By Jess Costello
SteelerNation.com
Although his time hasn't come on the gridiron, quarterback Mason Rudolph doesn't turn down the chance to get acquainted with his teammates and hone in on his skills. Rudolph goes way further than Pittsburgh to practice with his offense, too.
Wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey in California, running back Jaylen Samuels in Charlotte, the list could go on. But he still does the most to know his offense.
“A lot of guys are spread all over the place,” said Rudolph. “It was fun to stay fresh. You don’t have to explain to them, ‘Hey, this is the route.’ They already know it.”
Another thing Pittsburgh fans can appreciate is that the second-year quarterback puts his all into mandatory workouts and OTA's. Rudolph doesn't go unnoticed either. His teammates and coaches recognize his ambition and drive to get better every day. He comes to camp with noticeably advanced performance. He's quicker and more accurate, something that again, his teammates and coaches see.
“I feel like I threw the ball very well, took care of the ball,” Rudolph said. “There were barely any turnovers, especially in the red zone. That was an emphasis for myself — speed everything up in the red zone, make sure ball placement was good. We’re giving guys a chance to make plays... I thought I improved a lot. We got a lot of reps, valuable reps, so it kind of gives us a primer before we head to Latrobe.”
For someone who competes every day to pretty much be the first choice backup to Ben Roethlisberger, Rudolph is putting in great amounts of work. To compare him to Josh Dobbs will be interesting considering both of their progressions have changed drastically.
“It has always been my motto — not just be a little better, but to make huge strides from the previous year, whether high school or college,” Rudolph said. “That’s what I’ve done this year, from a protection standpoint and general knowledge of the offense, the operation, helping guys that are new. I’m the veteran now, even though I’m only a year in. I feel like my general knowledge is 100 times better than last year.”
"I had all this time; it’s the first time I had four months off,” Rudolph said. “You have to be able to manage it well, spend a little time in the playbook, in the rule book even. Obviously, throwing, working on little things, footwork, timing. Trying to get around other guys. It was fun."
Do you think Rudolph will end up winning the number two spot behind Roethlisberger? Comment below!
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