Twenty or thirty years from now Mason Rudolph will look back and wonder what might have been. I think this is something we all do but the current Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback probably has more right than most especially following news today that he’ll start on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Not all of what has occurred in Rudolph’s career has had to do with him. Perhaps better said, there are certain things that had nothing to do with his on-field performance. It’s no secret that when he has had opportunities they haven’t exactly gone well. He was once benched for a guy named ‘Duck’ and that was absolutely due to his poor play. But having his own 
helmet used as a weapon against him in Cleveland had nothing to with his play. Being called a “racist” during the same event wasn’t fair to him either. Having his facemask removed making him look like the Great Gazoo from The Flintstones wasn’t very flattering either. Essentially, Rudolph’s career in Pittsburgh has largely been one of below average play and some really odd moments.
And how ironic is it that Mike Tomlin now turns to him to save the Steelers’ season? While a loss doesn’t officially knock them out of the playoff race, it makes their chances extremely difficult. With Mitchell Trubisky turning the ball over way too much and Kenny Pickett “having a chance” to play this week, Tomlin has elected to go with Rudy.
When he was drafted in 2018 in the third round, I wasn’t a fan of it. I believed that they were still a year or two away from looking for a successor to Ben Roethlisberger but more importantly, they would have been wiser to select a lineman or linebacker. Because then General Manager Kevin Colbert and his scouts had a “first round grade” on Rudolph they felt that they couldn’t pass on the opportunity.
In his 18 career games however his play has been anything but “first round.” To be fair, he’s often played with sub-par talent around him whether due to injuries or the fact that players were being rested. The numbers are what they are however and after literally standing on the sidelines for nearly two full seasons, Tomlin has turned to him for a spark.
I’ve never been a fan of Rudolph as a QB but I’ve also never rooted against the man. He’s often been dealt a difficult hand with each and every moment he’s taken the field in Pittsburgh and it’s happening again. With the Steelers’ season on the line, he’s expected to play well and that’s not fair but it is what is.
Whatever happens on Saturday will no doubt add to the moments that Rudolph looks back on. While people like me won’t really remember much about his time here I have no doubt he will. He’ll think about the “what ifs” and “what might have beens” and he’s well within his rights to do so. Regardless of what I think of him as a quarterback, he’ll be leading my team and he’ll have my support this week.
