Did Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph just take a shot at Ben Roethlisberger?
While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Rudolph seemed to reference Roethlisberger when discussing how great the Steelers’ communication has been as a team.
“No matter who’s been playing, there’s been great communication. Everyone is truly trying to make the other person better,” Rudolph said, via Brian Batko of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “There’s been other times when it’s been not as cohesive as a group and people aren’t as forthcoming with ‘Hey, how do we help?'”
Of course, it’s entirely possible that Rudolph was not even thinking about Roethlisberger when he made that comment, but it’s hard to ignore the history of the two signal-callers.
Back when Pittsburgh took Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Roethlisberger did not seem too happy.
“I was surprised they took a quarterback because I thought maybe in the third round you can get some really good players that can help this team win now,” Roethlisberger said at the time. “If they feel like he can help our team, so be it, but I was a little surprised.”
Perhaps Rudolph still remembers Roethlisberger’s remarks.
It’s also worth noting that Roethlisberger has been critical of the Steelers in recent weeks, pointing out the locker-room issues, criticizing the coaching and saying that the “Steeler Way” may be extinct.
Rudolph and Roethlisberger were teammates for four years between 2018 and 2021. The former started eight games when Roethlisberger was injured in 2019 and started 10 games overall while Big Ben was still in the league.
This past weekend marked Rudolph’s first start since 2021. He was a smashing success, going 17-for-27 with 290 yards and a couple of touchdowns in a blowout win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Pittsburgh is 8-7 and is currently ninth in the AFC playoff standings. The Indianapolis Colts hold the seventh and final playoff spot with the same 8-7 record, but they hold the tiebreaker. The Houston Texans (8-7) are in front of the Steelers for the same reason.
Mason Rudolph and Co. will take on the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday before wrapping up the regular season when they meet the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 7.
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