Can Mason Rudolph Keep it Up in Buffalo's Frozen White Out Conditions?
STILLWATER – One month ago, former Oklahoma State record-setting quarterback and Pittsburgh Steelers fifth-year veteran Mason Rudolph was still that guy not playing that people rarely thought of, but what a difference month makes. Rudolph is the reason that many Steelers fans believe they have a chance to make a playoff run. Rudolph will make his fourth straight start for Pittsburgh, now on Monday in the rescheduled NFL Wildcard Playoff Weekend match-up at the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills. Rudolph rescued the Steelers (10-7) with three wins since taking over from an injured local hero and top draft pick Kenny Pickett and ineffective Mitch Trubisky.
This season Rudolph has completed 55-of-74 passing for a career best 74.3 percent and 719-yards. He has thrown for three touchdowns and no interceptions in guiding Pittsburgh to improved overall offensive efforts in yards and points. The Steelers, with Rudolph, beat Cincinnati 34-11, won at Seattle 30-23, and then took rival Baltimore in a must win game 17-10. In that game Mason Rudolpn was 18-of-20 for 152-yards and a touchdown in miserable cold and rainy conditions. His strike to Diontae Johnson on a intermediate slant for a 71-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter was the game winner.
The question going into Monday’s rescheduled game with Buffalo is how good of a bad weather quarterback is Mason Rudolph? Rudolph and the Steelers see enough bad weather at home in Pittsburgh, but this will be extreme.
"We did take a couple shots, but I think it was more the defense that was being presented than the weather," Rudolph said after Wednesday's practice this week. "Yes, I mean, absolutely, the weather -- you're not going to chuck it, you don't want to chuck it 50 times in those conditions, but they really did play a lot of soft quarters, two-high zones that discourage the deeper concepts. So, each game I told myself I'm going to take what they give me, and I know we're running the ball well. Take shots when they present themselves but be smart and don't force anything."
Rudolph has matured, no doubt about it. However, make no mistake that he has always been a talented quarterback. I went back and looked and for the most part Mason Rudolph lived a charmed life from a weather standpoint as the Cowboys quarterback. He routinely played in 40-to-even-74 degree weather in November and December games during his Oklahoma State career.
Rudolph finished with 915-of-1,447 passing as a Cowboy with a completion percentage of 63.2 percent for 13,618-yards and 92 touchdowns with 26 interceptions. He had a record year and led the nation in passing yards in 2017 with 4,904-yards and was fourth best on touchdown passes that season with 37. That Oklahoma State offense in 2017 averaged 45 points and 568.9-yards per game.
Compare those numbers to Rudolph’s NFL totals, which now are 291-of-458 for 63.5 percent. He has 3,085-yards with 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
During this recent stint as the starting quarterback, Rudolph is 55-of-74 for 74.3 percent and 719-yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Changes? Start with the maturity and the learning he has done. Mason Rudolph is not the kind of guy to check out and just gor through the motions. While he’s been on the bench and out of sight and out of mind for the football world, I guarantee he has been studying, working to hone his abilities. He is now wearing gloves. He has always been confident, but now seems a little more so.
"I think, just like last week, there's things that we adjusted (to)," Rudolph said of passing efficiently in bad weather. "It's good to get work like we did today. Weren't great conditions either so you kind of prepare ourself. We know it'll be tough weather conditions but I think that's one of the many pluses of playing in Pittsburgh. We start to get adjusted to that in October. We know it's quite a tough place to play."
Just in the last week, television networks like ESPN and CBS in their coverage and previews of the Steelers playoff game with Buffalo have used Rudolph as the face of the Steelers. This may be amazing, but Oklahoma State, who last had Brandon Weeden as a starting quarterback in the NFL now has Rudolph and it may not be as temporary as some, even in Pittsburgh, might think.
His ability to throw in the cold and perhaps the snow could provide the permanent answer to that. This stint over the end of the regular season and the NFL playoffs could change things dramatically for the rest of Mason Rudolph’s career.