Over the weekend, Mason Rudolph starting a game wasn’t the only thing different about the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation. While it was Rudolph who made the plays and got the results Pittsburgh’s been searching for, he says he didn’t do it alone. Beyond the playmakers on the receiving end of his throws, namely WR George Pickens, Rudolph credited Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky for being a great pair of eyes and ears to advise him throughout the game. Something he says hasn’t always experienced in Pittsburgh.
“No matter who’s playing, there’s been great communication,” Rudolph said via the PPG’s Brian Batko. “Everyone is truly trying to make the other person better. Find a nugget if they see something, suggest something that’s truly going to help us out. As opposed to, there’s been other times, where there’s not as cohesive of a group and people aren’t as forthcoming with, ‘How do we help?'”
If only we had a guess as to who he could be possibly talking about.
Of course, this is almost certainly a reference to his time with Ben Roethlisberger. Famously, or perhaps infamously, Roethlisberger and Rudolph had a strained relationship. Roethlisberger was no fan of the Steelers’ selection of Rudolph in 2018, questioning the team’s decision to draft his potential heir instead of trying to win now. After Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season, even Rudolph admitted the two weren’t close, though that’s like revealing oil and water aren’t close friends.
“I wouldn’t say we were close, but he did his job,” Rudolph said this past May. “He had a job to do, he had a team to lead. And I get that.”
In fairness, Rudolph also said Roethlisberger did answer questions Rudolph had, though it sounds like Roethlisberger didn’t offer unprompted advice. And Roethlisberger spoke highly of Rudolph on the most recent episode of his Footbahlin podcast, advocating for Rudolph to start this week over QB Kenny Pickett.
It seems to be the direction the team is headed, Rudolph getting starting reps even as Pickett says he feels healthy enough to play. The team should make a final call by Friday afternoon.
Pittsburgh has started three quarterbacks this season, a rarity, but something Rudolph’s experienced before. He was part of the 2019 group that included Roethlisberger and Duck Hodges as the team cobbled together an 8-8 season, collapsing at the end of the year and losing its final three games. For Rudolph, this lap around the track is going better than the last one, though one ugly game against Seattle on Sunday will wash away the good feelings about him from the fan base.
