Let me hear your reasons for doubting Mason Rudolph

Ryan Tannehill good is not that far removed from Ryan Tannehill bad. IMO, he's one small notch above replacement value.

 

That isn’t limited to 2nd tier QBs.

Consider the Pats during the Brady years, and their defensive ranking (by points).
Avg defensive ranking for SB wins: 4
Avg ranking for SB loss: 8
Avg ranking for playoff loss: 9

Despite having a GoAT at QB and good defenses in general, the Pats still needed “an unusually strong defense” to make that last step.

Before last year (and all the injuries on defense), the Steelers had the 3rd and 5th ranked defenses. They’ve led the league in sacks for 5 consecutive years. If they get luckier for injuries this year, their young players continue developing, and if they get the right piece or two from FA and the draft, the Steelers can have one of the top, unusually strong defenses.

 

An alternate interpretation of the Pats could be "Even with strong defenses, it still required the GOAT QB to win SBs".

 

They did give MR a two year deal. This season is the second year.
You were asking why they didn’t have him locked up beyond this season.
I’m saying either he proves this year to be good enough to start (and will need to be paid like a starter), or they can let him go.

There are a lot of teams that had players under contract, but re-negotiated anyways. In theory, they wouldn’t have to. In practice, if the player is worth keeping, they’d do it so players (on the team or potential FA) know the organization won’t try to shaft players who are performing well.

 

I stood with a lot of scouts back then, never heard a whisper about his arm strenth.
I did scroll back through the Draftnick sites, and I see some of those kind of reviews.
It's a mixed bag... so go with your sources you trust.

Me, I've never really seen a weak arm. He's certainly not Elway nor even Big Ben in his prime.
I've always had a problem with the points I mentioned.
ESPECIALLY the leading of receivers into trouble.. that drives me insane.
I subscribe to "Windows" that is the "Catch Radius" around a receiver and throwing into the window with anticipation of its prime peak.
There's also an issue with the underthrow, that has to do with the "pyramid" or mechanics.
I would like to see him get his feet in place more naturally rather than overthink these things.

But in the end, that is what separates the good from the bad.
Where Rogers actually improved those things while being a backup, Mason really has not.

 

I appreciate the conversation

 

What I meant by an "unusually strong" defense is higher than just a high ranking defense, which I failed to quantify. The Ratbirds had a once in a generation defense with Dilfer like when the Bears won with McMahon. Takes a whole lot to push a mid to low level second tier QB over the finish line to a SB win nowadays.

Would not compare much further back than that (`86 season) as rules changes have made the QB position more and more important with time. Go far enough back and a QB only had to avoid making mistakes and hand the ball off.

Probably a few exceptions since `86, but those probably involve a second tier QB having an above average year for himself and the rest of the team was very solid. Sometimes luck makes a difference, if you can make it to the big game. Hard to imagine we will ever see another Dilfer be a SB champ again the way the rules are now.

 

No problem.... Information comes from many sources.
I am a big fan of honest conversations around the sport I love.
No sense in 'trying to be the smartest guy in the sports bar"
That and $5.50 will get you a cup of coffee from Starbucks..

 

I think I have another, more appropriate answer for this discussion:
Tommy Maddox

TM was on his 5th year (and 4th team) when he joined the Steelers.
In his 6th year, he replaced Stewart at QB, and won a playoff game.

Depends on what “the MAN” means.
Maddox didn’t set the world on fire.
But Cowher did keep him as starter in 2003 and 2004 (before injury brought in Ben).

 

No, they signed him to a year deal beyond his 4 year rookie contract. The extension was a win/win for MR, and one reason was simply the Steelers had no other QB under contract for this year at the time.

 

Nope

 

Thanks for the correction.
But that isn't completely correct either.
They gave Mason a $2M signing bonus last year for the extension.
(Which is why OverTheCap presented it as a two-year deal, because the cap hit of the signing bonus was split that way.)

Even if I'm not completely right, it doesn't completely support KMM's thinking either.
The team didn't let him finish his rookie contract, and then give him a one-year deal.
They "re-negotiated", which increased last year's cap hit by a million.
They had enough confidence to want him to compete to be a starter this year.

I'm not arguing that they are making any kind of huge commitment to MR, but it isn't like they have zero faith in him either.

 

I think most people here are down on him based on his NFL appearances which have not been great. To be fair, he was relatively inexperienced and the line stunk, so it’s not all his fault. But he didn’t really show anything that would make people think he can be anything more than a low-level starter or decent backup.

 

And quite honestly, I’m not sure he’s recovered fully from those flagrant lies and false accusations of racism by that idiotic race baiter, Myles Garrett. Garrett is a pathetic piece of trash and what’s bad is that many of these virtue signaling talking heads bought what he said because they love to push that particular narrative above all others. A racist and someone who falsely accuses someone of racism are both lower than snake scum as far as I’m concerned!

Garrett can suck it and he’s my least favorite player in the NFL. I hope his career crashes and burns!!!
Myles Garrett

 

I don't think he's fully recovered from the brutal hit he took against the Ravens when he was sandwiched and then bashed his head head off the turf as he went down half concussed and then the helmet bash on top of that. In the few short games he's played for us he has been beaten down pretty badly. He really needs to come out with a nothing to lose attitude but that may be difficult to do after some of the brutal hits he's already taken. It all comes down to Oline protection from here on out for him. JMHO.

 

My reasons for doubting Mason R.
Last years Detroit debacle is a good start. Getting beat out by duck Hodges is another good reason. Having one good game in all of his starts and we lost anyway against the browns.

 

I think (more likely) people are remembering specifically his last two starts of the 2019 season: the Cleveland game (where it doesn't help that his top 2 WRs and top RB were all injured), and the week after in Cincinnati (when he might not have fully recovered from the concussion and helmet bash).

In the 6 starts before that, his quarterback rating was around 83-84, with a low of 81 and a high of 124. (For comparison, that season Brady had a QBR of 88, while Fitzpatrick and Allen were at 85.) He had 9 TDs to 3 INTs. The team was averaging 23 points a game, which would have been at the league average (instead of the 27th had for that season).

If MR can sustain or improve on those first 6 starts of his first season of real NFL action, I think that is better than "low-level starter", even though it is well short of Mahomes-level.

 

I didn't want 2 say this , but You did , and I agree. I believe some people still believe it, and some just want 2 believe it.

 

Why do people keep saying this. He was not beat out by Duck H.
He got knocked out.
Was Lamar beat out by T. Huntley??

 

Since Mason's stock is not exactly rising, I have been thinking

I would be ok w drafting Andrew Luck light : Desmond Ridder

 

To me it appears as if he never just rips the ball at his target with authority. It's almost as if he's thinking, "Well, he looks open" or "He looks like he'll be open....." He sometimes releases the ball as if he regrets his decision as soon as it leaves his hand.

I don't know if that indecisiveness came from playing in Ben's shadow or what. And what about Ben? What was his problem with Rudolph? I don't believe for a minute that he held some sort of grudge against the guy because he was pissed that Pittsburgh drafted him. I almost wonder if there wasn't something more. Not that it matters now, but Ben being a d!ckhead around Mason couldn't have helped if that was indeed, the case.

I'm rooting for the guy. He seems like a good dude, and he doesn't make waves. Will those traits make him a better QB? No. It means I'd like to see the guy thrive because if he does, the team will. However, my gut tells me he's a career back-up.

 

He's a muppet...

Beaker specifically.

 

Andrew Luck Light???

Desmond Ridder is a very B- Russel Wilson.

 

Mason's delivery and arm strength reminds me of Chad Pennington.