PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It was his first time really having a quarterback coach last year and Mason Rudolph believed he improved a lot under Matt Canada. Now that QB coach is the Steelers offensive coordinator.
“To have that confidant week to week to go to and ask questions,” Rudolph said. “He did a great job with me. He would have a plan for me even as the backup and helped me go through the mental gymnastics of preparing yourself if you have to play. There is a plan in place to be a smooth transition.”
Rudolph believes the improvements under Canada helped lead to the positives you saw when he started against the Browns in January. The third year pro went 22 of 39 for 315 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception for a QB rating of 89.2.
“There is a lot that carried over from last year,” Rudolph said. “Things we installed early on, it wasn’t the whole package, the entire offense. The terminology was there, I think Josh, Ben and I have a good feel for it.”
They continue to work on it during voluntary workouts with Roethlisberger joining Dobbs and Dwayne Haskins for almost every snap. Rudolph said there are a lot of great concepts and they are getting direct answers from a high energy coach.
“He would be the first to tell you ‘I’m just a college guy’,” Rudolph said. “He’s an unbelievable coach. He’s got a great offensive mind. He’s hungry like everyone else.”
“The way he works and the way he shows up at the building every single day and teaches. He’s not yelling at everyone, he’s a great teacher. He will pull you aside and answer any questions you have. I like his demeanor overall and I think he can do a great job.”
Next week is mandatory mini-camp and more testing of that offense against what likely will be the Steelers starting defense. If the improvement, albeit it a small sample size, for Rudolph from 2019 to 2020 can be duplicated for the entire offense from 2020 to 2021. It could be a fun year.