By Adam McCoy
SteelerNation.com
For every game played, you have players that stand out, both for good and bad things. We're going to look at those players, both winners and losers each week, and highlight or throw them under the bus.
Winners
Mason Rudolph
I hate to say I was excited to see our backup quarterback come in, but I've been high on Mason Rudolph since they traded up for him, and today he showed why I was right to feel the way I do. 12/19, 112 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception that can be blamed on someone we'll take a look at a little later. I was extremely impressed with the poise that Rudolph showed in the pocket, never being phased by pressure, and going through his reads efficiently to find the open man. This is a great sign for the Pittsburgh Steelers as they don't necessarily have to rush back Ben Roethlisberger. You can also talk about how the offense looked better under Rudolph but that might have to be saved for an article of its own.
Stephon Tuitt
I've mentioned in previous articles during the off-season how Stephon Tuitt needs to step up and show something more in the pass rushing part of his game. He showed that today as he was in the backfield three times for two sacks, two being credited as half sacks, splitting with Mark Barron and Javon Hargrave. He did exactly that and was the driving force behind the early pressure the Steelers were able to generate on Russell Wilson.
Steven Nelson
Steven Nelson was tasked with covering the rookie phenom DK Metcalf today, and he was up to the task. He was able to essentially shut down Metcalf in one on one man coverage. That's a great sign for Steelers fans as we may finally have the answer across from Joe Haden.
Losers
Terrell Edmunds
The pass interference call against him and a touchdown given up, not the best day for Edmunds who continues to be schemed into match-ups that put him at a disadvantage. I still think Edmunds has a good amount of upside, but a rough first two weeks to start his sophomore campaign. Let's hope he can rebound big time in the next few weeks.
(The Play-calling with) Ben Roethlisberger
This one is a buy one loser, get one free kind of deal. Losing Ben Roethlisberger to injury is never a good thing, despite the play of Mason Rudolph in his absence. What might be even more concerning is the offense being played when Ben is out there. The offense under Randy Fichtner seemed to have devolved to nothing but running on first and second down, and throwing screen plays on 3rd down. A very conservative play-style that you would normally use to protect an inexperienced quarterback. Yet when Rudolph comes in the offense opened up and actually looked good for the first time this year. I'm not sure what's going on but it needs to get figured out ASAP.
Donte Moncrief
I'm struggling to find appropriate words to say here. Donte Moncrief looks like Limas Sweed reincarnated and that is the nicest thing I can say about him. The dropped pass that led to the interception could be argued as the play that lost the game, if you believe in that sort of philosophy. Regardless, Moncrief is clearly stuck in his head right now (a la Chris Boswell last year), and he needs to figure it out quickly. The receiver room is very full and very competitive, and Moncrief could find himself riding the pine soon, if not cut outright.
Let us know who you thought might've been a "winner" or "loser" in the comment section below!
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