Mason Rudolph

[JMM]

MR seemed like he gave the Steelers a shot at winning every start he had a couple years ago and that was with arguably the worst OC we have ever had. Maybe he was on the sidelines so long that it took 5 games for the scouting to catch up to him.

I'd like to think that getting #1 QB reps from day 1, an improved line, and no doubt better game planning, I think he'll be fine. I'm more worried about the defense that has totally lost its identity and would have a hard time forcing it's will upon the worst that the NFL has to offer. A D so bad that mo top notch QB could ever hope to take this team to the next level. What's changed? They've just gotten a year older.

So while QB is the position under the microscope, I don't think Rudolph is going to cause the team to lose anymore games than if we had a seasoned young vet under center. I think he gives us a better shot than an old guy who should have retired about 5-6 years ago.

Afterall, if we sign AR, why the hell were we so quick to push Ben out the door? I think Ben would give us a better shot at winning now than AR. Much fewer miles on the treads and given the same tools to work with and equivalent play calling was a better QB by a landslide

 

[slashsteel]

With Mason as the starter, I see the Steelers winning maybe 7 wins, 8 if they have a real strong ground game. He'll put them in better position for a high draft pick at QB than a playoff win. Odds are they'll be bad enough that Howard will get some starts at the end of the season.

Seems pretty reasonable forecast. From a football standpoint I still think he has trouble fitting the football into tight windows.

I think they are hoping that AA rod comes aboard.

But that might turn into an empty handed hope.

We will see.

 

[SteelerFan448]

Seems pretty reasonable forecast. From a football standpoint I still think he has trouble fitting the football into tight windows.

I think they are hoping that AA rod comes aboard.

But that might turn into an empty handed hope.

We will see.

Rudolph is the perfect bridge QB for a high draft pick. Rodgers is the QB if you want to try to make the playoffs and get blown out by the 2 seed like always.

 

[FordFairLane]

I think Howard is as good a competitor as any vets that were legitimately available. He has played a lot of football against good teams and won.

Big leap forward to the NFL.

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

Big leap forward to the NFL.

Maybe but considering the team he played on sent 14 players to the draft and he got battle tested in a real playoff system I like the pick and the roll of the dice. Besides these kids make more in college now than some rookie deals.

 

[topseed]

Actually nothing has really changed with Mason Rudolph. He went to a different team and registered an 80.1 passer rating, which is about right because he played for a really bad offense. His career rating is 84.7, significantly lower than the average QB for the current era. He is still what he's always been -- a capable backup who can come in and get the job done in winnable games. How many of those will the Steelers have this year? Too early to tell.

I will be rooting for the guy to somehow turn the corner and become a quality NFL starter. Mason is a fantastic teammate and citizen. But he's already turning 30 in July. If I expect anything different this year than what I've seen in his performance to date, I'm most likely going to be quite disappointed.

The whole point is moot anyway if/when Rodgers signs, which I still expect to happen.

 

[bermudasteel]

And you have always had a man crush on Ben

 

[bermudasteel]

I think Howard is as good a competitor as any vets that were legitimately available. He has played a lot of football against good teams and won.

This thread got me thinking...

"What IF, Rodgers DOESN'T sign???"

Who's to say that Howard doesn't have the talent to beat both Rudy and Skylar outright during training camp?

Obviously, this puts is PURE SPECULATION, but it could happen...

 

[bermudasteel]

With Mason as the starter, I see the Steelers winning maybe 7 wins, 8 if they have a real strong ground game. He'll put them in better position for a high draft pick at QB than a playoff win. Odds are they'll be bad enough that Howard will get some starts at the end of the season.

This seems like "play to lose this season" mentality...

I still can't wrap my head around this option.

 

[bermudasteel]

MR seemed like he gave the Steelers a shot at winning every start he had a couple years ago and that was with arguably the worst OC we have ever had. Maybe he was on the sidelines so long that it took 5 games for the scouting to catch up to him.

I'd like to think that getting #1 QB reps from day 1, an improved line, and no doubt better game planning, I think he'll be fine. I'm more worried about the defense that has totally lost its identity and would have a hard time forcing it's will upon the worst that the NFL has to offer. A D so bad that mo top notch QB could ever hope to take this team to the next level. What's changed? They've just gotten a year older.

So while QB is the position under the microscope, I don't think Rudolph is going to cause the team to lose anymore games than if we had a seasoned young vet under center. I think he gives us a better shot than an old guy who should have retired about 5-6 years ago.

Afterall, if we sign AR, why the hell were we so quick to push Ben out the door? I think Ben would give us a better shot at winning now than AR. Much fewer miles on the treads and given the same tools to work with and equivalent play calling was a better QB by a landslide

Nice post, old man!

Two things I want to bring up:

1. I will support whoever we trot out at QB with vigor, but as Lebanon and I have been saying for a while now, "the offense had to score more points and stay in the field so that the defense can be the defense".
2. Ben's elbow/arm talent fell off after the injury - it would have been amazing to watch him play with George in his prime...

 

[FordFairLane]

Maybe but considering the team he played on sent 14 players to the draft and he got battle tested in a real playoff system I like the pick and the roll of the dice. Besides these kids make more in college now than some rookie deals.

I’m not saying he shouldn’t be allowed to compete. Just the level of competition even at OSU on a championship team isn’t what he’ll face week in and week out of the NFL.

 

[madinsomniac]

Will Howard is 73/75 for 29 TDs and 0 INTs at OTAs!!!

Do you know who used to tear up OTAs? Kordell ******* Stewart... Stan Savaran once said on sportsbeat that he had the best touch on a football since Terry Bradshaw after watching a practice... then the real games started and that touch evaporated

There is a reason they sarcastically call it football in shorts...

 

[Drink IRON City]

When asked what it's going to be like being around a HOF QB and what you can learn from him, and you just blow it off and act like you could care less and you don't need him to teach you anything, that's cocky. Look at how Harmon is with Heyward, saying he can't wait to learn from him, he's going do everything he can to learn from a guy like that.
Look how Herbig was with Watt, young guys come in every season and say how great it'll be to learn from these great players, not Mason, he had nothing to learn.
The part no one ever talks about is Ben called Mason and welcomed him to the team before that, but that doesn't fit the usual narrative towards Ben, so it's swept under the rug.

I have multiple die hard Steelers fans friends, they never remember these facts until I remind them. The average fan hasn’t a clue to this.

Point being, Ben was scrutinized beyond the facts of the allegations for the narrative and mostly for
winners depreciation (meaning the teams Ben beat had sore loser fans and because the Steelers were continuous winners).



Salute the nation

 

[Coryea]

no doubt but so has coryea's loyalty over the last 15 years or so

LOL, not necessarily loyalty, just when people can't get a damn story straight and just listen to the national narrative.

 

[Lloyd]

Rudolph is the perfect bridge QB for a high draft pick. Rodgers is the QB if you want to try to make the playoffs and get blown out by the 2 seed like always.

If he makes it that far (week 1 of playoffs). I'm not so sure he will.

 

[Lloyd]

Do you know who used to tear up OTAs? Kordell ******* Stewart... Stan Savaran once said on sportsbeat that he had the best touch on a football since Terry Bradshaw after watching a practice... then the real games started and that touch evaporated

There is a reason they sarcastically call it football in shorts...

I remember those days. At first Kordell was seen as some kind of anomaly; a neat trick to play with. He was pretty effective in his slash roll. And then Cowher was all about trending him to legit QB. He had zero ability to go deep, his college most famous play notwithstanding.

 

[ZonaBurgh]

This seems like "play to lose this season" mentality...

I still can't wrap my head around this option.

Same here, I'll always be a fan, although I do realize that as the season progresses and reality sets in, draft position does cross my mind.

For now though, 20-0 Baby!

 

[Lloyd]

Same here, I'll always be a fan, although I do realize that as the season progresses and reality sets in, draft position does cross my mind.

For now though, 20-0 Baby!

When you get hit on the head by a hammer long enough, you learn through repetition. "Clang, clang, clang." Maybe that Tomlin is full of s---.

 

[madinsomniac]

I remember those days. At first Kordell was seen as some kind of anomaly; a neat trick to play with. He was pretty effective in his slash roll. And then Cowher was all about trending him to legit QB. He had zero ability to go deep, his college most famous play notwithstanding.

Kordell had a hell of an arm... I remember him launching a 73 yarder in the deep ball competition at the pro bowl... the problems he had were all in his head... after that AFC CG in 97 he became insistent on being a pocket passer and he started firing short passes at a zillion mph trying to avoid interceptions...
that led to tipped pass picks, wormburners, and comical overthrows... he just wasnt mentally tough enough to handle Yinzer jackassery... he should have just tuned them out...

 

[Confluence]

This thread got me thinking...

"What IF, Rodgers DOESN'T sign???"

Who's to say that Howard doesn't have the talent to beat both Rudy and Skylar outright during training camp?

Obviously, this puts is PURE SPECULATION, but it could happen...

Holy Ben!

That'd be a great sutuation!

 

[Avoid_Lloyd]

With Mason as the starter, I see the Steelers winning maybe 7 wins, 8 if they have a real strong ground game. He'll put them in better position for a high draft pick at QB than a playoff win. Odds are they'll be bad enough that Howard will get some starts at the end of the season.

Can our oline protect immobile QBs like Rodgers or Rudolph who hold the ball a bit longer? Rudolph wasn’t all that durable in his time here. We might be seeing Howard way before he’s ready unless protection gets way better

 

[Lloyd]

Same here, I'll always be a fan, although I do realize that as the season progresses and reality sets in, draft position does cross my mind.

For now though, 20-0 Baby!

When you get hit on the head by a hammer long enough, you learn through repetition. "Clang, clang, clang."

Kordell had a hell of an arm... I remember him launching a 73 yarder in the deep ball competition at the pro bowl... the problems he had were all in his head... after that AFC CG in 97 he became insistent on being a pocket passer and he started firing short passes at a zillion mph trying to avoid interceptions...
that led to tipped pass picks, wormburners, and comical overthrows... he just wasnt mentally tough enough to handle Yinzer jackassery... he should have just tuned them out...

Yea, there were A LOT of things testing in toughness. He might have been able to throw it far, but I can't recall ever seeing him complete a long pass, other than the famous one in CO in college. Once Pgh released him it didn't take long before other teams exposed him as a crappy QB (I think 1st Chicago then Balt.) Cowher really hung onto keeping him as a QB. He only had about 1 good season. The end of the 1st half vs. Denver and 2nd half of that playoff game brings back some bad memories. I was at that one.

 

[Steelmann]

Can our oline protect immobile QBs like Rodgers or Rudolph who hold the ball a bit longer? Rudolph wasn’t all that durable in his time here. We might be seeing Howard way before he’s ready unless protection gets way better

Serious question here. You state “ Rudolph wasn’t all that durable in his time here “. Is my memory slipping? I can’t remember Rudolph even getting enough opportunities to say this. Unless of course you are strictly counting some ******* thug taking off his helmet and beaming Rudy in the head as a typical football injury. What other injuries are you referring to?

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

Serious question here. You state “ Rudolph wasn’t all that durable in his time here “. Is my memory slipping? I can’t remember Rudolph even getting enough opportunities to say this. Unless of course you are strictly counting some ******* thug taking off his helmet and beaming Rudy in the head as a typical football injury. What other injuries are you referring to?

He also was knocked cold by the Ravens that started his whole downslide that season then has his arm near ripped off against the Jets after coming in and looking fantastic. I wouldn't call him injury prone, but I would say he is willing to stand in the pocket and make a throw knowing a hit is coming and that isn't always great for long-term health even if it is admirable.

 

[Drink IRON City]

When you get hit on the head by a hammer long enough, you learn through repetition. "Clang, clang, clang." Maybe that Tomlin is full of s---.

Kind of like reading the “same” post over and over and over and over and over aND over…………………..BAR





Salute the nation