PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It became more than just a November NFL game the last time the Steelers were in Cleveland. Turn to 2021, it’s now played out that Mason Rudolph will return to First Energy Stadium not only to avenge a loss and a near decapitation, but with a chance to knock the Browns out of the playoffs.
“There are a couple ways you go about it,” said quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. “You can put it behind you and treat it like a typical quarterback that has to have short-term memory and just go out there and be like whatever happened last year—there’s going to be a lot of hoopla about it—just put it out of your mind and go focus on this year and this game and this team.”
“Or, you can go take it as motivation that you want to go out and put it on them.”
“I know from talking to Mason and knowing Mason that he wants to go out and win this football game. He’s going to do everything he can to do that for this team. This is an awesome opportunity for him to go out and show what he can do.”
Roethlisberger won’t play because there is no chance for the Steelers to get a bye week in the playoffs. Teammates and coaches believe it’s a different Rudolph this year than the one that started eight games completing 62% of his passes for 13 touchdowns and 9 interceptions.
“It’s been good,” said receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. “Obviously last year we had a great amount of time with Mason. Even this year, every Wednesday when Ben doesn’t practice we still built that connection. I think we are still there and keep growing. So I’m so excited to see him play this weekend.”
“I think [Mason Rudolph] has gotten better,” Roethlisberger said. “He has gotten better every year in terms of understanding and knowing the offense, reads, throws. He’s physically gifted, we know that. He’s smart. We know he can make all the throws and do things, but even the ways that I have seen it are in game.”
“A lot of times, obviously, during the TV timeouts or whenever I’m kind of in that little huddle on the sideline that’s the time that input is coming from Coach Randy [Fichtner], from Coach Canada, from Josh Dobbs. It happened in the past with Bruce Gradkowski and Charlie [Batch] and Byron [Leftwich], and Mason has gotten to the point, especially in the last few weeks, where he is chiming in with thoughts and plays that, ’Hey Ben, what about this, or what about this?’. I think that shows growth and maturity of a guy that understands the offense and kind of what we are trying to do on a week-to-week basis. I think that’s been really, really good.”
“Well, I do believe I see a confidence,” said offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner. “I don’t hear a confidence. And I don’t know how to explain it. He doesn’t have to tell me that he’s confident, you can just feel it. He understands the concepts. He shakes his head yes, ‘I feel it, I’m good’. He goes out and represents it on the field.”
“I think his communication skills have gotten better all-around in the huddle, in the locker room, in individual meetings.
Just his whole ‘Mason has just kind of grown up a little bit’. Like I said, I’m very excited about the opportunity for him to play.”
It’s the only opportunity for Rudolph this year with no preseason games.
“The one unique thing, again, is he does get Wednesday practices in season, which helps,” Fichtner said. “But he did get a lot of work in the preseason (camp) against our defense. That time spent down at Heinz Field, he got the majority of the reps, really when Ben wasn’t getting his reps. Ben would take a day, practice full, practice a half, then take a day off, so there was a lot of reps there for Mason. I feel really confident in him. I feel like he has put the time in. This is his opportunity and he will drive the bus. He will be excited to play in this game.”
It’s also the first time Rudolph will play with a couple of rookies.
“I have confidence in him,” said guard Kevin Dotson. “We know what he can do. We just have to do our job and we have faith he will do his.”
“You know Mason and I,” said receiver Chase Claypool. “His locker is pretty close to mine so we talk every day. He’s giving me advice on things and even on the bench in games. He looks at films and tells me what Ben would like me to do. So we’ve been developing a relationship.”
“I’m pretty excited to see him playing and maybe get a glimpse of what it will be like in the future. I think he will do really well based off what he’s done in practice. I’m just excited to see him go to work.”