PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Starting with the first practice on Wednesday, the Steelers are preparing for Mason Rudolph to start. That might change with Rodgers healthy, but if no Aaron, right now it’s Mason.
There is speculation about rookie, sixth-round pick Will Howard getting a shot to start Sunday in Chicago, but to be clear, there was no mention of Howard being a starter.
“(Wednesday) is centered around Mason Rudolph and what he does and we’ll see where the week leads us and we’ll take it day-by-day,” Tomlin said at his news conference Tuesday.
During his opening comments Tomlin brought up Rudolph unsolicited.
“Can't say enough about Mason Rudolph,” Tomlin said. “Although we're used to it, is still appreciated. He's proven over his time here, that he's capable of coming in and playing winning football for us. And that's no small task.”
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“When you're preparing during the course of a week, as a backup, you have a limited number of reps. Usually the guts of the plan are geared toward the specific talents of the starters, and so you may get some reps, but it might not be quote unquote plays that are, you know, perfectly in your wheelhouse. He's always found a way to manage those challenges, to remain confident. For that confidence to ooze out of him and be a catalyst for a collective performance.”
Tomlin has worked with Mason. He brought him back just for a situation like this. It’s great talk, but it’s Rudolph’s game if Rodgers can’t go.
The Steelers head coach went on to discuss the comfort of having Rudolph and the coaches knowing what suits his game best. Howard has never even played in a preseason game, let alone in the NFL. Tomlin said Howard might get a rep or two of work this week as he just came off the Reserve/Injured list last week returning from his own hand injury.
It’s not that he’s dissatisfied with Howard’s work, there just hasn’t been much of it, even in a practice setting.
“He's been with us the whole time,” Tomlin said. “And so, he's a sharp guy. Like the general trajectory of his work. He's certainly in the position that he's in, doesn't get a lot of quote unquote Steeler reps, but the reps that he does get he is taken advantage of and I'm sure there'll be an uptick in those opportunities this week.”
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An uptick in those opportunities and starting in the NFL is a wide gap to clear.