Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback Mason Rudolph has had to deal with a lot more stuff than he probably anticipated after getting drafted in the third round. Of course, the attention he’s getting is more due to Ben Roethlisberger’s comments criticizing the Steelers for picking him in the third round than anything he did.
Nevertheless, Rudolph must now face some added scrutiny from the public brought about by Big Ben's words. But the rookie quarterback doesn’t seem fazed by this added pressure to prove himself. Instead, he believes his main focus is to prove himself to Pittsburgh’s coaches–and them alone.
“I don't feel I need to prove anything to anyone other than the coaches,” Rudolph said, per NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala.
It speaks to Rudolph’s poise and maturity even as a rookie that he’s handling this situation as well as he has been. He’s not getting caught up in all the hype and external pressure surrounding him at the moment. He’s just saying all the right things and is keeping his focus on his main goal, which is an impressive feat for someone of his age.
While it’s unlikely that Rudolph will become the Steelers’ starting QB as long as Big Ben is playing, he will likely have an opportunity to win the primary backup spot ahead of Landry Jones and Joshua Dobbs during camp. If he handles his business on the field as well as he has off it, then his chances of successfully supplanting those more experienced QBs shouldn’t be discounted.
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