Mason Rudolph could get his first start of the season Sunday. Stephen A. Smith hopes he stays far away from the field. Venting his feelings Wednesday, Smith says Aaron Rodgers must do anything he can to play so Rudolph remains the backup.
“Mason Rudolph? Oh hell to the no, I don’t want to see him,” Smith said on ESPN’s First Take earlier today. “Yo, wrap that, Aaron Rodgers. You’re a veteran. Wrap that bad boy. It’s your non-throwing hand. Have that bad boy wrapped in a hard cast and get your ass out on the field.”
A few years ago, Steelers fans may have echoed those feelings. But Rudolph has played well off the bench, in 2023 and Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2023, he turned around a collapsing season, helping the Steelers win their final three games and make the playoffs. Sunday, he replaced Rodgers at halftime and led two long scoring drives. The touchdown drive was all the more impressive knowing the offense was on the sideline for about 40 real-time minutes thanks to Kyle Dugger’s pick-six, a long Bengals possession, and the Ja’Marr Chase/Jalen Ramsey incident that took time to sort out.
Still, Stephen A. isn’t convinced.
“I don’t wanna see Mason Rudolph,” he said. “I don’t want to see him. I don’t want to see him at all. He’s had his chances. We’ve seen him quite often in a Steelers uniform.”
Smith pointed to Rudolph’s turnovers as a reason why he shouldn’t play against an aggressive Chicago Bears defense that leads the league in takeaways. Last season, Rudolph sported an uninspiring 1:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio with the Tennessee Titans. But he played on a bad team with an even worse supporting cast. In 2023, Rudolph didn’t throw a pick in three starts with the Steelers. He took care of the ball against Cincinnati this weekend.
Fans have warmed to Rudolph since that time, cheering him as he took the field to open the third quarter in Week 11. Many want him to start this weekend.
Rodgers’ status for the weekend is unclear, and the team isn’t expected to have clarity on it until Friday when Rodgers is set to practice. The team will determine if he’s functional and secure enough to operate the offense and protect himself. Rodgers is tough and has played through a long list of injuries throughout his career.
But if he can’t suit up, the team has shown plenty of confidence in Rudolph. He was signed back exactly for this situation. A veteran quarterback capable of running an NFL offense exactly as intended. Someone who has been thrown in every situation imagine. Mid-game replacement, mid-week change, a last-second COVID substitution. Rodgers will start if cleared but if not, the Steelers’ expectations won’t change with Rudolph in the lineup. And if he wins, maybe Smith’s mind will finally change.
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