Conner will likely return against Brownies, sources say

I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. he has played in 7 games sacked 9 times and only 4 picks with a 93 rating. 1.3 sacks per game and .5 int per game.

 

I disagree too. MTD portrays Rudolph to be as bad as some of the Browns QBs over the last decade. If Rudolph was as bad as he claims.. Steelers would be 2-7, not 5-4.

 

He dumps the ball off or throws it away after holding it too long. My point is when he is being pressured he doesn't handle it well, he's giving the defense time to hit him, even when he has plenty of time. There is a trend that he holds the ball too long. Bring quick pressure with blitzes and he is toast. Rushing 4 gives him the time he has to sit in the pocket wondering to do before dumping it off to a rb. I've never seen a QB have so much time and do nothing with it on a consistent basis.

 

I'll assess Mason from my point of view yet again.

He moves the chains, plays conservative until we are behind. Makes those 3rd down completions when needed. His inaccurate dud throws are probably one of the few things he needs to clean up, other than that WR are dropping critical passes. So far he is an above average QB who works hard and shows improvement each game. definitely not the problem when your O line is crumbling 1-2 seconds after snap and no running game.

 

Our guys are pretty much blanketed. Yes there are times when they are open and he looks to dump off, but more times often than not our guys namely JUJU cant pull off defenders.

Juju doesnt command a double team and we have no running game so people can just rush 4 drop 7. Ben would look clueless too

 

Huh? So far I'd say Mason has not been good. Is that not fair to say? It's his 2nd season I was hoping for more...maybe expecting a little bit better . But I'm not saying bench the guy for good and give up on him. He could be a great QB...but early signs are not encouraging.

He's not turned the ball over a lot ...but pretty sure that has a lot to do with the offensive game plan being ultra conservative. I'm looking forward to the game that they say Mason - you need to win this game... move the ball down field and run the offense. Right now our defense is winning games.

 

he knows that, but so far our defense is winning games so there is no reason for him to play that way lol.

He is a game manager right now

 

I've watched plenty of video of WR's running open . His progressions are not in sync with the WR's running their routes. Sure the WR's are dropping balls at an alarming rate. Agreed. Probably guys not running good routes as well. My point wasn't to put the entire blame of the offense on Mason... my point was about opponents not bringing the blitz on Mason. I find it bizarre... when playing an inexperienced QB that holds the ball too long why not go after him and force him into mistakes? He's basically a statue back there , he's not going to go Mike Vick on anyone. I'm glad that's not happening but if or when it does... it might not go so well for us.

 

Roethlisberger was able to throw guys open, look off defenders and use ball fakes. Rudolph rarely does any of that.

Rudolph hasn't been terrible, but he is well below Roethlisberger's level, too.

 

well yeah Big Ben is a different animal

 

got ya and yeah agreed on that point

 

Rudolph is not losing games with bad decisions for us. Then again he doesn't take many chances with tight coverage. I think he will start to trust a receiver or two & try & thread the needle when needed.

 

Mason doesn't have the greatest completion percentage versus the blitz. Here's his line prior to the Rams game:


Mason Rudolph PIT 18(C) 42(A) 368 42.9(%) 8.8(avg) 5(TD) 1(INT) 76(long) 2(Sacks) 104.0 (Rating)


This puts Mason ahead of folks such as, Brady, Garoppolo, Jackson, Minshew, Murray, Goff, Keenum, Mayfield, Danny-Dimes, etc.

 

Your blitzing philosophy is interesting, don't you think the OC
would negate this holding in a TE or RB? Never fails to amaze me.

 

I just brought up in another thread that Mason is being blitzed more than any other QB this season. With that said it don't matter who is running the ball if we can't make these teams stop blitzing we won't be able to run the ball.......

 

I agree. Saying that Rudolph isn't Roethlisberger isn't a knock on Rudolph. Roethlisberger is going to the Hall of Fame and he showed some signs that he could be special even as a rookie. Rudolph could remain below Rothlisberger's level and still end up a very good NFL quarterback.

 

Yea exactly, that’s what I’m trying to say lol

 

Hey MadtownDruankard.

As folks probably know, I am down with Mason. Given that, you are absolutely correct MTD. He has been given ample protection which is exactly what a new QB needs. He was put into the most ideal situation in that regards. I would think just the whole idea still circulates that he is a rookie in a sense and he is still finding his way. As I have pointed out, his stats are good. He however, has to find his comfort zone and know that he can count on his supporting cast. And let us be honest, the supporting cast has made more than their share of blunders to possibly deteriorate some of his confidence.

Nevertheless, he has to just "dust-off" their errors, get back to the huddle and have a short-memory. It is a domino effect. The gang (WRs, RBs, TEs) has got to find a cure for the "butter fingers". In addition, and equally as important, is they have to make those "tough" catches. Yes, they are tough but.... still catchable This in turn will also instill more confidence into Mason as well as the recipients of these types of passes. STEELWINDS

 

I seriously don't understand why opponents haven't just blitzed us on every snap. Mason craps his pants when the pocket collapses, WR's can't catch, and RB's can't find holes so if it's not a sack it's probably a run for a loss.

I see some disagreement with this statement but I too wondered the same thing. My biggest fear is that is what every team we play will do. It is what every defense should do to young QB with very little experience. I'm not saying mason will freak out but constant pressure will confuse the hell out of him.

 

I've yet to see anything from Edmunds that makes me think he is worthy of the job.

 

Awesome! We need the bodies at RB. The question now is, will Tomlin feature Conner 90% of the game whether he is having a good game or not, and never allow any other rb's to get good snaps and possibly get into a rhythm?

Only time will tell...

I'd like to think coming off an injury his snapcount is reduced but we know Tomlin's, until the wheels fall off style with his RB's...

I don't know about you guys, but I want to see more of this Tony Brooks-James character... He had some pep to his step and looked like he was ready to break one for 15 or 20 yards real quick at any moment, but never did end up breaking a long one. Only had about 4 or 5 touches though. I wanted to see him make a play how the Chiefs offense is with all their speed. Hopefully they keep him involved even if its only that ~5 touches a game. He brings speed we don't have at the position with anyone else

 

Brooks-James didn't just open the season on the practice squad. He wasn't even their first option when they had dig into that group due to injury. He should not be taking touches from Conner and Samuels. I would like to see more of Brooks-James returning kickoffs. It would be nice to see somebody with the speed to actually do something back there for a change.

 

Guess we will get a look at the big debate on if we are better or worse with Switzer..........I for one am looking forward to it! Game day boys and girls.......