Mason Rudolph expects Steelers offense to change in 2022 to better suit his style
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The Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense will feature more under-center, play-action and downfield passing in Year 2 under coordinator Matt Canada, quarterback Mason Rudolph said on a national radio show Friday.
“There were some concepts that Ben (Roethlisberger) had ran and Ben had been comfortable with for 10 years,” Rudolph said of the 2021 Steelers offense while speaking on the Jim Rome Show on Friday. “No matter who the coordinator was, (Roethlisberger) was tied to some concepts, and I think there was a bit of a mesh between him and the coordinator. You get that kind of leeway when you’re an 18-year future Hall of Fame quarterback.
“But I am excited this year to just kind of have the dialogue with Matt and move forward with his bread-and-butter. He’s a play-action guy, he’s a push-the-ball-down-the-field guy, and I think that suits my style well.”
Of course, whether Year 2 of Canada suits Rudolph’s style or not might end up irrelevant to the Steelers’ chances of returning to the playoffs if Rudolph isn’t the starter in 2022. There is no guarantee of that, even if coach Mike Tomlin said Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins will be given an opportunity to compete to be the successor to the retired Roethlisberger.
“There’s always going to be competition,” Rudolph said while sitting in studio with Rome in Los Angeles. “No matter if we draft somebody or being (a veteran) in, I’m never going to shy away from that and that’s an obvious component. We know (the front office) is going to add to the room. So I am excited to compete and looking forward to the opportunity to play.”
Rudolph said he has spent several weeks of every offseason of his pro career training in Southern California at 3DQB in Huntington Beach.
Unlike the first three offseasons since being a 2018 third-round pick, though, this time Rudolph can approach it knowing he has a realistic chance to be the Steelers’ starter.
“I’m having an entire offseason with a different mindset,” Rudolph said. “Every year, yeah, am I preparing like a starter? Yes, but you know when you get back to camp there’s a Hall of Famer there who is the starter.
“So I am excited. I know it’s an opportunity having a chance to be the starting quarterback. That’s all you can ask for.”
Many fans and commentators, though, have openly derided Rudolph as a QB1 option for the Steelers. Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark — now an ESPN NFL analyst — went so far as to say that if Rudolph is named the starter the Steelers “are no longer the Pittsburgh Steelers that I love or that the fans of Pittsburgh love.”
Rudolph said he takes criticism in stride.
“Shoot, I totally understand the barbershop talk,” he told Rome. “You’re playing one of the most highly-scrutinized positions in all of sports, and it come with the dinner. I get that. I never understand the guys who invite it and then cry wolf at the end. I totally understand (being criticized) and I enjoy it. And I think I’ve got lot of prove, and that motivates me.”
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