Steelers’ former quarterback Mason Rudolph reminisces on his time in Pittsburgh during Titans OTAs
7.5 months ago, Mason Rudolph was largely an afterthought among Pittsburgh Steelers fans. But after putting together a December and January that saw him go 3-0 and sneak the Steelers into the playoffs, the longtime backup quickly became a fan favorite. He spoke about what that meant to him earlier this week, but in his […]
7.5 months ago, Mason Rudolph was largely an afterthought among Pittsburgh Steelers fans.
But after putting together a December and January that saw him go 3-0 and sneak the Steelers into the playoffs, the longtime backup quickly became a fan favorite.
He spoke about what that meant to him earlier this week, but in his new home of Nashville:
Mason Rudolph Reminisces
"Loved it, had a lot of fun," Rudolph told Buck Reising of A to Z Sports Nashville. "I've got a lot of great relationships with the guys in Pittsburgh, and we were able to clinch a playoff berth. Didn't get it done, didn't play as well as we would've liked in the Wild Card [game], but I was happy with the way I played, the way we played. Feel like we kind of fed off each other there at the end."
One thing that was extremely admirable about the end of Rudloph's tenure in Pittsburgh was his toughness. Not just physically but mentally.
Sure Rudolph would stand in the pocket longer, surveying the field and hitting big plays while taking unprotected shots, but his preparation is what deserves to be commended the most.
For the vast majority of the season, Rudolph was inactive. He was the emergency QB, meaning he wasn't eligible to play in the game unless Both Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky went down with injuries and were unable to return.
So how many reps do you think he was getting in practice?
Slim to none and Slim just walked out of the door.
To be thrust into a starter role with three weeks remaining on a team that was once 7-4, then 7-7, and with your playoff chances dwindling from over 80% to under 20% is a lot of pressure.
Rudolph viewed it as a privilege.
He played the best stretch of games that Pittsburgh had seen from a QB since Ben Roethlisberger's 11-0 stretch in 2020. He completed an astounding 74% of his passes, threw for over 700 yards, and had a 3-0 TD-Interception ratio over the last three weeks.
Oh, and he was undefeated and got the Steelers back in the playoffs after it looked certain they would go back-to-back years without a postseason appearance, and maybe even end Mike Tomlin's winning streak.
His story is written in Pittsburgh, and the 28-year-old QB figures to be one of the best backups in the league for the foreseeable future.