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As fate would have it, Mason Rudolph’s greatest game of the season is also the Cleveland Browns’ greatest game in over a decade.
Despite the sordid history between the two, the latter has little effect in motivating the former.
“I really don’t care who the opponent is,” the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said on Friday in his first regular-season media availability. “It’s important for me regardless because it’s an opportunity for me (and) a lot of other guys to show (and) prove ourselves to our teammates and our coaches. This is what motivates me.
The player most likely to disrupt Rudolph’s cause in his first game as a starting quarterback in 13 months is also the individual most likely to tip Sunday’s gameplay narrative from playoff implications to a new hash of the horrific incident in the dying seconds of the last time the Steelers played in Cleveland: Myles Garrett.
Garrett ripped off Rudolph’s helmet and hit him in the head with him at the end of a 21-7 Browns win on November 14, 2019. Garrett was suspended for the remainder of last season as a result, and Rudolph was benched after a slow start in his next outing 10 days later.
Garrett has since accused Rudolph of using a racial slur, which the NFL said it found no evidence. Garrett this season has regained his status as one of the league’s best defensemen, and Rudolph has relapsed into his role as Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement after Roethlisberger returned from elbow surgery.
But with the Steelers stranded in a No.2 or 3 seed in the AFC playoffs and choosing to give their 38-year-old quarterback a rest, Rudolph has a precious chance to audition to be the successor to Roethlisberger, or at least be his long-term replacement. after Rudolph’s contract expires after next season.
“I see myself as (a future starter), and I think there are a lot of quarterbacks who have sat behind Hall of Fame quarterbacks and that has benefited them on the road,” Rudolph said. “And I think it’s positive to sit down and watch a guy work like Ben who’s racked up so many years of rehearsals and so much knowledge of the game and he’s ready to pass that on.
Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner has said he will not revise the offense for Rudolph. Rudolph regularly takes first-team training reps every Wednesday, and he’s spent more training than that as the No.1 quarterback in 2020 due to the times Roethlisberger missed training due to ” a minor injury or on the reserve / covid-19 list.
A third-round pick in the QB-rich 2018 draft, Rudolph was one player the Steelers insisted they had given a first-round rating after his prolific career at Oklahoma State. After being a healthy scratch for games in his rookie season, Rudolph completed 62.2% of his passes for 6.2 yards per attempt with 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions in 10 games (eight starts) last season.
He showed some flashes of potential, but also had poor performances, such as throwing four interceptions in the infamous loss to the Browns.
“He has improved every year in terms of his understanding and knowledge of attack, read, throw,” Roethlisberger said. “He’s gifted physically, we know that. He is intelligent. We know he can do all the throws and do things ”
Rudolph’s playing time this season has been limited to “cleaning” duty. Without the benefit of reps from preseason games during the pandemic-affected season, Rudolph instead said he made strides in fine-tuning his games during training camp.
Throughout the week, teammates made unsolicited remarks about Rudolph’s level of excitement for the chance to start a meaningful game.
“It’s just fun to be there,” Rudolph said. “It’s a whole different feeling. It’s funny. It will be the real deal on Sunday. ”
Chris Adamski is an editor for Tribune-Review. You can contact Chris by email at [email protected] or via Twitter .
Categories:
Sports | Steelers / NFL
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