Rudolph shines in Steelers’ win
From the notebook of a sportswriter who was able to differentiate a pop pass from a jump pass from a shovel pass in Monday night鈥檚 win over the Bengals:
n The young-ins in the press box brought up Tim Tebow鈥檚 name after Mason Rudolph opted against a shovel pass and threw a bit of a jump pass to James Conner for the game鈥檚 first touchdown.
n I 鈥� old man 鈥� brought up Joe Kapp.
n Even 25, 30 years ago, when I once referenced Kapp, my editor cut it because he said no one would know who or what I am talking about.
n Readers still don鈥檛 know what I鈥檓 talking about.
n Yet, I plod onward.
n Age does have its pluses, and one is that I lived through the 1980s. It was mentioned to me the other day that my old editor 鈥� who shall remain nameless but who鈥檚 considered a savant in local media circles 鈥� said from his retirement home down south that the Steelers are headed for a dark period.
n We all know that 鈥渄ark period鈥� is code for the 鈥�80s. But I just don鈥檛 have that same feeling, and Rudolph is a big part of that.
n Rudolph has presence, poise, a strong and accurate arm, a clear vision of what leadership means, and is such a nice guy that we in the media are going to get awfully comfortable with him as Ben Roethlisberger mends.
n Rudolph is exactly the guy I would want waiting in the wings if I were a Steelers decision-maker. But my optimism about this rebuild includes the young defensive pillars at each level: Stephon Tuitt, T.J. Watt, Devin Bush and Minkah Fitzpatrick. The post-dynasty Steelers didn鈥檛 begin adding those types until 1987 when they drafted Rod Woodson and Greg Lloyd, added Carnell Lake in 1989, and added Levon Kirkland and Joel Steed in 1992.
n Not that every team will have as porous an offensive line as the Bengals, but this Steelers defense finally began to flex its immense potential. Bush got it rolling by sacking Andy Dalton when it was badly needed. Bush played his best game Monday night.
n The sack occurred after a third-down conversion by the Bengals was followed by a 15-yard completion to Tyler Boyd. It so hushed the crowd that someone said it felt like a Pitt game. But the sack by Bush re-ignited the place.
n A Steelers carry for no gain was followed by a fumbled 2-yard completion and all of that hot air escaped again. But, the Steelers held the Bengals to a field goal for another critical point in the game. The Steelers responded with 27 points that have yet to be answered.
n Can this defense carry this team? I鈥檓 not sure it鈥檚 mature enough, yet, but I won鈥檛 rule it out. Against some of the best QBs in the game, and two other solid veterans, the Steelers have 14 sacks 鈥� tied for fourth in the league. The Steelers have pass-rushers coming from inside and outside, the middle level and the back end. And, they have their best coverage group since the Polamalu days. That鈥檚 exciting.
n Bush鈥檚 first-series sack revived the stadium, but his first two snaps of the second quarter set up the Steelers鈥� first touchdown. He made a first-down tackle for no gain at the Cincinnati 10 and then broke up a pass over the middle. The third-and-10 failed in two different ways and the Bengals punted from the back of their end zone. The Steelers touchdown came five plays later.
n That 21-yard jump pass from Rudolph to Conner was, for me, the high point of a well-conceived Randy Fichtner game plan. There were screens available at three different levels. They threw to the intermediate level on the same play earlier in the drive. The option to shovel underneath to JuJu Smith-Schuster went unused.
n Bud Dupree鈥檚 strip sack was recovered by Watt to set up the next Steelers points. Dupree, with two sacks, appears headed for his best season, while all four mainstays in the Steelers鈥� nickel front are providing outstanding balance in the pass rush. Tuitt leads with 3.5 sacks, followed by Watt and Cam Heyward with 2.5. Whom would you double team?
n By this point in the game, the offense was finding its sea legs. Jaylen Samuels ripped off a 13-yard run, Smith-Schuster caught an 8-yard pass, Conner ran for 11 and Diontae Johnson caught a 10-yard pass. Steelers fans shaking their heads during an exasperating first quarter were beginning to think that Rudolph might actually have a few playmakers at his disposal.
n If we鈥檙e to be patient with a defense that鈥檚 so young at critical positions, the offensive playmakers deserve even more patience because Smith-Schuster is the tenured vet at age 22.
n While Nick Vannett wasn鈥檛 the dynamic acquisition that Fitzpatrick had been a week earlier, Vannett鈥檚 value became evident first while leading Conner into the end zone as a blocker and then on the first possession of the second half. Rudolph escaped a sack on second-and-15 and heaved one up for the new tight end. Vannett came back to make a diving catch for a key moment in his second win at Heinz Field in three weeks.
n 鈥淭hat鈥檚 FUN. It鈥檚 tough football. We ran the ball hard today,鈥� Vannett said with enthusiasm of that RB/TE-oriented drive to open the second half. 鈥淲e have to remember this feeling that we have right now, remember how good it is, and get back to work and keep stacking them each week.鈥�
n Vannett also picked up the blitzing strong safety on Rudolph鈥檚 43-yard TD pass to a wide-open Johnson and was effective blocking defensive ends for the perimeter run game. He鈥檚 now won more 2019 games at Heinz Field than anyone on the roster. Quality pick-up by Kevin Colbert.
n 鈥淚 remember you guys asking me earlier in the week if I鈥檓 worried about the 0-3 start,鈥� Vannett said. 鈥淭he team you saw tonight, I don鈥檛 think you would鈥檝e thought we were 0-3. We dominated on all sides of the ball tonight. I鈥檓 just excited to get back to work and get a little momentum going. I think we鈥檙e still in the hunt.鈥�
n They are. In spite of the worst start imaginable, the Steelers are a game out of first place with a young and exciting set of playmakers on each side of the ball who鈥檒l no doubt get better each week.
n The offense still needs a bit more juice, but dark times ahead? I don鈥檛 buy it. And it鈥檚 not just a win over the hapless Bengals driving my optimism.