First-year Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy shared Thursday that defensive tackle Yahya Black moves better than he ever thought based on the video he saw of him. But Black is hardly the only Steelers player who looks better in the flesh to McCarthy. Consider quarterback Mason Rudolph on that list.
On Thursday, McCarthy again shared how impressed he has been with Rudolph. It’s been a reoccurring theme with McCarthy, who has practically raved about Rudolph since the team first began spring practices.
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am with [Rudolph]. I just think that quarterbacks play a while in this league, so the experience that he’s gained, I think, is incredibly valuable to us,” McCarthy told reporters Thursday. “But the footwork is different. So any time you ask an experienced player to change footwork or things like that and his fundamentals, and he’s doing a really nice job.
“Throws are better than I knew. Just like anything in the quarterback room, you really don’t know until you stand next to them or you’re out there on the field really how each guy throws the ball.”
McCarthy provided that response to a question on which players look better than he thought they would. The head coach could have raved about any player and chose to single out Rudolph.
The answer is particularly noteworthy given the quarterback decision the Steelers will face before August 30. The team could cut Rudolph if it chooses to only retain three signal-callers and wants to keep both Drew Allar and Will Howard.
However, that doesn’t sound like an option on the table for McCarthy.
Mike McCarthy Raves About Mason Rudolph
GettyPittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy spoke highly of quarterback Mason Rudolph to reporters Thursday.
Thursday wasn’t the first time McCarthy used the word “impressed” in an answer about Rudolph.
“Mason’s played a lot of football, and I’ll say this about Mason, I’m extremely impressed with him,” said McCarthy on May 20. “I think it’s like anything in the quarterback world, until you really stand next to him, and you’re out there with him, you don’t really understand the true velocity of how each one of these guys throws the football.”
Clearly, to McCarthy, there’s something about seeing Rudolph throw live that doesn’t necessarily show up on tape. That isn’t just true with quarterbacks, but McCarthy has repeated that fact with Rudolph throughout the spring and summer.
The Steelers drafted Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft as a potential Ben Roethlisberger replacement. Rudolph failed to be that. But he has turned into a quality backup quarterback.
In 19 NFL starts, he is 9-9-1 with a 64.4% completion percentage, 30 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. With the Steelers, he has registered an 8-5-1 mark.
That experience could be invaluable for a team with playoff aspirations and a 42-year-old starting quarterback. Besides Aaron Rodgers, Rudolph is the only signal-caller on Pittsburgh’s roster with any NFL experience.
Will Steelers Keep Four Quarterbacks?
GettyQuarterbacks Drew Allar and Will Howard are competing for roles at Pittsburgh Steelers training camp.
The million dollar question at Steelers training camp is whether the team will keep four quarterbacks.
General manager Omar Khan didn’t rule out the possibility at the start of camp. On May 20, McCarthy emphasized how much the team had four quarterbacks it liked.
If that’s truly the case, then McCarthy’s remarks about Rudolph aren’t quite as significant. Should the Steelers be planning to keep four quarterbacks, Rudolph isn’t really competing against anyone.
But if one quarterback has to go, it sure doesn’t sound like it’s going to be Rudolph anyway. McCarthy sounds too “impressed” with the veteran.
The Steelers will see Rudolph and their other signal-callers on the field in the preseason for the first time next week. Their preseason performances could go a long way to determining if the team does keep all four quarterbacks.
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