Dionate Johnson says he hopes Mason Rudolph is the Steelers starting QB next season

They have to pay Mason, maybe as much as 8 million per season to keep him

 

And DJ hopes Kenny quits running when unnecessary.

 

Easy to understand why diontae would feel that way given how much more successful he was with Mason under center.

 

I can’t agree more. I think fans have sensed there is more to what’s going on, as evidenced by little comments from different players, or maybe even some of Kenny’s own actions.

My struggle is that Johnson needs to be a leader, keep this in house, and address it through the chain of command. What good comes of a comment like that to the press, other than to fuel off-season controversy.

 

Like that movie Major League (baseball) I think all players coming into any league should be told how to handle questions and what to say. Save them a hell of a lot of grief.

 

Exactly. All he had to do was say

“Hey it wasn’t the kind of year I expected for myself. I’m only a player. What the coaches decide to do I’ll give 100% either way. All I can do I put in the work to get better and support my teammates any way I can”.

 

They pay Trubusky that much, and Mason has done way more in 4 games then Trubisky has in 2 years. Believe me, 8 million would be a bargain if Mason ends up being a solid starter next year. Hell, they can probably sign him for half of that if he doesn't get any other offers

 

then pay him. I knew DJ preferred him, he said as much after the SEA game. others on the team have insinuated it as well.

Pickett is cooked, sad to say. Hope they can work something out w Mason, or find someone stronger. sometimes you blow it in the draft - just get on with life at this point.

MUCH work to get this team ready to make strong playoff run - including finding a set of NEW COACHES!!! LOL

 

I realize that you might be joking, but if that's actually the case (and sadly, given his poutiness after being benched, I could see it), then Kenny definitely shouldn't be the starter. I mean, if Kenny really wants to be a QB1 next year and wants to have the backing of his team mates, then he should view the challenge of winning the trust of DJ (and the others who feel the same but are not as outspoken) as a catalyst and opportunity to improve his game.

But if he petulantly decides not to do those things because he's really butt-hurt over DJ and his (imo, valid) opinions, then he probably has no business playing in the NFL. Kenny's gotta be better than that. And if he truly wants his team mates to rally around him again, then he's clearly going to have to give them a genuine reason to. Otherwise, GTFO.

 

Agreed. And this sentiment apparently goes well beyond DJ's opiniom being some kind of outlier. In Dejan Kovacevic's Daily Shot this morning, DK noted that while Dionte is the first player to openly go on the record with his preference for Mason as QB1, multiple other players he spoke to had also expressed similar opinion, albeit only when it was off the record, presumay to avoid controversy. DK wouldn't specifically state who these players are - doing so would be a breech of trust and would probably lead to him losing his press credentials - but given his closeness with the team, I think his reporting on these sorts of things should be considered very trustworthy, and certainly a step above the average clickbait gossip mills. If he's right, though, then it would seem to confirm my suspicion that, at some point during the season, Kenny basically lost the confidence of locker room, which would suggest that whether Mason is re-signed or not, he's going to have a real uphill battle next year if he hopes to ever win it back.

 

Kenny can't even do interviews right now. So he's clearly not a captain.

 

Idk. I find it hard to believe he will get that chance elsewhere. He knows Pickett sucks just as much as the rest of us. Even if he doesn't compete, he probably understands that Pickett's time as a starter is inevitable and he would get a shot in 2024 whether he gets it in camp or in-season after a Pickett benching.

I think there is a chance he signs here as a back up, knowing full well that he will likely get that opportunity regardless.

 

And why wouldn't they? One QB proved he can't move the ball and score points and the other did. Pickett career starts ended in like a 15.9 PPG, Mason's 4 starts in 2023 ended in 26.25 PPG. Who doesn't like scoring 10PPG more a game?

 

i have not done all the research but did he even generate 15.9 PPG OR does that include TD's that the DEFENSE scored too? either way, it truly was pathetic. to blame Canada for ALL of that is foolish.

 

I totally agree. 4 games is hardly a reason to attach your trust to someone as "the guy" of the future moving forward. However, if we aren't able to draft a guy we like better (and don't think guys like Fields or Mayfield are "the guy"), then we gotta roll with Rudolph as the guy that gives us the best chance to win games. When healthy our defense really has done a good job keeping us in games the last two years (whether its holding opponents to 20 points or less or just getting turnovers). It would be nice to have an offense that can score some points and take the pressure off of them a bit. The defense's margin of error has been SO small. Its why a mediocre game by them has been so painful to us. Give up 22 points to a good offense? That's game. Play defense for 35 minutes a game because our offense can't gain 100 yards in the first half? Better stiffen up.... Its tough. The offense just moved better with Mason, scored more with Mason. If this choice is Kenny or Mason, it should be a REALLY easy decision.

 

Its actually 16.1 after I re-did the math, and it only includes points scored by the offense. It goes to 16.7 with defensive points added. Either way we've only been expected to score about 16 points any time Kenny starts a game. Even Mitch was able to have an 18.4 PPG in his 7 starts as a Steeler. It isn't good.

 

Most 1st round QB's get 3 seasons to succeed. Kenny will be given another chance next season. I'm sure the front office will look for an OC that is interested in trying to turn Kenny around. I would be willing to bet they have been looking for this person since Canada was fired. There is a lot invested into a round 1 QB and it's not just salary.

The big question IMO is if anyone would give Mason a shot at starting. I don't think anyone see's much upside in Mason. The more he played the less impressive he looked. Think about Josh Dobbs. Best case I could see him finding a situation similar to what we had when we signed Mitch. A really bad team that is in rebuild mode, plans to draft a franchise QB, and promises Mason the opportunity to start if he can beat out a rookie. Is Mason better than Baker Mayfield? How much love did Baker get last offseason?

I honestly can't think of one team that would give Mason a true shot at starting. His best option might be Pittsburgh..... so it's probably best for Mason to just chase the most guaranteed $. That's what I would do .... be happy in that #2 role and hope for an opportunity. There's safety and $$$ in that role. A lot of #2 QB's have nice careers and make a ton of $$$. Mason was 1 year way from being unemployed and out of the NFL. Look at Mitch for example. That guy made way too much $ for his actual skills. The so called experts in the NFL really miss calculated his abilities. With Mitch gone and Kenny our only QB under contract I do think Pittsburgh would be his most likely home but a new OC might not see it that way.

A new OC will want a QB that knows his system and someone he can trust. Even if it's just for the purpose of practice reps... the offense needs someone that can run the plays and understand the system so they can get quality reps. Not trying to learn a system with a QB that's trying to figure it out also. That's usually a recipe for disaster.

 

Kenny (a team captain) not doing interviews
Pickens and DJ quitting on the field
Constant complaints being aired in public by players.

Man this team is a mess. So much drama

 

It just depends on what they've shown as a starter the first 2 years. Going back 10 years the only 1st round QB's that have shown less than Pickett were Paxton Lynch, EJ Manuel, Josh Rosen, and Dwayne Haskins have shown less (hard to determine where to put Trey Lance in this). None of those guys were given 3 years to succeed. The rest of them have shown much more, so they were given a bit more leeway. The real question is, has Pickett been good enough in his first 24 starts to deserve a 3rd year as starter? I would argue no.

I agree with your second statement regarding Mason. I don't think there will be a team that gives him a shot to start. He is probably looking at a #2 job behind a starter that is on thin ice. Pittsburgh is a place like that. Plus we'd have no problem affording him. If I were Mason, I'd go for the $ and the longest contract I could get term wise. There still might be an opportunity to start in that spot if the #1 fails.

I will say that with DJ coming out supporting Mason as the starter and Dan Kovacevic's comments regarding a number of other players on the offense (anonymously) supporting Mason, the Steelers might be forced to give Mason a shot in camp. If Mason has the backing of the offense and Pickett doesn't, then it is a hard sell to just throw Kenny out there.

 

Attitude reflect leadership

 

All NFL players are selfish. They don't like him because their #'s suffered. That costs them $. Add in the fact that most of them are ego maniacs and not really that thoughtful and you get players throwing their co workers under the bus. If you work in sales and your bonus depends on everyone doing their job well... that guy that doesn't produce will quickly have the entire team turn on them. Occasionally you have someone with leadership skills that might try to help that person succeed. This IMO is what this team lacks. True player leaders. Watt is amazing but he seems like a guy that doesn't want to be a leader.

Tomlin is the leader but I think he wants to be liked by his players... he gives them too much freedom and it appears he does not set clear expectations or enforce accountability. Players like him but they don't like the losing. They like the paychecks but they don't want to take accountability. The team is too loose and we have heard this from past players. We are not buttoned up. We don't worry about the small things or details. We don't look well enough prepared ...and that's a result of poor preparation. Every player should know the expectation is consistent execution and therefore if they don't do the work they will be held accountable. This is management 101. Teams that consistently play at a high level excel at that these things. this is why Andy Reed is so successful for so long. Bill Cowher. etc. Sure you need talent but talent without running like a well oiled machine isn't going to work consistently.

 

Yep. Defense time on field in first halves hurt them bad. As in injury ward.

 

First off, Mason is not the best QB. Some of you people are soo fickle. He played 2 ok games. What did he do against Buffalo ? Nothing. If Pickett played the same game , most of you would say he sucks.
Mason is not worth 8 million a season .
The smart thing to do is let him walk, cut Trubisky and sign a vet to compete with Pickett.

 

I agree that Mason isn't the best QB. He played 2 good games and 2 solid games. Against Buffalo Mason threw 2 TD passes, something Kenny has done one time in 24 starts. FKN ONCE. Mason has more Multi-TD games in a 4 game stretch than Kenny has in 24 starts.

I'd agree that Mason isn't worth 8 mil a season at this point. I'd find it hard to believe that any team will be looking to pay him that. We should be able to afford him for about half of that. What vet would you want to bring in to compete that makes more sense than Rudolph? If we bring in Cousins, Fields, or Mayfield, its to be the starter. Minshew? Winston? Tannehill? These guys would all likely be more expensive than Mason in the open market. Browning? Maybe? Idk.

 

good work, thank you

no - neither is good