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Roethlisberger Cleared to Throw Passes

I think it's a good sign he went right to throwing footballs, but definitely crossing the fingers and toes.
 
I keep hearing/seeing that we need a "veteran" backup. I submit that Mason Rudolph can be considered a veteran after the year he had.
1. Started 8 games. Won 5 and lost 3
2. Rating = 82.0
3. 13 TDs to 9 INTs
4. 62.2% completion rating
5. Knocked out of one game and almost killed in another
6. Has handled the media storm brought on by Myles "I can lie my way out of this" Garrett's slander
Numbers aren't great, but they aren't chopped liver either (especially for a backup). The kid will enter season 3 of his NFL career with more games started, more TDs (and more INTs), more yards thrown for and more yards per game than Landry Jones (the guy the front office wanted to bring back from the XFL when Ben got hurt).
 
I keep hearing/seeing that we need a "veteran" backup. I submit that Mason Rudolph can be considered a veteran after the year he had.
1. Started 8 games. Won 5 and lost 3
2. Rating = 82.0
3. 13 TDs to 9 INTs
4. 62.2% completion rating
5. Knocked out of one game and almost killed in another
6. Has handled the media storm brought on by Myles "I can lie my way out of this" Garrett's slander
Numbers aren't great, but they aren't chopped liver either (especially for a backup). The kid will enter season 3 of his NFL career with more games started, more TDs (and more INTs), more yards thrown for and more yards per game than Landry Jones (the guy the front office wanted to bring back from the XFL when Ben got hurt).
With Rudolph's roller coaster appearances, it doesn't give me confidence that he can bring this team to the playoffs if Ben goes down again. Plus the sample size is too small, a vet can bring the experience and perhaps a little more stability to a question filled position with or without BigBen.

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I can't be completely sure without looking it up, but I think Mason's roller coaster type performances occurred after he was knocked unconscious. I agree that a veteran QB's presence would be ideal moving forward, but it will be interesting to see Mason's development and maturity this upcoming season.
 
Holding my breath for the next 8 months....



AND here I thought those blue balls were just natural coloring..................



BEN will be fine so slowly let it out and slowly take it in........ j/k





Salute the nation
 
I can't be completely sure without looking it up, but I think Mason's roller coaster type performances occurred after he was knocked unconscious. I agree that a veteran QB's presence would be ideal moving forward, but it will be interesting to see Mason's development and maturity this upcoming season.
He was snail balling it often before then. I just never got the feeling that he wasn't struggling. Sort of the opposite from his preseason which I liked two years in a row. Perhaps this will be the year he gives me more confidence who knows. I just think there should be a better competition option than the wounded Duck. Wounded in arm strength but not heart.

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I keep hearing/seeing that we need a "veteran" backup.

OK, let's re-phrase that to "Competent" back-up. Anyone that watched Mason or Duck and think that they are the future of this team needs their head examined. Mason didn't win 5 games, our defense pretty much gifted both Mason and Duck their wins. Neither QB was really asked to do much besides throw 5 yard passes and don't lose the game.
 
OK, let's re-phrase that to "Competent" back-up. Anyone that watched Mason or Duck and think that they are the future of this team needs their head examined. Mason didn't win 5 games, our defense pretty much gifted both Mason and Duck their wins. Neither QB was really asked to do much besides throw 5 yard passes and don't lose the game.

Ahhhh, word choice matters. I can get on board with a more "competent" back-up. Unfortunately, unless we get some cap relief AND the competent QB is willing to play on lower than market value contract, I don't see anyone out there that will fit the bill.
 
I think that part of it was that Mason was stunted by the unimaginative play calling of our OC. More variety could've gone a long way. Is he the best option if Ben goes down? Maybe not but I feel the play calling set him up to fail.
 
I think that part of it was that Mason was stunted by the unimaginative play calling of our OC. More variety could've gone a long way. Is he the best option if Ben goes down? Maybe not but I feel the play calling set him up to fail.

What kind of variety? They couldn't run the ball, so the play fake is out the window. They were in a ton of shot gun, Mason's preference, he had guys open but he wouldn't let the ball go. The dink and dunk was the only chance they have with his weak arm, especially once teams caught onto that.
 
What kind of variety? They couldn't run the ball, so the play fake is out the window. They were in a ton of shot gun, Mason's preference, he had guys open but he wouldn't let the ball go. The dink and dunk was the only chance they have with his weak arm, especially once teams caught onto that.

I never understood why it took them so long anyway. Anyone with an eye and half sense could see the Steelers were not going to throw deep often. I would have had 11 guys within 5 yards of the LOS. Especially after JuJu went down.
 
I never understood why it took them so long anyway. Anyone with an eye and half sense could see the Steelers were not going to throw deep often. I would have had 11 guys within 5 yards of the LOS. Especially after JuJu went down.

Yep, I agree, in an early game, he hit Johnson 35-40 yards downfield who was wide open for a TD, but the ball was a moon shot, took forever to come down to Johnson who had to wait on the ball.

Everyone wants to blame the play calling, but at some point a QB has to make some tough throws to back a defense off, he never did that.
 
What kind of variety? They couldn't run the ball, so the play fake is out the window. They were in a ton of shot gun, Mason's preference, he had guys open but he wouldn't let the ball go. The dink and dunk was the only chance they have with his weak arm, especially once teams caught onto that.

Oh yeah I forgot I dont "get" the weak arm strength assessment. I'll take your word on it because I'm sure no expert. I remember BB being not such a huge factor in the offense in his first couple of years though. The same for Bradshaw. He about got booed out of town. I'm sure glad he stayed.

Did we not have a running game because our passing game sucked or vice versa? It's kind of a what came first thr chicken or the egg thing.
 
Oh yeah I forgot I dont "get" the weak arm strength assessment. I'll take your word on it because I'm sure no expert. I remember BB being not such a huge factor in the offense in his first couple of years though. The same for Bradshaw. He about got booed out of town. I'm sure glad he stayed.

Did we not have a running game because our passing game sucked or vice versa? It's kind of a what came first thr chicken or the egg thing.

Ben didn't have amazing stats as a rookie, different era then too though, wasn't pass happy. He made some big time throws though that made you say wow, the roll out TD to Ward in a hurricaine in Miami in the rain, the TD's in the Philly and NE games, vs very good teams, hell he came off the bench cold vs the best defense in the NFL on the road in Baltimore and threw two TD's vs them.
Our Oline is not built to just line up and maul people, it's a pass first Oline, and when teams started stacking box because they had no fear of a passing game, almost all teams would struggle to run vs that. Our starting RB was hurt, Samuels was hurt for awhile, so we're using rookie's and FA's at RB.

As for Rudolph's arm strength, most draft profiles for him have that listed as a con or a negative.
 
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Slim and trim, looks like he lost weight. Although his weight loss wouldn't reflect on a scale because of that beard.

Now this is the part where we really must use our imagination!
 
Ben didn't have amazing stats as a rookie, different era then too though, wasn't pass happy. He made some big time throws though that made you say wow, the roll out TD to Ward in a hurricaine in Miami in the rain, the TD's in the Philly and NE games, vs very good teams, hell he came off the bench cold vs the best defense in the NFL on the road in Baltimore and threw two TD's vs them.
Our Oline is not built to just line up and maul people, it's a pass first Oline, and when teams started stacking box because they had no fear of a passing game, almost all teams would struggle to run vs that. Our starting RB was hurt, Samuels was hurt for awhile, so we're using rookie's and FA's at RB.

As for Rudolph's arm strength, most draft profiles for him have that listed as a con or a negative.

His draft profiles seemed to be all over the board, even on arm strength. Some pretty good, some so-so and some bad.
 
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