World News – AU – 3 Reasons Why Mason Rudolph Shouldn’t Receive Terrell Edmunds Treatment

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Fans rightly disagree on whether or not we saw enough to know if Rudolph will make it to the NFL. Either way, this Sunday one of the camps will prove to be right.

Let’s clear up some housekeeping issues first, as it’s important to know where I am on Mason Rudolph before reading this article and taking away what you want:

Well, that’s all out of the way, let’s get rid of this likely article reader tantrum. . .

What does the treatment with Terrell Edmunds mean first? With this statement, I’m referring to the feeling that Edmunds did not deliver, is performing below average, and the 28th. Election of the Steelers in 2018 was not worthy. There is no doubt that Edmund’s high design position confirmed this perception (yes, I also think we could have packed him in other designs in later rounds), as previously argued by other BTSC staff. Likewise, it would be unfair to call Edmunds a flop or a draft miss as he has improved over the past two seasons and has partnered with Fitzpatrick.

So, if Terrell Edmunds doesn’t deserve criticism for not being the straight answer straight out of the proverbial gate, is it Mason Rudolph? When assessing whether Rudolph has delivered too little, it is important to remember that he is not a 1. or 2. Round was. He was in the 76. Pick in the 3rd. Round after Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen and Lamar picked Jackson (for more perspective, Big Blue View from SB Nation wrote this preliminary draft review). Those consensus top QBs in the draft (of which Mason was admittedly one of some experts) were already « off the board, » so we have to consider why the Steelers designed Rudolph.

To find a potential heir for Ben without using a high round pick and at least secure an inexpensive backup option that was cheaper than keeping Landry Jones on – especially at a time when the Steelers were paying for Needed players like Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell. Remember, the Steelers were smart enough to catch Ben dropping the draft contract, acting against Devin Bush, and acting against Minkah Fitzpatrick. We can trust that they thought they were at least a backup of Rudolph’s arm strength or not.

Why should Steelers fans spare Rudolph the « Terrell Edmunds » treatment and be excited or even remotely optimistic that Rudolph is in his 15th birthday?. Career game makes its first start in its « second season » (after the red shirt of his first year)? against the Browns?

Ben Roethlisberger is looking forward to seeing Rudolph play (of course he would be on some level considering he’s got a week off and doesn’t have to face Myles Garrett) which is a far cry from his comments as the Steelers designed Rudolph from:

« I was surprised when they took a quarterback because I thought maybe in the third round you can find some really good football players to help this team now. And nothing against Mason, I think he’s a great football player . . . Just don’t know how to back off or be the third one who knows where he’s going to fall on the depth map, but he’s helping us win now. ”

“I know from talking to Mason that he wants to win this soccer game. This is a great opportunity for him to go out and show what he can do. I’ll be here for Mason, for Josh, whoever it is. I never want to step on my toes, but I am available to answer any questions to support my contribution with coach Randy [Fichtner], coach [Matt] Canada, whoever it is. I’ve already spoken to Mason about this. That will be my job this week, really doing whatever I can to be there to answer questions or help them prepare them for this game.

He’s physically gifted, we know that, he’s smart. We know he can do all the throws and things, but even the way I saw it is at play. Mason has gotten to the point, especially in the last few weeks, where he meddles with thoughts and plays, “Hey Ben, what about this or what about this?” I think that shows the growth and maturity of a man who does that does understand the offense and the kind of what we are trying to do from week to week. I think that was really, really good.

« He knows the no-huddle package. We made some changes but he is aware of them. « . If we have to switch to this mode, he won’t see like me. I don’t see the game the way he does. Obviously, no quarterback sees the game like any other quarterback. When it comes down to running the no-huddle and he pulls up games that he sees, it might look similar to me, but it also looks very different. He could have a group of pieces that he really likes that are completely different from mine. I’m sure when it comes down to it he knows well enough that he could safely make it through. ”

In short, Ben has more trust in Rudolph than many of us, is ready to do his part to help Rudolph (let’s hope Fichtner just gets out of the way), and Rudolph felt so safe, that it was actually suggestions for games as this offense has stalled in the past few weeks. As Ben rightly pointed out and which we will have to remember in the years to come when Ben puts on the boots, Rudolph is his own quarterback with individual conveniences and idiosyncrasies. Just as Ben isn’t a copy of Terry Bradshaw, Rudolph, the next backup, or whoever the heir is, probably won’t be a copy of Big Ben.

In Oklahoma State, Rudolph played as part of an air raid-style offensive plan developed by head coach Mike Gundy which, when he introduced it as OK in the 1990s, was dubbed « one of the first branches of the air strike tree » ( for more on what instilled Mike Gundy and to see how Rudolph carried out this offense, read more here).

For those unfamiliar with an air raid injury, it’s essentially a simplified scheme, generally consisting of 15-25 games and even a simple pronunciation of 5 words or less (even if it’s 8-10 at the high school level, however, K acts. . T. . Smith would be the resident BTSC expert here), commonly attributed to Mike Leach and Hal Mumme who first instilled it at Iowa Wesleyan College and brought it to Kentucky in the late 1990s. In fact, there is evidence that its origins go back to former BYU head coach LaVell Edwards, with Steve Young playing under an offensive system prior to the air strike.

The air attack crime relies on allowing players to use their instincts as they learn more and their playful skills by simplifying things under the center. Instead of the quarterback having to read and invoke the offensive line blocking approach before locking, as most modern quarterbacks do, the center handles blocking assignments and there are option routes to take advantage of the defensive players’ movements and flexibility for the receivers to give games for the quarterback to throw into space. However, this requires lots of repetition to become fluid and effective (which is why Rudolph’s struggles to throw at James Washington last year are more confusing). .

In explaining the airstrike, Mumme emphasizes the importance of having the quarterback’s eyes and feet connected. In a four vertical game, the quarterback takes a three-step drop from the shotgun. When taking the first steep slope, he should look on a deep route to the Z receiver, on the second step his eyes should wander on an intersection route to the Y receiver, and on the third step he should look to the H on an option pattern. If none of these options work and the quarterback is forced to step into the pocket, they should be looking down a curl flat route towards a receiver in the back. « With Mumme to say, » We only have one rule: never miss an overt receiver and never throw a covert « ; and Leach, » The defense will decide where the room is. On the offensive, you try to create space. In defense, you try to limit space. ”

Also, the Air Assault Offensive uses a limited number of formations, shifts, or movement, while the Steelers don’t use as many of these offensive tactics as other teams, but certainly more than the State of Oklahoma when Rudolph was there. The variance in formations and the increased use of shifts or movements at the NFL level causes the defense to change structures to combat these offensive tactics, which then affects the quarterback, who has to perform faster reads. This as K. . T. . Smith rightly pointed out to me which adaptation Rudolph struggled with particularly at the NFL level. Since newer versions of the airstrike (like Grundys, which Rudolph led in the state of Oklahoma) rely heavily on RPOs – which we know the Steelers don’t run much or have trouble walking – Rudolph had even more challenges to adjust to.

What does this all mean when it comes to Rudolph’s quarterback skills and performance at the NFL level? Rudolph always faced a steep learning curve at the NFL level as any rookie quarterback does, but perhaps even more so given the complexity of the NFL offensive and defensive programs compared to the offensive program he ran at the college level. Given the complexity of the NFL, which requires both more and faster reads as well as a deeper understanding of the offensive schemes and the playbook, and the limited creativity and prompting that we saw from Fichtner as OK, Rudolph was always set for failure when he did Mixe got into the NFL in Game 2 of 2019 after redshirting his rookie year. Let’s hope that more Canada, more confidence, and more adjustment to the NFL means a better performance from Rudolph this Sunday.

As an optimistic realist, I see an advantage in the fact that Mason has had a full season of training recordings with the first team while being able to correct without being pushed into situational football. This follows a debut season in which Rudolph was knocked out with a concussion on his third start by the Ravens, the ups and downs of any rookie quarterback, and hit by a thug almost inconceivable with a helmet in a division game put it out, to get his head right. . . he broke his collarbone after being kicked by B.. J. . Finney versus the jets.

Imagine a world or dimension in which – apart from the regular highs and lows of beginners – only one or none of the above events occurs. Does it seem like a possibility that Rudolph will be seen as a different player, write a different narrative with his play, and that the fan base will have a different feel for him?

Whether you think we’ve seen enough of Mason Rudolph or need to see more, he’ll lead your Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cleveland Browns tomorrow with a chance to win them for 19th. Year out of the playoffs and can get revenge on Myles Garrett for physical and reputational abuse, and more importantly, prove our concerns or fears about him wrong.

Will he improve or will he flop and what are you looking for most from him in this game?

Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL, Ben Roethlisberger, Mason Rudolph