When thinking about the Pittsburgh Steelers moving forward with Mason Rudolph as the undisputed QB1, tennis legend John McEnroe’s words come to mind.
McEnroe’s famous line, originated at Wimbledon, is:
“You cannot be serious.”
🗓 June 22, 1981: 39 years ago today…
John McEnroe thought the ball was in, the chair umpire on the other hand… 😬
🗣 “You can’t be serious man, you CANNOT be serious!”pic.twitter.com/xyP9EWcNHi
— The Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) June 22, 2020
There are so many reasons why the Steelers cannot be serious with this strategy.
Here are just a few.
3. Rudolph Was Once Benched For A QB Nicknamed Duck
Remember Devlin Hodges better known by his nickname “Duck”?
He spent one season in the NFL; that was 2019.
Rudolph was benched and replaced by Hodges for six games.
Mason Rudolph lost his starting job to Duck Hodges. https://t.co/R6Scpo7hb1
— Luke (@LStewOneTwo) February 21, 2022
Hodges threw five touchdowns and eight interceptions in that six-game performance so Rudolph got his job back and was viewed as the lesser of the two evils.
Mason Rudolph is 5-4-1 as a starter with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was once benched for Duck Hodges who can’t even make the lower leagues now. We call 🧢 on Kevin Colbert saying they’re excited for him to start. #Steelers #NFL
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh) February 22, 2022
2. Rudolph Has Not Played Well
It is that simple.
When given the opportunity, his stats are not good.
He has appeared in 17 games and started 10 of them.
Rudolph has a 61.5% completion rate with 16 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and 16 sacks.
The Steelers made it to the playoffs with Roethlisberger past his prime, and he is still a better quarterback than Rudolph and he is pushing 40.
I would rather have ben Roethlisberger come back for a year then watch mason Rudolph
— HaskinsQB IDK🤞🏽 (@HaskinsIsland3) February 21, 2022
There will be diehard fans who say that Rudolph has always looked over his shoulder, and with Roethlisberger officially gone, his time to shine may be right now.
If Rudolph has a little of the Kurt Warner mojo, I suppose that is possible but still feels like a reach.
1. There Are Many QB Options
The biggest and best reason the Steelers are not blindly proceeding with Rudolph is that there are many options.
This appears to be an offseason when blockbuster veteran quarterback trades could happen.
Those notable quarterbacks include Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Kyler Murray, and Jimmy Garoppolo.
The Rams proved that trading for a quarterback can win a Super Bowl so other teams will be more apt to do it.
Tom Brady proved that a free agent can join another team and win a Super Bowl right away.
This could mean the era of drafting a young quarterback and morphing him into the face of the franchise is coming to an end.
Conclusion
Some will say that Rudolph will be competing with Haskins for the starting job.
That is not a true competition when both have proven to be subpar in their NFL careers.
"If Mason Rudolph is the starting QB for the Pittsburgh Steelers entering 2022, they are no longer the Pittsburgh Steelers I love or the fans of Pittsburgh love."
—@Realrclark25 😳 pic.twitter.com/XUhwP3mOUp
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 22, 2022
A true quarterback competition will come from trading for one of the big named veteran players who is ready to lead the team to the Super Bowl.
The Steelers are a bit old school in their approach, and historically it has worked for them.
That means they could try to draft a quarterback and create a competition that way.
It won’t be the same caliber of competition, and it would be a much longer-term project that could prohibit the Steelers from getting to the playoffs in the foreseeable future.
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