Mason F Rudolph

No one could be worse than Joe Bugel

 

Was Pickett held back by the conservative game plan, or did Pickett hold the Steelers offensive game-planning back and force a conservative game plan? There is a question to ask here. Is it truly that our gameplan handcuffed Kenny and made him perform worse than he is? Or did the coaching staff see Pickett's limitations and come to the conclusion that we HAVE to play ultra conservative and try to win with defense because if we turned Kenny loose we would expect him to fail? It can be both ways, and personally, I lean towards the latter and have said as much throughout the season. They game-planned and coached this offense like they think their QB sucks.

Mason isn't doing anything special, and the offense (and planning) hasn't changed all that much. He's just making the plays that are there to be made... the same plays that have been available (and been missed) all season long. He's essentially just doing what an NFL caliber QB would be expected to do. The unfortunate part is that the guy we have tabbed to be our starter next season hasn't shown the ability to do this with any amount of consistency. It wont matter what system Kenny plays in if he can't make the plays that are available to be made.

 

He seems to make it up as he goes along.... it's the magic TV you know.
A list of worst QB's in History - a consensus conglomeration of zeros. They are terrible for total performance which really is a better grading.

15. David Carr - When the Houston Texans became a franchise in 2002, their first selection in the NFL Draft was Fresno State quarterback David Carr. Carr was believed to be a victim of the expansion roster that lacked a lot of talent, but Carr hasn’t had any success as a starting quarterback anywhere else, either. Carr had a career record of 23-56 in his 79 games as a starter, and a statline that includes 65 touchdowns and 71 interceptions. Perhaps Carr was rattled from having a poor offensive line, and he was sacked 267 times, an average of 3.4 times per game.


14. Karl Sweetan - Back when there were a ton of rounds in the NFL Draft, Karl Sweetan was taken in the 18th out of Wake Forest by the Detroit Lions. Sweetan didn’t have a long career in the NFL, but he sure did have a bad one. Sweetan’s main accomplishment was throwing for a 99-yard touchdown, but the rest was awful. He finished his career with a record of 6-10-3 (back when ties were more common) with 17 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. Perhaps the worst stat is the fact that Sweetan only connected on 45.6 percent of his passes.


13. Dave Brown - Some of you might actually remember Dave Brown since his career didn’t end until the 2001 NFL season. Brown was taken first overall in the 1992 Supplemental Draft after playing at Duke, and was supposed to be the one that followed Phil Simms as the Giants quarterback after Simms’s retirement. Brown had a decent rookie season where he went 9-6, but it was all downhill from there. Brown finished his career as a backup for the Cardinals after failing to live up to expectations, and his career record was 26-34 with 44 touchdowns and 58 interceptions.

12. Todd Marinovich - The story of Todd Marinovich is a sad one. The high school sensation was recruited by just about every team. Marinovich had a rough upbringing, with his father hounding him to be an NFL quarterback, prompting him to say that he didn’t even want to be Todd Marinovich anymore. Still, the Raiders took a chance on the USC product in the first round of the 1991 NFL Draft and didn’t get much out of him due to drug use. Marinovich played just eight games in the NFL (all with the Raiders), and he finished with a 3-5 record. Marinovich also threw for eight touchdowns and nine interceptions, with a 50.7 completion percentage.

11. Bob Avellini - Drafted out of Maryland in the sixth round of the 1975 NFL Draft, Bob Avellini played for a decade with the Chicago Bears and then one year with the Jets, but only started 50 games. Avellini had plenty of chances to take the reigns as a starter, but proved that he just wasn’t ready to be a franchise quarterback. He was incredibly mediocre for his first two seasons, good for one season and then derailed. Avellini’s career record isn’t awful at 23-27, but he also threw for just 33 touchdowns and a whopping 69 interceptions.

10. Jack Trudeau - Jack Trudeau wasn’t expected to be a franchise savior, but was given a chance by the Colts in the mid 1980’s to do so. Trudeau was drafted in the second round in 1986 by Indianapolis, and got playing time almost right away as a rookie. Trudeau was 0-11 in that rookie season, throwing for eight touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Things would get a little bit better as he had a .500 record afterward, but his career statline is still nothing that will get him to the Hall of Fame. Trudeau finished with a 19-30 record, 42 touchdowns and 69 interceptions, ending his career with Carolina in 1995.

9. Joey Harrington - Younger fans will still remember Joey Harrington, and Lions fans are still trying to forget him. Harrington was thought to be a surefire prospect coming out of Oregon in 2002 when the Lions selected him third overall. Although he was a really nice guy, Harrington just couldn’t get the job done on an NFL field. The Lions gave Harrington four years as the quarterback to get it figured out, but he ended up having an 18-37 record in Detroit before moving onto Atlanta and Miami for one year each. Harrington finished with a 26-50 record, as well as 79 touchdowns and 85 interceptions.

8. Mike Phipps - The farthest back you have to go in time on this list to find a quarterback is Mike Phipps, who was drafted third overall out of Purdue by the Browns in 1970. Phipps spent seven years in Cleveland, as well as five in Chicago. Although Phipps’s record is solid at 38-31-2, most of that came off of two good years where his teams went 10-3 and 9-1. Phipps was not an efficient passer at all, completing less than 50 percent of his throws while tossing 55 touchdowns and 108 interceptions. Times were a bit different back then, and Phipps was a serviceable quarterback, but those numbers are terrible.


7. David Klingler - The Cincinnati Bengals were in need of a new franchise quarterback after the retirement of Boomer Esiason, so they selected David Klingler with the sixth overall pick in 1992. The record setting college quarterback was highly touted, but he flopped right away in the NFL, failing his way to a 3-17 record in his two years as a starter. Klingler was then demoted to the bench and spent two years in Oakland as a backup before calling it quits. By the time Klingler was done, his career record was a depressing 4-20 with 16 touchdowns and 22 interceptions, and will always be known as a huge bust.


6. Rick Mirer - Rick Mirer was supposed to be the new Golden Boy out of Notre Dame, who was a local hero after growing up just a few miles from South Bend and putting up some solid stats in college. Mirer was taken second overall in the 1993 NFL Draft by the Seahawks, and he got off to a shaky start, but still won the Rookie of the Year Award. Expectations were high for Mirer, but he failed to live up to the hyp, only regressing further every year. Mirer bounced around the NFL, playing for the Bears, Jets, 49ers and Raiders in his career that ended with a record of 24-44. Mirer would only throw for 50 touchdowns and 76 interceptions, averaging less than 150 passing yards per game.

5. Heath Shuler - The Redskins story hasn’t changed much since their last Super Bowl win in the 1991 season, they need a franchise quarterback. Many have tried and failed over the years, but the most notorious bust has to be Heath Shuler. Shuler was the 1993 Heisman Trophy runner-up, and he was selected third overall by the Redskins in 1994. Shuler had a rough start out of the gate, finishing with a record of 1-7. Shuler would get his chance again next year, but played in just five games, going 3-2 with three touchdowns and seven interceptions. Shuler was eventually benched in favor of Gus Frerotte (seriously), but was given another chance in New Orleans. Shuler played just four total seasons, with a record of 8-14, including 15 touchdowns and 33 interceptions. At least his political career has gone better.


4. Chris Weinke - Carolina was a mediocre team in 2000, and they were still searching for a long-term solution at quarterback. For whatever reason, they decided to draft Chris Weinke in the fourth round of the 2001 Draft, despite the fact that Weinke was only a couple of months away from his 29th birthday at the time. Weinke was a Heisman winner at Florida State, and was given the chance to start 15 games in his rookie season, and he lost 14 of them. All in all, Weinke finished with a record of 2-18 (including one loss with San Francisco) and was out of the league in 2007, with 15 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.


3. Akili Smith - After David Klingler and Jeff Blake didn’t work out for the Bengals, they were still searching for their next Boomer Esiason, which is where Akili Smith comes in. Smith was drafted third overall in 1999 out of Oregon, but only started in four games during his rookie season. Smith played just four years in the league (all with the Bengals), and had one season where he started 11 games, with the other three seasons combining for six starts. Smith went 3-14 in those games with five touchdowns and 13 interceptions, making him a huge bust. Smith’s accuracy was terrible, and his athleticism couldn’t make up for it.


2. Ryan Leaf - We now get to the elite tier of bad quarterbacks with the top two, starting with Ryan Leaf. Leaf was one of the finalists in the famed 1997 Heisman Trophy candidate group, but was the only one that didn’t have a stellar NFL career. Leaf was taken directly after Peyton Manning in the 1998 NFL Draft and was benched halfway through his rookie season before missing the next season with shoulder surgery. Leaf butted heads with everyone he met, and played just one more season in San Diego before getting a few start with Dallas in 2001 and then he was out of the league. Leaf finished with an awful record of 4-17 with 14 touchdowns and 36 interceptions, and Chargers fans still curse his name to this day.


1. JaMarcus Russell - In terms of just being in physical pain when trying to watch someone play the quarterback position, Jamarcus Russell has to be the first thought. Russell was the first overall pick for the Raiders out of LSU in 2007 after scouts said he was a sure thing because of his size and athleticism. Little did they know the size would keep increasing while the athleticism did not. Russell started one game in his rookie season, but 15 in his second year. After his third season in the league, Russell was gone, leaving with a 7-18 record and setting the Raiders franchise back for years. Russell also threw just 18 touchdowns against 23 interceptions and didn’t even put up the impressive rushing stats that many thought he would.

 

Back when they played the Chargers....around the end if December
Since they changed the OC they've slowly been running the ball more.

 

Fournette has played the last 2 games and has gained 40 yards on 12 carries total. Their main threat is James Cook. He's a quicker/smaller player and not necessarily the guy you'd be pumped to be giving the main workload to in a slog fest, but a threat to break big plays if he's given a lane. He also has 2 multi-fumble games this year, so maybe we can capitalize on that.

 

Fair enough, but he's quite a different guy at 30 than he was in Jacksonville 6 years ago. We need to make sure we do well against the run and force Allen to throw a lot in the wind. He's been prone to the big mistake this year, so capitalizing on turnovers is going to be a must if we want to win.

 

Stop. The throw was there. Johnson had it in his arms. He just had to hold on through the tackle. He did that long enough, but the officials blew the call. Yes, Pickett was robbed.

 

He's not that player anymore. LoL

 

There were rumblings that they were so conservative late least season because Tomlin wanted it that way. Of course, we aren't in those coaches' meetings so we don't know for certain, but Pickett was not afraid to attack defenses aggressively in college or early last season. It made sense to back him off and play conservatively last season, but they should have taken the training wheels off this year. They didn't and I think that was to the detriment of Pickett's development.

They were taking more shots down the field the first two games with Rudolph. They backed off that a little against the Ravens, I assume due to the weather. It isn't just play calls. It is a coaching staff encouraging an aggressive approach because they can't just lean on the defense any more. Also, I would have liked to see more of Pickett without Canada. What we did see was a strong game against the Bengals and an offense that was moving the ball on the Cardinals when Cole wasn't blowing things up with terrible snaps.

 

I mean last season with a rookie makes a bit more sense. However, I do think they took the training wheels off to start the season though. Kenny threw 4 picks in the first 4 games (and was lucky he didn't have more) and while he was putting up more yards than his normal average, it only amounted in 12 offensive points per game in that stretch. If it weren't for 2 defensive TD's at home vs Cleveland, we start the season 1-3 on the tail of some horrific QB play from a guy we expected to come out hot. We then (apparently) made the decision that if we were going to win games, we had to play more conservatively on offense and focus more on not turning it over and winning close games under 20 points. Defensively we gave up more than 20 points exactly never for the next 7 games, and we went on to go 5-2 in those games.

Mason is taking more shots down field, it isn't just the coaching staff. It is Mason's play style to do so (and using his best asset, the deep ball, makes a lot of sense).

I too would've liked to see more of Pickett without Canada. His first game was fine. He completed a good percentage of passes and threw for 278 yards. In a single game sample size I won't hold the 0 TD's against him, but 16 points is still kinda the norm for him. You've also mentioned a few times in regards to Mason how bad the Cincinnati defense is this year, so it has to count against Pickett that a very mid game against a really bad defense is this season's prized gem performance for him. It's not like we were doing great against Arizona either. Kenny got knocked out with 5 mins left in the first half diving for the goal line, but he had 70 yards passing and we were sitting on 3 offensive points. Even if he stays in and we score, does a 10 point sub-100 yard passing half do it for ya against a team that is among the league's worst?

 

Hopefully Fournette repeats his 7 carries / 20 yards that he did last week. Do not want to see the guy from 6 years ago.

I'm optimistic about the Steelers running game. They've been splitting the load between Harris and Warren, when normally the team just runs the wheels off one player. Not having a tired primary RB, and instead having a reliable running game will help a lot, especially after the last few years of rushing being a weakness.

(Harris had 307 carries (18.0 per game) in 2021, 272 (16.0) carries last year, and 255 (15.0) carries this year.)

 

The Steelers absolutely needed to bench him for Hodges, at that time, but part of the discussion needs to include that he wasn't in full health.
He got struck in his bare head with a helmet by a strong defensive lineman, a month after being knocked unconscious and on concussion protocol. Very real chance his brain was rattled enough to affect him the week after CLE.

A month later, he came off the bench and had a solid performance in less than a half of play against the Jets (all 10 of the team's points, 70% completion, 1 TD, 0 INTs). That, combined with his early work, makes me think that is his normal playing ability when healthy, and not what we saw the second time he went against the Bengals that season. (The first time was a 27-3 win, 85% completion rate with 2 TDs and 0 INTs.)

 

Run it , weather conditions could be awful . limit turnovers. Play solid Defense
Maybe have a splash play.. We can do it. Here we go Steelers.here we go.

 

I never knew a simple slant, that a safety took a horrible angle on, could open all this room for our backs. And against the worst pass defense we faced all year. Does wonders for a team, doesn't it???

 

I never knew a simple slant, that a safety took a horrible angle on, could open all this room for our backs. And against the worst pass defense we faced all year. Does wonders for a team, doesn't it???[/QUOTE]

 

Apparently that was worth repeating

 

I figured that's what it was, but was wondering if I'd missed the memo on some other meaning.

 

Shhhhh. Nobody heard.

 

Now you know.

 

Get the run game going and play action out of it.