Pittsburgh Steelers: 5 Reasons to Believe in Mason Rudolph
By Chris Ross
Leadership
Based on the reporting going on around the Steelers, it seems like this is a team that has a ton of confidence in Rudolph’s talent and leadership qualities. When you consider the fact that the team just traded away their 2020 first-rounder despite Roethlisberger’s injury, the team’s confidence in Rudolph becomes even more clear. He is viewed as the future of the position in Pittsburgh, and despite his relative inexperience, he has already earned the respect of his teammates and the Steelers front office. David DeCastro, the respected offensive lineman, had this to say regarding Rudolph according to Pittsburgh radio host Chris Mack,
“Not that much drop off, if any,” said David DeCastro about Mason Rudolph taking over for the injured Ben Roethlisberger.
— Chris Mack (@THEChrisMack) September 15, 2019
Asked about the offense going forward if it’s with Rudolph rather than Roethlisberger: “I like our chances.”
Coming from somebody like DeCastro, that is a massive vote of confidence in a young quarterback. Considering the fact that Rudolph beat out respected locker room players in Landry Jones and Josh Dobbs over the past couple of seasons, it’s obvious he is regarded as a leader despite his young age. This becomes even more interesting, considering the questions that have been raised over Roethlisberger’s leadership qualities lately. Whereas ex-teammates seem to be continually throwing Big Ben under the bus, nobody seems to have anything but reverence for Rudolph’s leadership.
Projecting confidence when it matters most is a skill that not every quarterback has but one that the best players need to possess. Despite the harsh circumstances he faces, Rudolph’s leadership in the face of adversity is perhaps the biggest reason to believe in him moving forward. Losing a player of Roethlisberger’s caliber might have destroyed other teams, but the Steelers will be just fine with Rudolph guiding the ship.