Levis showed some skills but ended up getting benched. What would it take to get him or someone like him in a Steelers uniform. Not saying he's the guy but they need to be constantly working the phones and if they find someone before Rodgers makes a decision, too bad for Rodgers. Pull your offer. This team is not a QB away (unless it's a young guy who develops) from winning anything.

Sitting and waiting is the worst thing they can do as they watch all other potential candidates sign with someone else. They could have. had Daniels. All he wanted was a shot to start again. I mean, why the f... not? They should have been seriously going after him,

Do you actually believe that the Steelers are just sitting back and doing nothing else? I don't, and you won't convince me that they are. Hell, Rudolph was signed, that proves they are not just "Sitting & waiting"

 

[MT~Forged]

How many people wanted Rudolph to get the chance to be QB1 before? Now he may well finally get that chance.

Very unlikely, but it would be hilarious if he turned out to be a solid QB for the Steelers and could hold off the next rookie drafted for a few years.

 

[Fiji Mariner]

I’d say I definitely preferred the idea of Rudy getting a year as QB1 to drafting KFP in the first OR bringing in T-Biscuit. Colbert threw a couple
Grenades on his way out the door.

This time around I feel like if you can trade back to the 26-28 range and pick up a day 2 pick that opens some options. A solid DL will still be there at the 26-28 range…but if Dart is too I have to wonder if he isn’t the other guy thrown in the mix.

Of course the next couple/few weeks of free agency could definitely push the draft a QB in the first outta the picture.

 

[Lloyd]

View attachment 14069

And the thud you heard were both Steeler teams trying to win in the playoffs."Thud!" No prayer to win, no chance.

 

[Super Dave]

Isn't he a poor man's KFP?

7 years in college vs 5, with the last one being the best. That doesn't mean he sucks, but how many starting QBs had ever been 26 yr old rookies? Maybe Kurt Warner?

Rudy is just a couple years older with 6 years NFL experience heading into this season. Assuming the Steelers can develop any rookie QB, wouldn't it be better to grab a much younger prospect?

 

[Super Dave]

Shoulgh will fit right in with the Nation

 

[KentuckySteeler]

Wouldn't be supprised if Mason and Malik Willis are our two QB's, lmao. Or Milroe or Ewers drafted (puke).

Tomlin has run this straight into a ditch and gotten rich off of it. Dispicable.

 

[jitter77]

Rodgers is not holding anyone hostage. I have never heard Rodgers say he even wanted to pay here. From my understanding it seems to be between the giants, steelers, and vikings. If I was Rodgers i would be waiting on the vikings as well. You get jefferson, Addison, and an up and coming young offensive coach. Several free agents had rejected the steelers and guys who left haven't been too complimentary. Guys are certainly not begging to play here anymore

 

[TDX27]

Do you actually believe that the Steelers are just sitting back and doing nothing else? I don't, and you won't convince me that they are. Hell, Rudolph was signed, that proves they are not just "Sitting & waiting"

It's the perception. Yes, they appear to be doing nothing to get a starting QB once Fields moved on and they screwed the Fields and Wilson situations royally. They sure do appear to be waiting on Rodgers and all the pundits say the same thing. In my comments, I've said I hope they aren't waiting for him and they appear to be doing just that. Why wasn't a deadline give to him a few days ago? Why haven't they brought anyone else in? Why haven't there been any leaks in days about them approaching any other QB? Why haven't they moved on from Rodgers and hired another QB other than Rudolph and just let them compete for the starting job? So, yes, it sure appears they are just waiting on Rodgers and hoping he comes aboard. Heck, Winston said he'd play here. Levis is still an option to try and trade for and he has upside.

There are no good options left but they should have admitted they screwed up royally, brought in a few guys and just let them go at. The team will be taking their lumps this year one way or another and they need to draft a QB this year and possibly again in a year or two. This is the bed they made, now they must lie in it.

 

[MT~Forged]

Just because YOU are not seeing any moves doesn’t mean that things are not being done. No team has a daily press event to discuss what they did yesterday and are doing today or will be tomorrow.

If you had actual behind the scenes access, I would bet you would feel differently.

I still say that Kahn is having a hard time selling the QB position in Pittsburgh with the history Tomlin has and other QB’s leaving.

 

[Litos]

Rodgers is obviously waiting for the vikings to give him an offer

 

[insaniti]

Forcing a deadline on Rodgers does nothing to help the situation. The giants aren't going to sign Wilson until Rodgers decides. So we aren't going to lose out on him, even tho I don't think they want him back...

First, FA started Tuesday. The draft isn't until April 24th. There's no team activities until April 21st. Second, it's not like he played here last season and isn't sure if he's returning, he just spent two really bad years in NY. It's a free agent for the first time. His two realistic options are not great teams. And he's 41...it's a lot to think about. A lot to make sure he's all in on.

 

[topseed]

I read the offer was for $15 million/yr, 2 years. That means he was valued $5 million less than NY and not as much guaranteed plus apparently the starting spot.

The team has more insight into Fields “value” than NY does. He played as you would hope your B/U will when needed. He didn’t do anything special, and obviously didn’t impress enough to try and salvage any of the last 6 games. The valued him as a B/U with a chance to start. NY valued him as a possible starter hence the higher payment. Next year will show who was right.

Actually, Fields played much better than a backup. He had a career-high passer rating of 93.3, good for 19th in the league among qualified quarterbacks. That ranking doesn't include, of course, his 289 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns on the ground. Of those 18 QBs ahead of Fields on that list, only three were younger: Daniels, Purdy, and Nix. Fields is still young enough to improve on the foundation of his considerable skillset.

I give zero credence to the Steelers' "insight" on evaluating quarterbacks, and more specifically, Tomlin's. Ben fell into his lap when he got the job, and he has mishandled the position every step of the way, with no plan put in place as Ben's skills began to decline.

Next year is not going to prove anything, because Fields will be on his fifth coordinator in five years. That was the point in having him stay in Pittsburgh -- to see how he would have performed in his second season under the same OC.

I said they looked to still upgrade from the Fields option, not that they were going to pull it off

You probably look to hit the lottery and keep on scratchin', too.

We differ here, I agree that he had the right to COMPETE to start. Though with Tomlin, who knows if it would be a real shot

The reporting made it sound like he felt entitled to be the starter, he hadn’t earn that yet. This is not the second year that a QB didn’t want to COMPETE for the job.

You obviously didn’t read all of that part of the post because IF he started and played well, I would have paid more than NY and made sure he got more money going forward. If he didn’t start he would have been paid based on the 24 B/U QB’s $$$. Being on the hook for $20 million a year for a backup was too much in my opinion.

Yes, we certainly do differ. Fields, in fact, did play well in his starts last season, even though he was greatly handicapped by the arcane philosophy of his head coach. The numbers speak for themselves. He is good enough to be a starting NFL quarterback, and he is still relatively underpaid by the Jets when looking at what starters are making these days.

 

[topseed]

It's not about "getting you", just discussing a point, in a friendly way. Roberts would be riding the pine with the development of Wilson and the return of Holcomb, your 4th LB better be a ST demon, then there's also the age factor. The guaranteed money is just 1 more million than what Roberts got, and this comes from a guy that really wanted him back and felt he was a Steeler through and through.

Also I really doubt the reason they didn't sign Field was because they got Malik at 10M for 2 years instead of Roberts at 3M. The money is there, the problem is probably that Tomlin doesn't trust him enough... Which sucks

I know, I was just being coy. Always enjoy our friendly discussions.

I see no good reason why they would not have brought Roberts back at that price. At the very least, he was a valuable rotational guy, and given Holcomb's injury history, having quality depth at that position would seem to make sense.

Never said that they didn't get Fields because of Malik Harrison. Said I would have preferred that they'd spent that $10 million more wisely. As @MT~Forged mentioned, $8 million is peanuts when you're talking about the QB position. So is 10.

 

[topseed]

That wasn’t clear. The “system” typically means the offensive system which is Arthur Smith’s offense which he has not ran before.

Typically, but not in this case. Besides the OC, Rudolph will certainly have familiarity with just about everything else in Pittsburgh after spending several years in Tomlin's system, so it's a logical assumption.

 

[MT~Forged]

Yes, we certainly do differ. Fields, in fact, did play well in his starts last season, even though he was greatly handicapped by the arcane philosophy of his head coach. The numbers speak for themselves. He is good enough to be a starting NFL quarterback, and he is still relatively underpaid by the Jets when looking at what starters are making these days.

You think I undervalue Fields, I believe you overvalue him, it happens.

Where we do agree is that Fields was the better option going forward. As was Rudolph when they chose to go with Trubisky. Neither one of those guys got a dedicated chance to see what they could do. When you have a HC that makes reactionary decisions instead of proactive ones you will always have the same issues. He lives in his fears and always plays to not lose, except when he quits on his team like he did at least twice last year.

 

[str8liner]

Ben is NOT going to be happy about this.......

From the best QB situation you could ask for last year to the very real possibility that Mason Freaking Rudolph could start this year.

Just keep those .500 seasons a comin!

 

[Lloyd]

Rodgers is not holding anyone hostage. I have never heard Rodgers say he even wanted to pay here. From my understanding it seems to be between the giants, steelers, and vikings. If I was Rodgers i would be waiting on the vikings as well. You get jefferson, Addison, and an up and coming young offensive coach. Several free agents had rejected the steelers and guys who left haven't been too complimentary. Guys are certainly not begging to play here anymore

My God, look at the offense! The OL, the game plan, the QB plan, the running game, the philosophy! Who in their right mind would want any part of this team? Pure insanity.

 

[Black & Gold Bleeder]

My God, look at the offense! The OL, the game plan, the QB plan, the running game, the philosophy! Who in their right mind would want any part of this team? Pure insanity.

 

[topseed]

You don't take Toronto Maple Leaf's junk. That's for sure.

I don't know, man. Timmins has shown me more ability in a few games than Graves has in two years, and Dewar has more goals in the last two games than Matt Nieto had in 53 games in Pittsburgh. To have success in the NHL, you need third-pair defenseman and fourth-line forwards to be able to contribute at times. So far, so good with these guys.

Also, it's funny how some good goaltending makes the entire team look better. Kind of similar to good quarterback play...hmmm.

 

[topseed]

You think I undervalue Fields, I believe you overvalue him, it happens.

Where we do agree is that Fields was the better option going forward. As was Rudolph when they chose to go with Trubisky. Neither one of those guys got a dedicated chance to see what they could do. When you have a HC that makes reactionary decisions instead of proactive ones you will always have the same issues. He lives in his fears and always plays to not lose, except when he quits on his team like he did at least twice last year.

Can't argue with much of that, although I did think that giving Trubisky a shot as the starter was a good move at the time. I was wrong about him.

 

[MT~Forged]

Can't argue with much of that, although I did think that giving Trubisky a shot as the starter was a good move at the time. I was wrong about him.

I thought that signing was the wrong move at the time. I was on record with giving the year to Rudolph to sink or swim. Rudolph might have had given the team a shot at Stroud in 23.

 

[Drink IRON City]

How many people wanted Rudolph to get the chance to be QB1 before? Now he may well finally get that chance.

Very unlikely, but it would be hilarious if he turned out to be a solid QB for the Steelers and could hold off the next rookie drafted for a few years.

I agree, he showed signs of that for the last three games of the season, when the Offense was loosened up.

Instant down turn in playoffs hence the HC shout things down and came out with the handcuffed version offense.

I’m willing to roll with Red Nose as long as an investment is made in a rookie and groomed / developed.


Salute the nation

 

[MT~Forged]

I agree, he showed signs of that for the last three games of the season, when the Offense was loosened up.

Instant down turn in playoffs hence the HC shout things down and came out with the handcuffed version offense.

I’m willing to roll with Red Nose as long as an investment is made in a rookie and groomed / developed.


Salute the nation

I would also roll this season with Rudolph also, but we all know that if Rodgers agrees they will overpay because they think they are a QB away from winning it all.

 

[FordFairLane]

At this point I roll with Rudolph, sign Flacco to a 1 year 4.5m deal, and draft Dart. Have a true open competition and let the best player win. Rudolph and Flacco both are good deep ball throwers and that has been Darts forte at Ole Miss. Rodgers just doesn’t have the arm to deep bomb it anymore.