Sex, Lives & Football (Players): Rudolph Isn’t A Reindeer

By Joanne Kong

Twitter: @kongfu4u

Who is Mason Rudolph?

This is legendary Pro-Golfer Mason Rudolph.  Rudolph was Rookie of the Year in 1959, and played in the Masters 14-times.  His best finish in the Masters was 4th in 1965.  His best finish in a major was a tie for third in the 1973 PGA.  As an amateur, he helped the U.S. win the Walker Cup in 1957, and he was a member of the winning 1971 Ryder Cup team.

But, as awesome as he was, he’s not the Mason Rudolph were here to talk about.  This is the Mason Rudolph were here to meet.

This is Mason Rudolph of the Pittsburgh Steelers, also known as the 2015 Oklahoma State quarterback who secured the Cactus Bowl win against the Washington Huskies, winner of the Johnny Unitas Arms award, and proud owner of the following college football stats:

Mason Rudolph Passing Stats
Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass Pass
Year School G Cmp Att Pct Yds TD Int Rate
*2014 Oklahoma State 3 49 86 57.0 853 6 4 154.0
*2015 Oklahoma State 13 264 424 62.3 3770 21 9 149.1
*2016 Oklahoma State 13 284 448 63.4 4091 28 4 158.9
*2017 Oklahoma State 13 318 489 65.0 4904 37 9 170.6
Career Oklahoma State 915 1447 63.2 13618 92 26 159.7

Before we dive in, let’s take a look at the basics:

Name: Brett Mason Rudolf lll

Age: July 17, 1995 (24)

Hometown: Rock Hill, South Carolina

Birth Sign: Cancer

College: Oklahoma State University

Major: Marketing / Communications

Position: Quarterback

Team: Pittsburgh Steelers

Draft Year: 2018

NFL Draft Pick: Round 3; Pick 76

Height: 6 ft. 5 in.

Weight: 235 lbs

Twitter: @Rudolph2Mason

Instagram: @rudolph2mason

Rudolph’s Family:  Athletics Is In the Blood.

Photo courtesy of Fabwag.com

Father: Brett Rudolph

Mason’s father, Brett Rudolph, was a linebacker for North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the 1987.

The apple didn’t fall from the tree, since both his sons also excelled in the sport.  As we already know, Mason is currently the starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Logan, his younger brother, is currently a defensive end for the Clemson Tigers.

Photo courtesy of Chagrinvalleytoday.com

Mother: Jamie Rudolph

Mason’s mother, Jamie, an athlete herself, ran track and field at James Madison University, where she studied social work.

Siblings: Dasha Rudolph (adopted sister)

Sibling: Logan Rudolph

Logan is a defensive end at Clemson University.  At 6’2” and 240lbs, Logan also played tight end while at Northwestern High School.  In Logan’s senior year at Northwestern H.S. he tore his labrum, ending his high school career with 50 career reception, 502 yards and 3 touchdowns as an offensive player.

When Logan decided to commit to becoming a Clemson Tiger, he’d decided to make a video…on the suggestion of his big brother.

Twitter: @Logan4Rudolph

Instagram: @logan4rudolph

Mason Rudolph was Homeschooled.

In case you were wondering, Mason and his younger brother were home-schooled until the sixth grade.  Guess they had some pretty good football camps at home too.

Photo courtesy of Tulsaworld.com

The Rudolph Combine Show.

Mason Rudolph was in the same draft class as Baker Mayfield (Cleveland Browns), Sam Darnold (New York Jets), Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills), Josh Rosen (now starting for the Miami Dolphins), and Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens), who were all first round picks.

Analysts suggested that Rudolph, although a solid athlete, missed the mark as a first round quarterback draft pick because of his below average arm strength as compared to NFL quarterbacks and his limited ability to scramble.  Many draft pundits believed that this could cause problems timing passes with receivers on out-breaking routes down field.  Regardless of perceived arm strength, though, Rudolph is known for his accuracy down field completing 63.1% of his passes at Oklahoma State.  When it comes to scrambling, though, Rudolph is not a runner, as perhaps confirmed by his 4.9 second 40 yard dash.  However, Rudolph does shows patience when it comes to reading the field while managing the pocket.

Mason Rudolph and Baker Mayfield are Friends?

Mason Rudolph and Baker Mayfield might not be the best of friends, but they did spend time vacationing together.  These two rivals, Rudolph from Oklahoma State and Mayfield from Oklahoma have been competitors for quite some time.

In 2017, Rudolph actually beat out Mayfield for the Johnny Unitas Arm Award.

Russell Wilson interviewing Mason Rudolph?

Everyone knows that Russell Wilson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, able extend plays with his feet and drop dimes all over the field.  But did you know he’s also got a jump start on his future career as sports journalist?  Check out his interview of Rudolph where he heaps some high praise on him calling him “Mr. Consistent” and comparing him to Tom Brady.

Mason Rudolph vs. Ben Roethlisberger.

After the third round selection of Mason Rudolph in the 2018 draft, Ben Roethlisberger criticized the decision, believing that the selection didn’t make the team better “at that moment.”  Back then, Steelers fans agreed that a team with starting quarterback Roethlisberger and a depth chart of two back-ups, Joshua Dobbs and Landry Jones, didn’t warrant a third.   In an interview with “Cook and Poni of KDKA Pittsburgh” in 2018, Roethlisberger said as much:

“I was surprised when they took a quarterback, because I thought that maybe in the third-round, you know, you can get some really good football players that can help this team now. And nothing against Mason. I think he’s a great football player. I don’t know him personally, but I’m sure he’s a great kid.

I just don’t know how backing up or being the third guy, who knows where he’s going to fall on the depth chart, helps us win now. But, that’s not my decision to make. That’s on the coaches and the GM and owner, and those kinds of things. So, if they feel like he can help our team, so be it, but I was a little surprised.”

Roethlisberger added that he felt bad for the back-up quarterbacks on the team.

“[Dobbs] and Landry, those two guys are who I feel the worst for. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t worried about him [Rudolph] coming and taking my job. I feel confident that I can go out and beat whoever I need to beat out for my job, that’s just the kind of confidence I have in myself. Yeah, I do feel bad for those guys because you know, Landry, I don’t know what’s going to happen.

I assume Landry’s still the two, I don’t really know and Josh, same thing. Last year you take him in the fourth round, so does that mean the Steelers, like, screwed up in that pick? Like do they think that he wasn’t the one that they thought, or has he not developed the way they thought? Why else would you take a quarterback in the third round the next year?”

Although, it was said that Roethlisberger’s comment about Rudolph’s draft selection was taken out of context, there’s really is no other way to take it.  In an interview with Chris Berman, Big Ben explains that he doesn’t know the guy enough to have an opinion, that he likes the name Mason and that Rudolph was his favorite reindeer.  They both chuckled at what could be considered a condescending comment, perhaps to cover the fact that Big Ben really wasn’t a fan of Rudolph.  The football player, of course, not the reindeer.  Because we all know that Ben likes the reindeer.  But I digress.

Interested in what experts thought about Roethlisberger’s comments?  Well, here’s a taste:

Mason Rudolph is Pittsburgh’s Starter.

Mason Rudolph is ultimately having the last laugh, as he beat out Josh Dobbs (who was then traded) for the starting QB job.

And of course, Landry Jones signed with the XFL because, well, he’s extreme.

What do Steelers fan think about Mason Rudolph’s draft pick now?

Although they lost to the Seattle Seahawks, Rudolph looked comfortable behind center, almost engineering a comeback after completing several spectacular throws and throwing two touchdowns to tight end, Vance McDonald.  Have to optimistic about that.

 

Will Mason Rudolph be Successful In the NFL?

The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t been 0-2 since 2013, when they went 0-4, going into a bye-week.  In week 6, the Steelers got their first win of the season against the New York Jets.  That season, the Steelers played the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card game and lost, 17-30.

The Steelers tied with the 19th most difficult schedule for the 2019 season (.496).  That wouldn’t have been that difficult for the ‘old’ Pittsburgh Steelers we know, but might turn out to be a challenge for the newly minted Mason Rudolph.  On the flipside, based on what we’ve seen so far, Steelers fans might also be saying “Big Ben who”, depending on the outcome of the next couple of games.

So, how will Rudolph stack up to upcoming defenses?

In the 2019 NFL draft, 8 out of the first 10 picks were defensive players.  The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Devin Bush, a defensive linesman from Michigan, with their tenth pick.  In contention for Defensive Rookie of the Year (“DROY”), Devin Bush has had a total of 10 tackles, while another DROY contender, Nick Bosa, selected 2nd overall by the San Francisco 49ers has had 2 tackles and 1 sack.  Coincidently, Nick Bosa’s older brother, Joey Bosa of the Las Angeles Chargers, won the DROY during his rookie season in 2016.  Currently, Devin Bush at +480 and Nick Bosa at +550 odds are the top two contenders to win DROY.

All starting quarterbacks have to start somewhere.  For Mason Rudolph, that start is in week 3 against the 2-0 San Francisco 49ers.

With the 49er’s opening at 7-point favorites without Ben Roethlisberger, Rudolph has his work cut out for him.  In week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Rudolph had one interception by Seattle safety and seven-year veteran, Bradley McDougald, but avoided being sacked.

The 49ers have only allowed an average of 17 points per game, 8th fewest in the league.  With the 49ers defense allowing only an average of 73 rushing yards over the past two games, even a healthy James Conner could face problems running against the 49ers front line, who has allowed the 8th fewest rush yards in the league.  With the 49ers defense allowing an average of 232.5 yards per game, 14th fewest in the league, Pittsburgh will need to depend on their passing game if they want to remain competitive with the 49ers.

Rudolph’s Love Life.

Last, but not least, Mason Rudolph is not in a relationship.  So go ahead, ladies, it’s open season.

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