Confident Rudolph seeking to become primary backup
LATROBE 鈥� Mason Rudolph would seem to have it all going on for himself.
The tall, smart, good-looking rookie quarterback kept his mouth shut last season and worked hard without complaint, glad to be part of the NFL while pocketing a cool $1.4 million.
Did I say he鈥檚 easygoing?
That, too.
But only to a point. Ask him how he came out of his rookie season.
鈥淚 was very disappointed,鈥� said Rudolph. 鈥淎nytime you don鈥檛 play, anytime you can鈥檛 suit up on Sundays, it鈥檚 a huge shock.鈥�
However, the big guy can鈥檛 stay mad very long.
鈥淭here was plenty of positive stuff to take from it,鈥� he added. 鈥淚 loved game-planning each week and doing what I could to bring some little nugget of something to the table for Ben or Randy. That鈥檚 going to continue to be my routine and try to help our team in any way I can.鈥�
This sitting on the bench like a good soldier, though, isn鈥檛 his plan for much longer. To that end Rudolph went out and got better. He dialed up pitching guru Tom House, who introduced Rudolph to Adam Dedeaux, who runs 3DQB where seemingly all of the modern-day greats have trained.
If the name sounds familiar, it isn鈥檛 鈥� unless you remember legendary USC baseball coach Rod Dedeaux, Adam鈥檚 grandfather.
And so Dedeaux, the buzz at camp has gone, provided Rudolph with a stronger arm.
Is that even possible?
Well, Rudolph鈥檚 arm does appear to be stronger. And that added strength has led to more confidence. And that confidence has led to more presence in the pocket, which has led to the belief in most camp circles that Rudolph is in the process of separating from Josh Dobbs in the battle to become Ben Roethlisberger鈥檚 primary backup this season.
Is the arm stronger? Can throwing coaches actually make that possible?
鈥淚t鈥檚 possible,鈥� said Rudolph.
Really?
鈥淚 would say yay and nay,鈥� said Steelers offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. 鈥淚 definitely think arm strength gets improved when decisions get sped up and you鈥檙e confident, so then you might see a little more zip on the ball and things like that. He has a plenty strong enough arm. He always has. I think you鈥檙e just seeing footwork transitioning and balls are coming out quicker. You just know there鈥檚 a confidence level that lets him just throw that ball, as opposed to 鈥楢m I right?鈥� And so I think now you鈥檙e seeing balls zipping, and it鈥檚 coming out of his hand clean, a tighter spiral.鈥�
A touchdown pass to Tevin Jones on Monday was the perfect example. Jones ran a skinny post and Rudolph didn鈥檛 question what he saw, so when the small window opened up, the ball was there, right in stride, probably 25 yards down the middle of the field. And since Rudolph hit Jones running in stride, the receiver was able to continue sprinting past cornerback Herb Waters and then safety Jordan Dangerfield to the end zone for a 65-yard touchdown. Better processing added 40 yards to the total, and Rudolph鈥檚 per-completion yardage jumped quite a bit.
Is that what the QB guru did?
鈥淛ust mechanically taking a look at yourself,鈥� was how Rudolph explained the process. 鈥淭here were another set of eyes on you 鈥� separate from your coaches who have a lot going on and can鈥檛 always spend as much detailed time on your throwing motion, mechanics, footwork.
鈥淚 think there are always ways to improve. I think just driving the intermediary stuff for me was big. I knew I could throw the deep ball. I鈥檝e done that my whole life. But I wanted to be a lot more accurate and show a little more velocity on the intermediary stuff, and I think I鈥檝e done that.鈥�
He did it with Jones. But what does the receiver who knows Rudolph better than any other, James Washington, Rudolph鈥檚 primary receiver at Oklahoma State, think of the new Mason?
鈥淗e鈥檚 a lot more relaxed,鈥� said Washington. 鈥淗e seems like when he gets in there he knows how to talk to guys, gets guys to move around. He studies the playbook like nobody else, so I鈥檓 not surprised that he鈥檚 more confident and relaxed.鈥�
What about his arm strength?
鈥淔or me it feels the same,鈥� Washington said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 always had a strong arm.鈥�
And is he still throwing to you?
鈥淥h, yeah,鈥� Washington said with a smile. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still boys like that.鈥�
Rudolph鈥檚 coach is happy, too.
鈥淚鈥檓 pleased with where he is right now, because he鈥檚 really competing,鈥� said Fichtner. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy, I don鈥檛 think, for young guys to find their way when you know that you have a franchise starting quarterback that鈥檚 here and the role ultimately in the end is to be the best solid backup he can be for this football team. We never address backup; we never address any of that. When you鈥檙e in the huddle, you鈥檙e the first guy and here we go. But you know inside, there鈥檚 a competition for the two spot, but there鈥檚 not a competition for the one spot. That鈥檚 somewhat hard.鈥�
Fichtner had to deal with the dynamic of merely backing up Roethlisberger with Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich and Mike Vick, among others. And those were three quarterbacks with impressive records as starters. But the dynamic holds for all quarterbacks.
鈥淭here isn鈥檛 a young guy out there that ever doesn鈥檛 think they shouldn鈥檛 be the one,鈥� Fichtner said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been the one everywhere they鈥檝e been. Josh was a starter all those years at Tennessee, and Mason did everything at Oklahoma State. So, I love the drive of that and know that鈥檚 why they鈥檙e here, because of that drive to be the best and to want to be in the first group in the first huddle. But, you still have to navigate certain things.鈥�
At least in training camp and preseason, there exists the competition to become the No. 2 and at least dress for games.
To that end, how does Rudolph feel about his performance through the first week of training camp?
鈥淕reat,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think I鈥檓 been doing well. I think I鈥檝e been productive and I think I鈥檓 going to be a lot more comfortable going into the first preseason game with communication with receivers, bringing the young guys along, communicating. And our offensive line, the young guys there are doing well and Coach (Shaun) Sarrett鈥檚 doing a great job. It鈥檚 going to be fun to play.
It鈥檚 going to be fun to watch him play, too.
NOTES: The Steelers claimed WR Brandon Reilly off waivers from Detroit and waived CB Alexander Myres with a non-football illness designation. Reilly is a 6-1, 200-pounder out of Nebraska who spent time on the Buffalo Bills鈥� active roster in 2017 and the Dallas Cowboys and Lions practice squads in 2018. 鈥� Sitting out of Tuesday鈥檚 practice with minor injuries were Sean Davis, Donte Moncrief and Anthony Chickillo. David DeCastro was given the day off.