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There is something odd about MR?

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by Stone, Nov 11, 2019.

  1. Stone

    Stone Well-Known Member

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    There is something odd about MR that I can't put my finger on!

    Yesterday he was 22/38 for 242 yards and 1TD, and there were 5 very blatant drops which would have made him 27/38 for well over 300 yards.

    1. I hate that he throws from his back foot and I think it effects his accuracy.
    2. Receivers (Ju Ju) are short-arming passes and racking up drops and picks for him. Is something happening in practice that is making receivers afraid of broken ribs?
    3. QB's with bad accuracy usually miss receivers in all sorts of different ways; MR consistently throws behind receivers. I don't understand how this consistent inconsistency remains?
    4. He is winning games and producing results, yet it seems the coaching staff has no confidence in him?
    Yesterday, I watched most of the game at my sons but had to leave at the beginning of the forth quarter and listened to Bill and Tunch on the ride home. They were both losing their minds when, late in the game, all we needed was a couple first downs to clinch the game....just like last week..... and we ran up the middle ......3 and out!

    Here is my confusion. MR seems to be tough, seems to be doing his job, and seems to competant....so:
    1. Why does he throw consistently behind receivers....why can't this be fixed?
    2. Why are receivers short-arming his passes?
    3. Why doesn't the coaching staff trust him to move the chains late in games?
     
  2. Wardismvp

    Wardismvp Well-Known Member

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    You do realize that a Franchise QB in the NFL is one of the hardest
    things in sports that can be done? The young man has played 6 real games.
    There are not many Pat Mahomes out there. Yes he will have to work
    on his mechanics and reading defenses.
     
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  3. Stone

    Stone Well-Known Member

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    Maybe you didn't read the entire post.

    I am not knocking him, I am asking why the coaches don't seem to trust him and why the receivers seem to have alligator arms?

    And why does he have a consistent pattern of throwing behind receivers.....and why isn't that being fixed by coaches?

    For example: If I am a terrible putter because I am inconsistent, that is hard to fix, but if I consistently pull my putts to the left, that can easily be fixed.
     
  4. The Glory Days

    The Glory Days Well-Known Member

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    I am confused just like you are, but I want to address this one point.

    I saw more trust in him yesterday than ever. I might have seen TOO MUCH trust. Not that he couldn't handle it, but I think the trust actually put him in bad situations, like the safety.

    I don't remember what series it was late in the 4th when we got the ball. I looked to my wife and said, "Here we go, 3 unimaginative runs up the gut that will get us 2 yards and a three and out. Everyone in the stadium knows we're going to run it...HOLY CRAP, A PASS!!"

    The pass didn't net much, if it was even caught. But hell, we would likely have run it with BEN under center. There was trust there.

    The fourth down play with roll out pass to Edmonds? Can't say that wasn't a whole boatload of trust heaped on to young MR in that situation. Don't move the sticks right there and we might be looking at a loss.

    There is trust being afforded to him. Maybe not in a vertical passing game, but they are trusting him to do more than just manage this offense. And he is, to his credit, holding up his end of the bargain quite well. I mean, all this a few weeks after he royally got his eggs scrambled.

    He might not be able to track and lead a receiver right now, but this kid's moxy is impressive.
     
    • Agree Agree x 4
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  5. JAD

    JAD Well-Known Member

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    Some of MR bad mechanics such as moving his feet slightly in the pocket away from pass rushers and to get better throwing lanes, and just pocket awareness along with reading his options quicker takes more time then your average football week. It may take him working on this the off season. If you watch his bad throws he is off balance or just jumps up a little trying to pass over or around a pass rusher. When he has the time and can step into his throws his accuracy improves. Occasionally even when he isn't rushed he throws off his back foot, not sure if he did this in college but that can be fixed during the week.

    It would of helped if he was the backup last year and got more touches instead of his limited touches as a third string. I think because he is a good student of the game he will eventually get better with his accuracy and moving of his feet.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  6. Stone

    Stone Well-Known Member

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    I watched his highlights in College and he most definitely threw everything off his back foot, and you would "think" that could be fixed but it isn't changing.

    His passes float rather than spin and this could be why he is throwing behind receivers? It could also be why his receivers drop so many?
     
  7. The Glory Days

    The Glory Days Well-Known Member

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    I think the drops are because of a lack of trust. He isn't putting the ball where they would expect, so they are over thinking it. If a receiver gets led into traffic, he's going to get creamed. If he's underthrown and has to reach back, he's also exposed. Either way, the thought process shifts from executing a catch while running in stride to determining what's coming at them from what angle. That's obviously not the exact thought process, but there's a huge difference between coming out of your break and expecting the ball to be on you and coming out of your break not knowing where it is going to be.

    I really think time will sort this out. It's not as much that he's a young qb, but that he is a NEW qb who just hasn't had the time to develop a rapport with his receivers.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  8. strummerfan

    strummerfan Well-Known Member

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    What gives you he idea that they don’t work on his mechanics? What makes you think it’s an immediate fix?
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  9. MojaveDesertPghFan

    MojaveDesertPghFan

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    MR did hit Johnson perfectly in stride in the 2nd half on a left to right slant for a sizable gain, but there were no defenders nearby to confuse his optics/physics. As I recall, BB's specialty was right to left slants dating back to the Wallace/Holmes days. MR's specialty when he does connect seem to be more of the lob/jump tosses like he has replicated with #13 several times this year. Can't argue with the accuracy and placement/velocity of the TD pass to #13 yesterday. Again, as many have observed, we have been so spoiled with BB's acumen since Day 1, that anyone else they trot out there just appears to be so.......human.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  10. KMM

    KMM Well-Known Member

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    The drops by receivers is what happens when a QB isn't consistently putting it on the numbers. As noted, receivers get lit up when trying to reach for balls. They get alligator arms out of self-preservation. People have been complaining about JuJu and McDonald dropping balls this year, but they didn't suddenly get bad hands or alligator arms. I have no doubt that the drops are a function of where the ball is consistently delivered.

    Rudolph isn't the only QB in the league to not be consistently accurate but it is what separates the really good ones from the average ones. The really good ones minimize the number of times that they expose their receivers to punishment.
     
  11. steel_ben7

    steel_ben7 Well-Known Member

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    Rudolph has been solid and has not been great but he has been good enough and made some big plays and big time throws when he has needed too and is not turning the ball over hardly at all.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  12. MadtownDruankard

    MadtownDruankard Well-Known Member

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    If he's throwing off his back foot and the balls lack spin they will float like a knuckle ball which does make it hard to catch.

    Also most of his passes do sail - they put the WR in position to get rocked by the defender - reaching up in tight coverage. Obviously balls thrown behind a moving WR are hard to catch . Not alot of explanation there other than he's hesitant and his timing is off. Throwing off the back foot is what bad Qb's do and if he can't stop that then we better start looking for a new QB soon.

    Qb's with bad mechanics usually turn the ball over. I'm pretty sure this is why Mason dropped in the draft. I'm waiting for him to just make some plays on his own because of a high motor... a competitive fire...something. Good QB's show this early, even if their mechanics are lacking, decision making is slow. etc. You saw that with Ben on day 1. Funny thing is we saw it with Devlin. He was playing without fear and gaming. I've not seen that from Mason yet. The only interesting thing I've heard about Mason is that he's a student of the game...which definitely doesn't show on the field yet. He seems to have that cockiness needed but so does every nfl QB. Even the bad ones.

    I don't agree with this idea that the offense is Mason's . Given that he clearly still needs alot of development if the offense isn't scoring why not given Devlin a show for a quarter or two? Given the fact that we are now in the playoff picture I don't think we should let this team live and die by Mason's arm. If he doesn't start doing something give the other guy a shot and let Mason watch some plays from the sideline. If Devlin sucks then give it back to Mason .
     
    • Disagree Disagree x 3
  13. Wardismvp

    Wardismvp Well-Known Member

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    You have knocked him all along, go root for the Browns, you seem
    to have an infatuation with them anyway.
     
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 1
  14. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Hey Stone.

    Maybe some of this is going on in practice and it gives those involved that you mentioned the jitters when the real thing is in play (not practice). Maybe they are thinking too much out there in game-time and that adds extra pressure to their performance knowing that the games are for real, no do-overs. (for both players and coaches) Just a theory. STEELWINDS
     
  15. Stone

    Stone Well-Known Member

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    Consistently throwing behind receivers = lead the receiver a little more = done!
     
  16. Stone

    Stone Well-Known Member

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    You should read better, I have not knocked him, I have put the blame on coaching.

    Calm down honey, it's okay....
     
  17. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Hey Glory Days.

    Yes, you call it "moxy" I call it "grit". One in the same (smile). I do believe Mason has "IT". We have all seen him "hang in there" through the toughest of plays. I think that some here want immediate gratification with his maturation process. News flash to some folks, it happens at different rates for everyone no matter what position it is. It only becomes magnified with Mason because he is the main Cog (the QB) of the Steel Machine.

    As I have stated, I think he is progressing along very nicely and really "I" have no complaints about his performances up to this point. I looked up his numbers again this week as I posted them last week. They are good: 11 TDs 4 Ints 1330 Yards Passer rating of 93.

    The following statement is redundant but I feel it is worth repeating. We seriously could be 8-1. One can pin most of those losses on key blunders from other players. For example (sorry to be repetitive), the tip off of Moncrief's hands in the Seattle game, which lead to a Seattle TD, which in the end cost us the game. Similar Non-Mason blunders have contributed big time to some of other our losses as well.

    Up to this point, and as I have stated numerous times, is that I will point a "light" finger at him for Red-Zone efficiency. However, some of that blame can be spread around too. Especially, towards the coaches' play-calling and lack of a strong running game. I am not sure what some folks are expecting. STEELWINDS
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  18. HeinzMustard

    HeinzMustard Well-Known Member

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    If you people thought Rudolph made some bad throws.... you should have seen some of the throws last night from Wilson and Garropolo. :eek:

    .... and both of these QBs have much more experience. And Wilson is in the running for MVP. :eek:
     
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  19. SteelersForLife8810

    SteelersForLife8810 Well-Known Member

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    Hey STEELWINDS
     
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  20. STEELWINDS

    STEELWINDS

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    Hey 8810.

    Have a great day! STEELWINDS
     
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 2
  21. bigbenhotness

    bigbenhotness Well-Known Member

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    I think Mason will be pretty damn good by season's end. He works hard and he knows he has a lot to work on. He is not athletically gifted but I think he can at Ben's level next year. This version of Ben, not prime ben lol.
     
  22. Roonatic

    Roonatic Well-Known Member

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    I would like to see Mason take more chances. Not until he gets them floaters out of his system though.
     
  23. thesteeldeal

    thesteeldeal Well-Known Member

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    His floaters are a byproduct of his indecisiveness and a lot of times a congested pocket. When he throws with confidence and is able to step into his throws, he throws a nice ball.

    “Floaters “? We need to change that:smiley1:
     
  24. Blast Furnace

    Blast Furnace Staff Member Mod Team

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    Coaches were definitely playing not to lose on the last series. Hard to run for a first down when the defense knows you are running it 3 times.

    But I don't think it's just Rudolph they are being cautious with there, I just posted in another thread that there has been about 7 or 8 turnovers due to our receivers.

    It's working for now because of the defense but sooner or later they will need to rely on receivers and Rudolph to make a play in those situations. Playing not to lose will eventually cause you to lose.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
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  25. Stone

    Stone Well-Known Member

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    Hang on while I scan this for missing letters/words:smiley1: He can ( ) at Ben's level? Be athletically gifted at Ben's level?......Hell, Fuchtner could do that!:smiley1: Play at Ben's level?.......He could probably throw passes at Ben's level right now....seeing as how Ben's arm is in a sling:smiley1:

    I will say this, it has been fun a few times watching him run when you are used to watching Ben:cool:
     
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 1

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