Serious question If Rudolph keeps struggling, do we dare play Devlin Hodges?

[Six Rings]

Rudolph is locking on to one receiver too often. He's not fast, he doesn't have a big arm, and he's really fumble prone. On the other hand he's a leader and can be accurate with a nice touch on the deep ball. Overall, I'd say he's a back up.

But the question remains can we win Rudolph, the way we won with say Charlie Batch when he had to play? I'm not sure. What I am sure of is many rookie QB's and 2nd year QB's are getting better results, and indication that Rudolph isn't in their class.

If Rudolph struggles, do the Steelers dare play Hodges? IMO Hodges has the better arm, better legs, and seems just as accurate. In camp his accuracy was excellent. One writer said, Hodges 71.8% completion rate in camp was the highest he's seen in the six years he has tracked camp stats, and that includes six years with Ben. Impressive.

If the season is lost due to an 0-4 or 1-4 start, I want to find out if Hodges can play and to do that he needs to start a game or two. The question is does Tomlin have the stones or brains to do this?

[SteeleReign]

It's going to take a LOT more than an 0-4 start (two losses against Rudolph) before we see Hodges.

Give the kid more time to develop than 2.5 games. Geesh.

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[Shoes]

He started his first NFL game last week and score two TD. I think I'd at least give him a chance. :chuckle:

[Six Rings]

It's going to take a LOT more than an 0-4 start (two losses against Rudolph) before we see Hodges.

Give the kid more time to develop than 2.5 games. Geesh.

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Okay, our bye week is week #7. If Rudolph isn't getting the job done, then this is the perfect time for a switch. This would give him 6 games played. IMO enough to evaluate what he can and cannot do.

Agreed?

[86WARD]

Fichtner blows...it’s obvious as he’s running the same exact plays with Rudolph that he ran with Ben. Mistake number one...

[Six Rings]

Fichtner blows...it’s obvious as he’s running the same exact plays with Rudolph that he ran with Ben. Mistake number one...

I rewatched the game, Rudolph is locked on one receiver too often, and throwing it short, which kills our running game. He really doesn't buy himself a 2nd chance often, and we punt a lot with him. We play a terrible Cincinnati team at home Monday night. Well see how he does.

[SteeleReign]

Okay, our bye week is week #7. If Rudolph isn't getting the job done, then this is the perfect time for a switch. This would give him 6 games played. IMO enough to evaluate what he can and cannot do.

Agreed?Maybe, but not likely. What metrics are you using to evaluate?

What if the o-line continues to regress, and the running game suffers, and the coaches continue to put him in difficult situations?

What if the defense puts us in a hole and the offense has to abandon the running game?

What if our special teams can't give him decent field position?

I think there are far too many issues with the team to put too much weight on Rudolph's performance.

If he comes out and throws 4-5 picks a game and can't move the ball because he's missing open receivers, then MAYBE you take a look at Hodges. But I haven't seen any evidence so far that Mason will play that poorly.

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[SteeleReign]

I rewatched the game, Rudolph is locked on one receiver too often, and throwing it short, which kills our running game. He really doesn't buy himself a 2nd chance often, and we punt a lot with him. We play a terrible Cincinnati team at home Monday night. Well see how he does.Of course he is.. He's just getting started. Young QBs all tend to lock on to their early reads. Give him time to let the game slow down a bit.

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[Six Rings]

Maybe, but not likely. What metrics are you using to evaluate?

What if the o-line continues to regress, and the running game suffers, and the coaches continue to put him in difficult situations?

What if the defense puts us in a hole and the offense has to abandon the running game?

What if our special teams can't give him decent field position?

I think there are far too many issues with the team to put too much weight on Rudolph's performance.

If he comes out and throws 4-5 picks a game and can't move the ball because he's missing open receivers, then MAYBE you take a look at Hodges. But I haven't seen any evidence so far that Mason will play that poorly.

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If the OL has issues, a more mobile QB that's hard to sack is a need. Rudolph has had fumble issues dating back to his college days. While he can hit the big play, he isn't a chain mover and we punt a lot because of it, giving the other team good good field position. Hodges spreads the field a bit better and was more accurate, at least in camp.

I don't think Rudolph will throw 4 picks a game. Maybe it's the reality the season is pretty much lost, but if Rudolph is just mediocre on one game and poor on the next, I want to see Hodges play. If Hodges plays well in games, most of you guys will give up on Rudolph quickly. As I said before rookie QB's and 2nd year QB's are showing much more.

[43Hitman]

Steeler fans sure have become fickle. Just relax and let the season play out. The only way Rudolph comes out is due to injury.

[SteeleReign]

If the OL has issues, a more mobile QB that's hard to sack is a need. Rudolph has had fumble issues dating back to his college days. While he can hit the big play, he isn't a chain mover and we punt a lot because of it, giving the other team good good field position. Hodges spreads the field a bit better and was more accurate, at least in camp.

I don't think Rudolph will throw 4 picks a game. Maybe it's the reality the season is pretty much lost, but if Rudolph is just mediocre on one game and poor on the next, I want to see Hodges play. If Hodges plays well in games, most of you guys will give up on Rudolph quickly. As I said before rookie QB's and 2nd year QB's are showing much more.Yes, some of them are, but there are too many variables to assume that Rudolph is the problem.

Hodges looked good in camp, yes, but against 3/4 stringers. And Rudolph actually looked better.

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[vasteeler]

Fumble prone ?

[Butch]

Wow only one complete game and already talking about the backup??? The patience level of some people is amazing. For all intent and purpose Mason is basically a rookie QB, give it some time.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

I'm a big Hodges supporter but yea way to soon to give up on Rudolph and think it is more on the coaches then Rudolph's play. OL is to blame also but am curious to see how Hodges would fair but not now.

[tube517]

So Minkah has started one game as well. I think we need to start thinking about Hilton at FS. :sarcasm:

[DesertSteel]

Rudolph is locking on to one receiver too often. He's not fast, he doesn't have a big arm, and he's really fumble prone. On the other hand he's a leader and can be accurate with a nice touch on the deep ball. Overall, I'd say he's a back up.

That’s quite a thorough scouting report for a kid who just started his first game. Like fumble “prone.” Seems that a bigger sample size might be needed to determine proneness.

[GoSlash27]

Rudolph and Hodges earned their respective spots in the pecking order during the preseason. There's a reason "Duck" is 3rd (or even 4th) in line.
Don't expect the Steelers to play 'musical quarterbacks' out of desperation. Barring injury or an established pattern of suckage, Rudolph is the starter. Behind him... might actually be Paxton Lynch :scared:

[Edman]

Wow only one complete game and already talking about the backup??? The patience level of some people is amazing. For all intent and purpose Mason is basically a rookie QB, give it some time.

You’re talking about a fan base who wanted to run Terry Bradshaw out of town after 1-2 years. Who was a trainwrekck starting out and played ten times worse than what Rudy is doing now.

The Steelers gave the likes Of Mark Malone and Kordell Stewart at least five years before pulling the plug on them for good. Likewise with Landry Jones. Even Ben had games and stretches where he was subpar. Never benched once.

Mason in one and a half games has played better than any new Steelers quarterback in years. I think he’s earned his shot.

It will take nothing short of an unmitigated disaster like a horrific injury for Rudolph to be benched this season. Ever. For the foreseeable future until Ben returns, he’s our quarterback. Ride or die.

[steelreserve]

I think Hodges is there in case of injury only. Rudolph would have to REALLY suck in order for that idea to get consideration, like 0-8 or something. And by then, what's even the point - the season is done anyway and there's not even draft order to consider this time.

[fansince'76]

As I said before rookie QB's and 2nd year QB's are showing much more.

If you're expecting Mahomes (and I strongly suspect you are), you're being unrealistic.

Rudolph is quite far down the list of reasons this team has dropped the last 2 games which were both quite winnable.

[86WARD]

I rewatched the game, Rudolph is locked on one receiver too often, and throwing it short, which kills our running game. He really doesn't buy himself a 2nd chance often, and we punt a lot with him. We play a terrible Cincinnati team at home Monday night. Well see how he does.

That could be by design as well. A lot of times, they’ll only let young QBs utilize a third to two-thirds if the field. It’s not helping that they are running Roethlisberger’s “playground offense”. Works great for Ben...not such a great fit for Rudolph’s style.

[86WARD]

Wow only one complete game and already talking about the backup??? The patience level of some people is amazing. For all intent and purpose Mason is basically a rookie QB, give it some time.

That’s what we call a QB-Controversy...lol

[86WARD]

So Minkah has started one game as well. I think we need to start thinking about Hilton at FS. :sarcasm:

Maybe. Then put Minkah at QB.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

That could be by design as well. A lot of times, they’ll only let young QBs utilize a third to two-thirds if the field. It’s not helping that they are running Roethlisberger’s “playground offense”. Works great for Ben...not such a great fit for Rudolph’s style. They babied Rudolph against the 49ers last week and wouldn't let him play his Rudolph game. Did the same shit last year with Dobbs against Oakland. I get tired of that pussy ass coaching and let them play and see how they respond.

[Steeler-in-west]

Rudolph is not struggling. He played ok overall.

playcalling struggled, offensive line struggled, defense struggled at times.

I think they’re on the right track getting a TE who can block. Maybe also communicate to the QB what he can do

[Dwinsgames]

sink or swim with Mason ... if he is the guy we will find out before the season is over , if he isnt we will also likely know

[Rotorhead]

This is the most ridiculous thread in awhile . . .

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

This is the most ridiculous thread in awhile . . .

I agree, Jasom Worlidong thinks that it lacks the suddenness and glide of more credible threads on this board.

[Craic]

That could be by design as well. A lot of times, they’ll only let young QBs utilize a third to two-thirds if the field. It’s not helping that they are running Roethlisberger’s “playground offense”. Works great for Ben...not such a great fit for Rudolph’s style.

To be honest, that was one of the other knocks on him I read. But, but wasn't as prevalent. In truth, I think that will come with time. He has to get used to the speed and trusting his receivers will be where they need to be when they need to be there. Can't really get that in the first game or two.

[cubanstogie]

Truly amazing a few are ready to give up on a guy after 1 start. I would say he played great against Seattle, last week played poor. He can make the throws he has proven that in 2 games. too many read his nfl draft profile and one guy says his arm is weak and now they jump on bandwagon. Dudes arm is far from weak. The O line looked like the line from 10 years ago and no help from running game or TE. I still say he's better QB than Mayfield. Baker has weapons at every position and still sucks. Theres no point in giving up on a guy if eliminated from playoffs, use the rest of season for growth and improvement. Ive heard of a short leash but jesus this is ridiculous.

[Hawkman]

This is the most ridiculous thread in awhile . . .

Indeed!

[Steeldude]

Let him play the entire season.

[stillers4me]

Indeed!

Why is it even a question??????????

Unless Rudolph gets hurt, he plays. That's why we drafted him.

[Blast Furnace]

How about we see if they can fix the issues at our OLine, then see if our coaches can actually create a decent game plan, before we decide anything. These coaches need to learn how to utilize their player to their fullest. How about moving JuJu into the slot as well and putting Rudolph under center for play action? That might help him a bit too!

[Six Rings]

If you're expecting Mahomes (and I strongly suspect you are), you're being unrealistic.

Rudolph is quite far down the list of reasons this team has dropped the last 2 games which were both quite winnable.



I think everyone is confused with my position. I see rookie QB's and many 2nd year QB's outshining Rudolph. What does that say about Rudolph?


I'm not for starring Hodges on Monday night, but if Rudolph remains inconsistent, I'd do it at the bye week. That's a big enough sample for me.


Hodges never got a chance with the 1st string team, but he did some impressive things in camp and the pre-season games with the 2nd and 3rd string OL. In my opinion, he sees the field better, gets the ball out of his hands quicker, runs better, and has a stronger arm. Moving around better and getting the ball of out your hands better is important with a suddenly leaky offensive line.


Hodges could very well be better. And let's be honest with ourselves, this season is very much about finding Ben's replace if he's on the team and developing the younger guys. I want to see OLA, and GIlbert more on defense. I want to see Buggs play more on defense. On offense, is something up with Conner or not? The younger WR's need more time. Do we even have a 2nd TE?

[vasteeler]

IMO it's not Mason's fault. Blame lies on the shitty OC.

[Craic]

Truly amazing a few are ready to give up on a guy after 1 start. I would say he played great against Seattle, last week played poor. He can make the throws he has proven that in 2 games. too many read his nfl draft profile and one guy says his arm is weak and now they jump on bandwagon. Dudes arm is far from weak. The O line looked like the line from 10 years ago and no help from running game or TE. I still say he's better QB than Mayfield. Baker has weapons at every position and still sucks. Theres no point in giving up on a guy if eliminated from playoffs, use the rest of season for growth and improvement. Ive heard of a short leash but jesus this is ridiculous.

He had a good game against Seattle. I also agree with you for last week. I would disagree that he has proven he can make the throws. I'd say he can make some, probably even most throws. But he hasn't proven he can make all the throws. On the other hand, it's only fair to give him all season long before we start expecting him to make all the throws since he's not someone who can just put more velocity on the ball and get it through a tight window. He has to relearn timing at this level. That takes time. So, yes. Give him a full season.

As for his draft profile, I have a different thread showing that it was far more than one guy saying something about his arm. However, no one was saying his arm was weak. They were saying it was below average. To me, there's a difference.

As for the O line and running game, the problem isn't there. The problem is the other team lining up 9 men in the box and daring Rudolph to throw over their heads. Until he does that consistently we're going to keep seeing the same thing over and over. The one player that could have helped us in this situation is gone. So, it all falls to Rudolph now to take the pressure off the line by taking the lid off and hitting deeper throws. Why didn't that happen last game? Don't know. Was it Rudolph? Maybe. Was it coaching? Maybe. I'm more likely at this point to put it on coaching because we saw the exact same thing the year before with Dobbs.

However, I agree with you about this season. Regardless of where we end up, this is the season to find out if Rudolph can carry the load when Ben is gone. And, that's one of the reasons I didn't like the 1st round pick going for Minkah. Because if Rudolph doesn't do well and we need a new QB, we'd also be in a place to get one (we can trade this year for next year if we didn't like the QBs this year). Not that I didn't like the fact we got Minkah. It's just that trade brought up feelings of the mistakes that were made in the 90s (too little concern or focus on the QB) without the benefit of a run game that can cover for it to a point.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

I think everyone is confused with my position. I see rookie QB's and many 2nd year QB's outshining Rudolph. What does that say about Rudolph?


I'm not for starring Hodges on Monday night, but if Rudolph remains inconsistent, I'd do it at the bye week. That's a big enough sample for me.


Hodges never got a chance with the 1st string team, but he did some impressive things in camp and the pre-season games with the 2nd and 3rd string OL. In my opinion, he sees the field better, gets the ball out of his hands quicker, runs better, and has a stronger arm. Moving around better and getting the ball of out your hands better is important with a suddenly leaky offensive line.


Hodges could very well be better. And let's be honest with ourselves, this season is very much about finding Ben's replace if he's on the team and developing the younger guys. I want to see OLA, and GIlbert more on defense. I want to see Buggs play more on defense. On offense, is something up with Conner or not? The younger WR's need more time. Do we even have a 2nd TE? I agree about Hodges and seen what you seen in him. I still think Rudolph maybe good also. Coaching staff needs to take the training wheels off of Rudolph so we can better evaluate him.

[Craic]

I agree about Hodges and seen what you seen in him. I still think Rudolph maybe good also. Coaching staff needs to take the training wheels off of Rudolph so we can better evaluate him.

We don't agree often, but this is absolutely right on.

[FrancoLambert]

As long as he’s healthy you play him every down in every game.
No better way to see if he can be a franchise QB.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

We don't agree often, but this is absolutely right on.:drink:

[fansince'76]

I think everyone is confused with my position. I see rookie QB's and many 2nd year QB's outshining Rudolph. What does that say about Rudolph?

Outside of Mahomes, I really haven't seen any very young QBs who have greatly distinguished themselves and are ready to take the baton away from Brady/Brees/Rodgers/Roethlisberger.

Mayfield? From everything I've seen and heard, he's more hype than anything. Same goes for Goff.

Granted, I don't pay nearly as much attention to the NFL outside of the Steelers as I used to, but again, outside of Mahomes, I've seen a whole lot of "meh" out of the new young QBs from what I have seen. :noidea:

[Born2Steel]

If Ben were not injured Rudolph would still be his backup. Hodges would still be on the PS.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

If Ben were not injured Rudolph would still be his backup. Hodges would still be on the PS. And Lynch would be collecting unemployment. So what is the point ?

[cubanstogie]

He had a good game against Seattle. I also agree with you for last week. I would disagree that he has proven he can make the throws. I'd say he can make some, probably even most throws. But he hasn't proven he can make all the throws. On the other hand, it's only fair to give him all season long before we start expecting him to make all the throws since he's not someone who can just put more velocity on the ball and get it through a tight window. He has to relearn timing at this level. That takes time. So, yes. Give him a full season.

As for his draft profile, I have a different thread showing that it was far more than one guy saying something about his arm. However, no one was saying his arm was weak. They were saying it was below average. To me, there's a difference.

As for the O line and running game, the problem isn't there. The problem is the other team lining up 9 men in the box and daring Rudolph to throw over their heads. Until he does that consistently we're going to keep seeing the same thing over and over. The one player that could have helped us in this situation is gone. So, it all falls to Rudolph now to take the pressure off the line by taking the lid off and hitting deeper throws. Why didn't that happen last game? Don't know. Was it Rudolph? Maybe. Was it coaching? Maybe. I'm more likely at this point to put it on coaching because we saw the exact same thing the year before with Dobbs.

However, I agree with you about this season. Regardless of where we end up, this is the season to find out if Rudolph can carry the load when Ben is gone. And, that's one of the reasons I didn't like the 1st round pick going for Minkah. Because if Rudolph doesn't do well and we need a new QB, we'd also be in a place to get one (we can trade this year for next year if we didn't like the QBs this year). Not that I didn't like the fact we got Minkah. It's just that trade brought up feelings of the mistakes that were made in the 90s (too little concern or focus on the QB) without the benefit of a run game that can cover for it to a point.
You may be right about why running game sucks, until mason beats a D ,stop run. Makes sense, with that said if they don’t run shit load of play action tomorrow Steelers coaches suck worse than I thought. This should be a telling game as far as coaching and what Rudolph can do after 2 weeks of starting reps and preparation. I am less worried about D , I think they get better every week.

[86WARD]

No.

[Hawkman]

No.

Simple, straightforward answer....I like it.:heh:

[steel striker]

Keep playing Mason and, the Steelers need to see what he can do.

[Mojouw]

Right now, Rudolph's problems are all from the neck up. He is slow to process, is making one, maybe two, reads, failing to get deep into his progressions, and is not recognizing changes in defensive coverages post-snap. Those are all hard things to do at the NFL level and take time.

What has anyone seen that would indicate a QB coming from a lower level of college competition and only having played against 3-4th string training camp competition (so NO scheme) would be any better at any of the mental stuff?

[Edman]

Right now, Rudolph's problems are all from the neck up. He is slow to process, is making one, maybe two, reads, failing to get deep into his progressions, and is not recognizing changes in defensive coverages post-snap. Those are all hard things to do at the NFL level and take time.

What has anyone seen that would indicate a QB coming from a lower level of college competition and only having played against 3-4th string training camp competition (so NO scheme) would be any better at any of the mental stuff?


It completely unfathomable that a quarterback making his first live NFL action ever would be a tad slow to the speed of the game.

And yet despite all of the struggle, Mason gave the Steelers a Lead in the final minutes before Conner botched everything. What you view as a negative, I view it as a positive that shows Mason’s preparation. Never once did it look like he was out of his element or he didn’t know what he was doing. Mason’s lack of upper echelon talent reared it’s ugly head many times, but he hung in there.

[Fire Goodell]

no, just no.

[Mojouw]

It completely unfathomable that a quarterback making his first live NFL action ever would be a tad slow to the speed of the game.

And yet despite all of the struggle, Mason gave the Steelers a Lead in the final minutes before Conner botched everything. What you view as a negative, I view it as a positive that shows Mason’s preparation. Never once did it look like he was out of his element or he didn’t know what he was doing. Mason’s lack of upper echelon talent reared it’s ugly head many times, but he hung in there.

Never said it was a positive or a negative. I think that Rudolph has plenty of physical ability to be an average to above average starter in the NFL. But he is just not ready for the mental speed of the game. That is consistent with every rookie QB ever. Even guys that have some success, like Mayfield at the end of last season, often hit a wall (Mayfield is now a one read and improvise QB). It takes a great deal of time and reps to understand how to work your way through what an NFL defense is showing you versus what they are actually doing.

Not a knock on Rudolph at all. Just a statement of fact. He needs all the reps he can get in order to get quicker at processing things.

[Edman]

I think Rudolph bench talk should stop for this week.

He was excellent tonight.

[86WARD]

Ben still hates him...I saw it. I saw Ben resist hitting him with his cast...seriously...if you look, The hate is there. Ben didn’t run on the field with his cast to hug Rudolph. High fives are meaningless.

[tube517]

Trade Rudolph for a 3rd and a 5th!

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

I think Rudolph bench talk should stop for this week.

He was excellent tonight. Agreed and Samuels was huge in this game and gave Rudolph the help he needed.

[Shoes]

Samuels plays with an edge. He's always jawing with someone on the defense. I like it. :chuckle:

[Edman]

Ben still hates him...I saw it. I saw Ben resist hitting him with his cast...seriously...if you look, The hate is there. Ben didn’t run on the field with his cast to hug Rudolph. High fives are meaningless.

Coach Ben should be a quarterbacks coach should be retire. He's pretty good at it.

[HollywoodSteel]

I think Rudolph bench talk should stop for this week.

He was excellent tonight.

Okay, but does that mean we can stop the fire Tomlin talk for a week?

I’m just kidding. That would be crazy. :)

[DesertSteel]

I think Rudolph bench talk should stop for this week.

He was excellent tonight.
They were all dong yards!

[fansince'76]

Once again, Rudolph is simply not playing poorly enough to get benched. Sorry.

[tube517]

Once again, Rudolph is simply not playing poorly enough to get benched. Sorry.

Agreed.

[cubanstogie]

there are plenty of scenarios that could play out with Rudolph, my favorite is every game like last night and next year Ben is back up. Before anyone gets too excited, I realize that those were the Bengals last night and the next 4 weeks will be a huge test for this team. I did laugh when Booger said he had a big arm and could make all throws last night. Not according to Steelers Universe Booger.

[Born2Steel]

We know who does have the big arm and CAN make all the throws. :troll:

[Squeegee Thompson]

Mason did what the staff wanted him to do: Manage the game, don't make any mistakes and let the defense win it for you.

Mission accomplished. 24/28, 229 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT. Not only no turnovers, but I saw only two plays that even looked remotely risky: The back-shoulder underthrow to Vannett and the long TD to Johnson. The edge rusher very nearly got there, and would've had Vannett not redirected him at the last second (in what looked like a hold he got away with).

I think as his confidence grows, the coaches will draw up more shots, and he'll start taking more risks. Everybody seems to forget what Ben's first few years looked like: Never more that 25 attempts per game, he had the label 'game manager and nothing more' draped around him until he won the SB. Early Ben was not later Ben, there were no 35, 40+ attempts per game like these last few years. Mason can grow into that role of 'gunslinger' as well with confidence and experience.

[Mojouw]

The most impressive part about Rudolph's performance last night was the vast improvement in ball placement. He was missing high previously (INT to Moncrief and hospital ball to Vance). Last night, he was leading his receivers to open field. If they start trusting him to do that, it will really open up the offense. That is kinda what we see in offenses like what Mason ran in college. The receivers are taught to follow the ball to the open space.

The pass to Conner for the TD took him to the space down the boundary. If you watch (or at least I have convinced myself of this) the long throw to DJ - you see that DJ only had to slow and jump because he flattened out his route to the sideline. Mason, I strongly believe, was trying to lead him upfield toward the pylon. Likely, DJ, having never seen this at Toledo -- just assumed it was a bad throw!

[steel striker]

No way you play Hodges and, I think Mason will be fine. They need to take the handcuffs off of him and, let him throw the ball down the field!

[GoSlash27]

No way you play Hodges and, I think Mason will be fine. They need to take the handcuffs off of him and, let him throw the ball down the field!

They're opening it up little by little. They let him do some hurry-up this week. Maybe next week he'll get some rpo or audibles.

[DesertSteel]

The most impressive part about Rudolph's performance last night was the vast improvement in ball placement. He was missing high previously (INT to Moncrief and hospital ball to Vance). Last night, he was leading his receivers to open field. If they start trusting him to do that, it will really open up the offense. That is kinda what we see in offenses like what Mason ran in college. The receivers are taught to follow the ball to the open space.

The pass to Conner for the TD took him to the space down the boundary. If you watch (or at least I have convinced myself of this) the long throw to DJ - you see that DJ only had to slow and jump because he flattened out his route to the sideline. Mason, I strongly believe, was trying to lead him upfield toward the pylon. Likely, DJ, having never seen this at Toledo -- just assumed it was a bad throw!
I agree on the pass to DJ. It was perfect. There was no reason for him to jump. Just keep running under the ball. It reminded me of that pass from Ben to Washington last year when he jumped for no reason. I’m just glad he caught it and kept his balance to run it in.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

I agree on the pass to DJ. It was perfect. There was no reason for him to jump. Just keep running under the ball. It reminded me of that pass from Ben to Washington last year when he jumped for no reason. I’m just glad he caught it and kept his balance to run it in. Johnson was so wide open bet Rudolph couldn't wait to throw it and thought he was practicing against the Steelers D.

[Squeegee Thompson]

The most impressive part about Rudolph's performance last night was the vast improvement in ball placement. He was missing high previously (INT to Moncrief and hospital ball to Vance). Last night, he was leading his receivers to open field. If they start trusting him to do that, it will really open up the offense. That is kinda what we see in offenses like what Mason ran in college. The receivers are taught to follow the ball to the open space.


Mostly true. I recall one hospital ball where he led JuJu out in the left flat right into a hard-closing corner. It was the only 'rookie' looking mistake I saw him make last night. I recall that after this play, JuJu was on the sideline trying to get his life together for a little bit. I'm sure Mason's already reviewed that mistake in order to not make it again.

[DesertSteel]

Johnson was so wide open bet Rudolph couldn't wait to throw it and thought he was practicing against the Steelers D.
I'm used to seeing those plays against the Steelers' secondary.

[Mojouw]

Mostly true. I recall one hospital ball where he led JuJu out in the left flat right into a hard-closing corner. It was the only 'rookie' looking mistake I saw him make last night. I recall that after this play, JuJu was on the sideline trying to get his life together for a little bit. I'm sure Mason's already reviewed that mistake in order to not make it again.
You are right on that one. Rudolph needed to get that ball out way quicker. It should've been in Juju's facemask when he turned around.

[Edman]

Mason did what the staff wanted him to do: Manage the game, don't make any mistakes and let the defense win it for you.

Mission accomplished. 24/28, 229 yds, 2 TD, 0 INT. Not only no turnovers, but I saw only two plays that even looked remotely risky: The back-shoulder underthrow to Vannett and the long TD to Johnson. The edge rusher very nearly got there, and would've had Vannett not redirected him at the last second (in what looked like a hold he got away with).

I think as his confidence grows, the coaches will draw up more shots, and he'll start taking more risks. Everybody seems to forget what Ben's first few years looked like: Never more that 25 attempts per game, he had the label 'game manager and nothing more' draped around him until he won the SB. Early Ben was not later Ben, there were no 35, 40+ attempts per game like these last few years. Mason can grow into that role of 'gunslinger' as well with confidence and experience.

I think the Steelers are perfectly content and are better off going forward with Brady-Lite. Mason is an entirely different beast from Ben and doesnt have the raw physical talent to go gunslinger. That is totally out of his element. Mason is far more cerebral. Ben was a game manager in his earlier days because he had Cowher and a outstanding defense and running game to compliment him, not to mention a trio of solid receivers to throw to. Ben really didn't need to do too much. Ben was free to be "released" because he had the talent to do it. Pat Mahomes was unleashed early because his talent was just off the charts, and as you can see, he can get away with a lot of Quarterback no-nos (throwing off back foot, throwing into triple coverage) because he's just that good.

These Steelers have nowhere near the same level of all-around talent as the 2004/5 Steelers, which is why Mason is being asked to do a little more than 2004 Ben. Mason is not a gunslinger, and to try to turn him into one will really disservice his potential to me. Mason is an extremely hard worker, attention to detail preparation guy, which is why it seems he's so calm and confident, and why with a full week of reps, he took off Monday Night. That's how hard he works. He knows what he's doing. Compared to Ben who would just wing it week after week on his talent alone (Not completely unfounded).

Let Rudy continue to dink and dunk and do his thing. If it is getting the team wins, go for it.

[Edman]

The most impressive part about Rudolph's performance last night was the vast improvement in ball placement. He was missing high previously (INT to Moncrief and hospital ball to Vance). Last night, he was leading his receivers to open field. If they start trusting him to do that, it will really open up the offense. That is kinda what we see in offenses like what Mason ran in college. The receivers are taught to follow the ball to the open space.

The pass to Conner for the TD took him to the space down the boundary. If you watch (or at least I have convinced myself of this) the long throw to DJ - you see that DJ only had to slow and jump because he flattened out his route to the sideline. Mason, I strongly believe, was trying to lead him upfield toward the pylon. Likely, DJ, having never seen this at Toledo -- just assumed it was a bad throw!

I give more credit to Randy Fichtner for that play. That play to me shows that the Steelers Offense changed.

Diontae Johnson didn't suddenly transform into Antonio Brown overnight and beat his guy. That play was SCHEMED to get him wide open. He was the only Steelers receiver to even go remotely deep. All he had to do was run the route and the ball was going to get there. He just needed to catch it. This is the big difference in my eyes between Ben and Mason.

New England does this all the time with Chris Hogan and their guys. No Superstar receivers at all, but they always seem to be open because the routes get them open, and the quarterback has to get it there.

[Edman]

Wish granted.

[CV1]

Wish granted.

[emoji2363]


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[Fire Goodell]

Hodges looks good, probably a W if juju doesn't fumble

[86WARD]

But he really hasn’t “struggled”.

[stillers4me]

Hodges looks good, probably a W if juju doesn't fumbleProbably a win if the refs actually knew what roughing the passer looks like.

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[Edman]

Probably a win if the Steelers had actual coaching.

[st33lersguy]

I was impressed with Hodges in the preseason as he possessed qualities that could translate well to regular season games. I was impressed with what I saw here as well

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

Yep been a Hodges supporter all preseason and he did well. So did Rudolph before the injury.

[Born2Steel]

Probably a win if the refs actually knew what roughing the passer looks like.

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Probably a win if Ben were healthy too.

[pczach]

Probably a win if the Steelers had actual coaching.



I posted this in another thread, but I guess you need to hear it in this thread too:



"The team is playing with its third-string QB.

They only have a running back as an emergency QB if there is an injury to him.

The defense was dominating more and more as the game went on.

They had already intercepted 3 of Jackson's passes on the day, and held him to 19/28 for 161 yards 1 TD 3 INT with a rating of 54.9.

I understand people wanting to get the ball first, but I agreed with the call in real time while watching the game. Tomlin's logic made sense. He didn't want to put everything on his undrafted rookie quarterback and decided to lean on a defense that was controlling the game. That is completely understandable and logical.

McDonald was on the sideline banged up at the end of regulation. James Washington was ruled out for the rest of the game.

If fans can't see all of that, and want to scream into the wind, I don't know what to tell people. They are entitled to their opinion, but even when the results say the coach was exactly right in what he did....they say it was a lucky move and that he was wrong.

Once again, they try to make everything fit the narrative they have created. Mike Tomlin sucks, so his decision had to be wrong. Even though he's coaching a team with a third-string quarterback and a bunch of injuries that outplayed a division rival and a team everyone who hates Tomlin says is far better than them. Yet even knowing that, they still insist that Tomlin sucks and all his decisions are wrong.

You can't make this shit up."

[stillers4me]

I posted this in another thread, but I guess you need to hear it in this thread too:



"The team is playing with its third-string QB.

They only have a running back as an emergency QB if there is an injury to him.

The defense was dominating more and more as the game went on.

They had already intercepted 3 of Jackson's passes on the day, and held him to 19/28 for 161 yards 1 TD 3 INT with a rating of 54.9.

I understand people wanting to get the ball first, but I agreed with the call in real time while watching the game. Tomlin's logic made sense. He didn't want to put everything on his undrafted rookie quarterback and decided to lean on a defense that was controlling the game. That is completely understandable and logical.

McDonald was on the sideline banged up at the end of regulation. James Washington was ruled out for the rest of the game.

If fans can't see all of that, and want to scream into the wind, I don't know what to tell people. They are entitled to their opinion, but even when the results say the coach was exactly right in what he did....they say it was a lucky move and that he was wrong.

Once again, they try to make everything fit the narrative they have created. Mike Tomlin sucks, so his decision had to be wrong. Even though he's coaching a team with a third-string quarterback and a bunch of injuries that outplayed a division rival and a team everyone who hates Tomlin says is far better than them. Yet even knowing that, they still insist that Tomlin sucks and all his decisions are wrong.

You can't make this shit up."Another ding ding ding!

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[86WARD]

I posted this in another thread, but I guess you need to hear it in this thread too:



"The team is playing with its third-string QB.

They only have a running back as an emergency QB if there is an injury to him.

The defense was dominating more and more as the game went on.

They had already intercepted 3 of Jackson's passes on the day, and held him to 19/28 for 161 yards 1 TD 3 INT with a rating of 54.9.

I understand people wanting to get the ball first, but I agreed with the call in real time while watching the game. Tomlin's logic made sense. He didn't want to put everything on his undrafted rookie quarterback and decided to lean on a defense that was controlling the game. That is completely understandable and logical.

McDonald was on the sideline banged up at the end of regulation. James Washington was ruled out for the rest of the game.

If fans can't see all of that, and want to scream into the wind, I don't know what to tell people. They are entitled to their opinion, but even when the results say the coach was exactly right in what he did....they say it was a lucky move and that he was wrong.

Once again, they try to make everything fit the narrative they have created. Mike Tomlin sucks, so his decision had to be wrong. Even though he's coaching a team with a third-string quarterback and a bunch of injuries that outplayed a division rival and a team everyone who hates Tomlin says is far better than them. Yet even knowing that, they still insist that Tomlin sucks and all his decisions are wrong.

You can't make this shit up."


Tomlin made a brilliant coaching decision and he's a buffoon. If Belichick makes that decision, Tomlin is a buffoon because he's not Belichick.
T

[Craic]

But he really hasn’t “struggled”.

No, he hasn't. Well, I'd say he struggled a bit today when he started putting the ball downfield. But again, that's part of the progression into becoming an NFL QB. The story of today, however, is Hodges. As others have said, I don't know if he's an NFL starter, but he sure is an NFL backup.

[Six Rings]

I took a beating in this thread. I still think Hodges is better. Rudolph has a very low ability level. He plays it safe. Rookie QB's and second year QB's are better than he is.

Hodges throws down the field. He has a stronger arm. He moves better, and he's more accurate. While he might be turnover prone, the WR's will produce better with him and I think the running backs will have more room to run with him under center.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

I took a beating in this thread. I still think Hodges is better. Rudolph has a very low ability level. He plays it safe. Rookie QB's and second year QB's are better than he is.

Hodges throws down the field. He has a stronger arm. He moves better, and he's more accurate. While he might be turnover prone, the WR's will produce better with him and I think the running backs will have more room to run with him under center. Don't feel bad and me and a few other Hodges supporters got laughed at for two months and specially after he didn't make the 53 roster. Also their argument was who cares about a undrafted rookie that won't even be in the NFl in a month. Most of them didn't even take the time to watch him in preseason.

My argument was you can never have enough good players on the team. It's two early to tell for me who is better Rudolph or Hodges but like them both. Both could be NFL starters down the road. If Ben does comeback you maybe could get a fairly high pick for one of them. Also not a bad idea hanging on to both cause Ben isn't going to be around for long.

[GoSlash27]

I took a beating in this thread.
It happens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edmqTODMZC4

[Six Rings]

It happens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edmqTODMZC4

It does, but it doesn't mean I was wrong. Hodges could prove to be the better NFL player over time.

[DesertSteel]

It does, but it doesn't mean I was wrong. Hodges could prove to be the better NFL player over time.
Either one could go on to win 4 Super Bowl MVPs. But Rudolph has improved each outing with a passer rating over 100 and only 2 interceptions. I like the early preview of Hodges yesterday, but his real test will be starting on the road, just like Rudolph’s. I hope he does well and we get a W.

[ALLD]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKkrXTFSua8

[GoSlash27]

It does, but it doesn't mean I was wrong. Hodges could prove to be the better NFL player over time.
Doesn't mean you were right, either. ;) Rudolph could prove to be the better NFL player over time. Most folks, and (more importantly) the Steelers staff tend to lean that way. Which is why Rudolph is #2 and Duck is #3...
Besides, does it really matter all that much if you wind up being wrong? I mean... Nobody who makes any important decisions regarding this matter is listening to any of us anyway.

[Craic]

Either one could go on to win 4 Super Bowl MVPs. But Rudolph has improved each outing with a passer rating over 100 and only 2 interceptions. I like the early preview of Hodges yesterday, but his real test will be starting on the road, just like Rudolph’s. I hope he does well and we get a W.

Yeah but to be fair, those were almost all dump off passes that every NFL QB had better make. As soon as he started throwing downfield, his numbers plummeted.