Mason Rudolph never had a shot in Pittsburgh from the moment he was drafted. It wasn’t necessarily his fault either. The odds were stacked against him from the beginning and then a series of events followed that resembled the chapters of a Stephen King novel. What follows below is what I hope will explain how we got here with Mason Rudolph.
The Draft Hate
Much like the fourth round drafting of Landry Jones, the third round selection of Rudolph angered many fans. The team desperately needed help in other areas yet Kevin Colbert made the choice. He did Rudolph no favors when he said the Steelers had a “first round grade” on him. I still don’t believe that to be true and it haunted Rudolph from a fan perspective because we’ve never seen “first round” play from him.
The Succesor
Fans also despised Rudolph because he was largely seen as the successor to Ben Roethlisberger. Guys that follow future Hall of Famers are rarely welcomed with open arms but fans never accepted Mason in that role and even with Big Ben gone, that feeling hasn’t changed.
Was the hate because his name is ‘Mason?’ I’ve been told that… “He doesn’t sound like a Pittsburgh QB” one person told me. “He’s too polished… He doesn’t have that “blue collar” look to him” said another. Yes, these are the things that matter to fans believe it or not. In the end, the idea that anyone would replace Roethlisberger was too much for most to handle.
The Duck
When Roethlisberger went down in week 2 of 2019, Rudolph entered and played well enough to get some wins despite tough losses in those first few weeks. As teams started to see what his strengths and weaknesses were, his play started to deteriorate. That’s when little known third stringer Devlin “Duck ” Hodges entered the scene. Hodges was a “Pittsburgh Guy” despite not being from here. He had a nickname that came from his love of hunting, something many in Western PA are familiar. He was tough, gritty and likable from the start. He was the complete opposite of the seemingly more uptight Rudolph.
The Helmets
In the 2019 contest against Baltimore at Heinz Field, Rudolph was knocked out. Literally. Trainers and doctors made the decision to keep him immobilized and during that process they removed his facemask. Much of the discussion that followed was the fact that Rudolph should have been carted off the field. Instead, he refused to leave that way and wanted to walk off on his own. What should have been a moment to celebrate his toughness turned into any number of memes making fun of his facemask-less helmet and bewildered look.
Later that season in Cleveland, he was nearly bludgeoned with his own helmet by Myles Garrett. Again, this should have been a moment where fans rallied around Rudolph and celebrated his fight and willingness to “hang in there” against a hated rival. While many in Steelers Nation rightfully went after Garrett, Rudolph again became the butt of jokes for reasons I don’t know that any of us will truly understand.
The Results
In the 2019 season, Rudolph would win five of the eight games he started. He completed 62% of his passes for over 1,700 yards and 13 TDs and nine INTs. He would start two more times, once in 2020 and once in 2021 where he totaled a loss in Cleveland and a tie at home against Detroit. Those numbers are not terrible. They aren’t great, but they aren’t terrible and honestly they could be much worse.
But fans in the Steel City don’t accept ‘average’ especially from their quarterback. Rudolph fans will argue that his lack of a Quarterbacks Coach his rookie year is part of what slowed his growth. I’m not in any position to disagree with that. A young player needs that sort of mentorship especially when they are getting very few snaps in practice and even less in games.
The Competition
When Rudolph signed a one-year deal to remain with the Steelers, there was never any guarantee that this meant he was destined to be the starter. Despite being the only QB under contract at the time, many interpreted just that. When Mitchell Trubisky signed on the first day of free agency and Kenny Pickett was selected in the first round, the writing was on the wall. If Rudolph was truly going to be the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers he would need to make a drastic jump in his overall play and he’d probably need some help along the way too.
In the early days of Training Camp, Rudolph was often the best QB on the field at St. Vincent College. He was more in command, more accurate and was just overall a better player. Both Trubisky and Pickett struggled and I tend to believe much of that was due to still learning the offense which Rudolph largely knew. As the first preseason games approached, both Trubisky and Pickett started to perform better.
This was proven accurate by their respective performances in those preseason games. It wasn’t so much that Rudolph was “bad,” it’s just that the other two brought more to the table. In essence, Rudolph was who he was. I think Colbert’s “we had a first round grade on him” comment was something that should have never been said. His numbers at Oklahoma State may have suggested that but his overall ability never did.
To Rudolph’s credit, he has seldom if ever complained. As he did this week, he typically says all of the right things and doesn’t rock the boat. He will likely be in sweats this weekend in Cincinnati while Trubisky starts and Pickett backs up. In the event of injury, his availability this season will be crucial as not many teams will have a third-stringer with his kind of experience. Should another team with QB issues of its’ own come calling, Omar Khan will listen.
At some point, whether this season or next, Mason Rudolph will get an opportunity with another team. He deserves that. He’s put up with an awful lot from fans and the vast majority has never been warranted. It’s been an interesting and curious few years for Rudolph and I wish him well when his new start happens.
