Paul Zeise: Mason Rudolph has completely rewritten his Steelers story in an inspiring way

PITTSBURGH — One of my favorite moments of Sunday's Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Cincinnati Bengals was when it was clear Mason Rudolph would have to enter the game for the injured Aaron Rodgers.

It wasn't that long ago Rudolph would have been booed out of the stadium. It wasn't that long ago Rudolph was basically run out of town.

And it wasn't that long ago Rudolph was buried deep on the bench sitting behind Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky and having half the fan base wishing the third-string guy was named Duck and not Mason.

That is why the scene Sunday was so heartwarming, as Rudolph ran onto the field to loud cheers and a partial standing ovation. The fans love Rudolph now and they should because in many ways, his story is one only a soulless human wouldn't find inspiring.

Rudolph stayed the course, continued to believe in himself and continued to just work hard and be a good teammate through a long roller coaster ride over the first five years of his career.

His story was going to be one of a third-round bust whose most notable accomplishment was getting hit in the head with a helmet by Myles Garrett. He got a chance to start a game in 2021 against the worst team in the NFL, Detroit, and he was terrible and the game ended in a tie.

That's really when fans seemed to be done with him, and the narrative on him became, "He stinks, he isn't an NFL quarterback and he needs to go sell insurance" or something along those lines.

Here is what I love about Rudolph's story, though:

He never quit.

He never quit on himself and frankly he never quit on the Steelers. He never pouted, never said stupid things to the media, never bad mouthed his teammates — he just tried to get better and put himself in position to succeed when his next opportunity came.

And that opportunity did come at the end of the 2023 season, when Trubisky flamed out early in the season and Pickett didn't exactly distinguish himself either and then got hurt.

The Steelers had three games to play, were 7-7 and looking dead in the water in terms of getting to the playoffs. The fan base was restless anyway because of bad quarterback play for most of the season, and when Rudolph got the call, there was actually a feeling of, "He can't be worse."

Well, he then got the fans fully on his side when, early in his first start of that season against the Bengals, he hit George Pickens with an 86-yard touchdown pass and threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns.

The Steelers beat the Bengals that day 34-11. Then Rudolph led them to wins on the road against Seattle and then Baltimore to get the Steelers to 10-7 and into the playoffs. They lost in the first round to the Bills 31-17, and Rudolph threw a bad interception in the end zone, but it didn't matter, as he had already rewritten his story in the minds of most fans.

Fast forward to Sunday when Rudolph entered the game, and I have to be honest, there was a little more life, a lot more energy and even more of a sense of urgency once he was in charge than there had been in the first half.

Rudolph didn't do anything spectacular against the Bengals, whom the Steelers beat 34-12, but he was extremely efficient in what he did and finished 12 of 16 for 127 yards and a touchdown.

Now, I am not delusional enough to believe Rudolph could be the Steelers' franchise quarterback of the future, but then again, maybe he can be. I do think, if Rodgers' injury keeps him out for a few weeks, Rudolph is capable of giving the Steelers a real chance to win no matter who they play.

I also think the one thing Rudolph can do that Rodgers cannot — and maybe it is something for Steelers coaches to consider — is throwing the ball deep and giving his receivers a chance to make big chunk plays.

That element — the deep ball — is something the Bears (the Steelers' next opponent) will have to defend against if Rudolph plays, and that should open up some other things underneath and in the run game.

Even if Rudolph doesn't play another down this season, it is clear he has made himself a legitimate option to be the Steelers' next Charlie Batch. And that is to say he clearly should be viewed as a longtime, reliable backup who serves almost as an extension of the coaching staff when he isn't playing and is good enough to lead the Steelers to wins when he is called into action.

Rudolph is 8-4-1 as a starter in a Steelers uniform, and that suggests he is one of the best backups in the NFL and they are lucky to have him.

The larger part of the story, though, is the lesson every young athlete should learn from Rudolph's story. I probably sound like an old man yelling at the clouds when I say many younger athletes don't understand that nobody owes them anything and nobody is going to hand them a thing.

These days, it is way too much "look at me" and "I am gonna get mine" and "woe is me, it ain't fair" as opposed to "I am gonna look in the mirror, work my tail off and be ready when/if I get my next shot."

That's what Rudolph did, and he did it with such a measure of humility that it is hard to imagine anyone rooting against him and not seeing his story as inspirational.

Rudolph could have become a malcontent, made excuses and blamed everyone else for his struggles, but if he did, he'd be on the scrap heap littered with guys who quit on themselves or refused to take accountability and work to get better.

I don't know in how many games Rudolph will be needed this season, as the Steelers are still working through Rodgers' injury. The one thing I do know: Rudolph is the ultimate inspiration for anyone feeling down and out to hang in there, don't quit and continue to bet on yourself.

____