The Pittsburgh Steelers might still save their season even with those terrible consecutive losses against the Arizona Cardinals, the New England Patriots and the Colts. After Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement, they haven’t found their quarterback of the future.
Mitch Trubisky was supposed to be their transition player at the position, but, suddenly, Kenny Pickett emerged as a long term solution. However, due to bad performances and injuries, none of them have fulfilled the expectations. Now, Mason Rudolph just gave them a spark.
Thanks to Rudolph leading them to wins against the Bengals and the Seahawks, the Steelers have a chance to reach the playoffs in the NFL and then, maybe, a Super Bowl run. With a 9-7 record, they need to beat the Ravens and a loss by either the Jaguars or the Bills.
In a shocking turn of events, after giving Pittsburgh their first win at Seattle since 1983, Mason Rudolph remembered Ben Roethlisberger, who just a few weeks ago had a subtle message of criticism for head coach Mike Tomlin.
Mason Rudolph had special words for Ben Roethlisberger (Getty Images)
Ben Roethlisberger gets a special message from Mason Rudolph
After great performances against the Cincinnati Bengals and the Seattle Seahawks, the Steelers have a real shot to make the playoffs and, believe it or not, Mason Rudolph thanked Ben Roethlisberger for all those years in which he learned from a legend.
“I don’t take it for granted. There’s not many players that can come in and learn from a Hall of Fame quarterback. He was a guy I watched, one of my favorites through college and so being at it for 18 years, he had a mode of operation, his preparation, he sort of prepared independently. I wouldn’t say we were close but he did his job.”
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That’s why, even though Rudolph finally admitted they weren’t close, there’s no question that Ben Roethlisberger had an impact on his first years as a quarterback in the NFL.
“He had a job to do. He has a team to lead and I get that. There were plenty of times he would answer questions I had. There is no bad blood. We weren’t close, but would you expect a 37 or 38-year-old to be best friends with a 23-year-old?”
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Ben Roethlisberger answers Mason Rudolph
Of course, with Mason Rudolph playing at a high level with the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger also explained what happened during the years they were together in the quarterback room at Pittsburgh.
“I didn’t have an issue with Mason when he got drafted. I had more of an issue with the pick. We were a really good football team and he got drafted early. I just felt like we could maybe picked a player who could have helped us in the moment. I was not worried about him taking my job. That wasn’t an issue for me.”
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In fact, Big Ben clarify his personal relationship with Rudolph. “When Mason played with me, I tried to help him as much as I could. Then he didn’t want my help anymore so I backed off.”
