Diontae's Quote on Mason ~ Sports Illustrated article

[JustPlainNasty]

I kind of had high hopes of him doing what he's been doing when he became the starter," wide receiver Diontae Johnson said after the Bills loss. "I hope he gets the job next year, and do what he's got to do, but he did a great job in my opinion."17 hours ago

 

While money always plays a significant factor in the NFL, opportunity probably will as well. Will the Steelers tell Rudolph he can come back and be the starter in 2024? 

"I'm expecting that," running back Jaylen Warren told All Steelers. "He went out there, did his thing as we all saw. Very competitive. He put the ball in the right places when it needed to be." 

 

Very interesting stuff from this article and how all this plays out.. This plays into my thoughts on Diontae and how long his tenure will last here? 

[43M]

Sounds awfully familiar to quotes from players defending Canada last year.

But Im sure minimal changes will be made in regards to QB and OC.   They will foolishly believe Mason is a viable candidate next year to compete for starter and our current OCs will probably be given another year to "work out the kinks".   

And while I don't necessarily have an issue with bringing Mason back...it goes right back to the "acceptable level of mediocrity" this team seems content with.   

Even if Mason is a better option than Kenny, he is still going to keep us....dare I say it???....SPINNING TIRES!   

Mason, at best, would lead us to EXACT same results in 2024.   Another week 18 where we pray for another team to lose so we can squeeze into the 7th seed and get bounced in the firsr round.

Mason is still not a good starting QB.    He is an adequate to good backup.   He is like Charlie Batch.    If we are playing bad teams and the run game and D are clicking, he can make some plays as we seen, but will never have enough to complete with the top teams if we need to rely mostly on HIM.

Oh....and playing well for 3 games against 2 bad teams and the Ravens B team shouldnt get anyone excited about his prospects of playing a 17 game season start to finish....because Im 99% confident that he would get benched for Pickett or someone else by at least mid season.

I know I will get labeled a pessimist...again....whatever. 

Maybe  I am, but this team certainly validates my pessimism far more than I wish they would.

[JustPlainNasty]

2 minutes ago, 43M said:

Sounds awfully familiar to quotes from players defending Canada last year.

But Im sure minimal changes will be made in regards to QB and OC.   They will foolishly believe Mason is a viable candidate next year to compete for starter and our current OCs will probably be given another year to "work out the kinks".   

And while I don't necessarily have an issue with bringing Mason back...it goes right back to the "acceptable level of mediocrity" this team seems content with.   

Even if Mason is a better option than Kenny, he is still going to keep us....dare I say it???....SPINNING TIRES!   

Mason, at best, would lead us to EXACT same results in 2024.   Another week 18 where we pray for another team to lose so we can squeeze into the 7th seed and get bounced in the firsr round.

Mason is still not a good starting QB.    He is an adequate to good backup.   He is like Charlie Batch.    If we are playing bad teams and the run game and D are clicking, he can make some plays as we seen, but will never have enough to complete with the top teams if we need to rely mostly on HIM.

Oh....and playing well for 3 games against 2 bad teams and the Ravens B team shouldnt get anyone excited about his prospects of playing a 17 game season start to finish....because Im 99% confident that he would get benched for Pickett or someone else by at least mid season.

I know I will get labeled a pessimist...again....whatever. 

Maybe  I am, but this team certainly validates my pessimism far more than I wish they would.

100% agree with you almost exactly. 

[rlon]

Johnson is an idiot. This is just another sign of a culture that has spoiled. To say that he hopes he gets the job next year, ridiculous to say to the media. I have no problem with Warren’s statement.
 

[warfelg]

Considering last offseason shocked us all in its aggressiveness I wouldn’t be quick to lock in on same ole same ole. 

[Ward4HOF]

Diontae Johnson needs to keep his trap shut.  As does anyone else who thinks Rudolph should be handed the starting job next year, after Pickett took the team to 7-4, DESPITE Canada.  And what does he do, the first week after Canada's firing??  He has his highest Pass yard total and Comp %, and 2nd highest Y/A of the season, then gets injured.  Why don't we see what Pickett can do without Canada as OC for a season before throwing in the towel on our 2022 1st Rd pick?  Had Rudolph been our #2 all season, over Trubisky, I'd bet we beat either, or both, NE and the Cards.  Let them battle it out for being the starter, but Rudolph, in the end, should be our #2.

Now, should a sure-fire draftable stud QB fall in our laps in the 1st Rd, okay, then maybe consider a change, but that's not likely to happen...

[warfelg]

11 minutes ago, Ward4HOF said:

Diontae Johnson needs to keep his trap shut.  As does anyone else who thinks Rudolph should be handed the starting job next year, after Pickett took the team to 7-4, DESPITE Canada.  And what does he do, the first week after Canada's firing??  He has his highest Pass yard total and Comp %, and 2nd highest Y/A of the season, then gets injured.  Why don't we see what Pickett can do without Canada as OC for a season before throwing in the towel on our 2022 1st Rd pick?  Had Rudolph been our #2 all season, over Trubisky, I'd bet we beat either, or both, NE and the Cards.  Let them battle it out for being the starter, but Rudolph, in the end, should be our #2.

Now, should a sure-fire draftable stud QB fall in our laps in the 1st Rd, okay, then maybe consider a change, but that's not likely to happen...

I’ll be honest. My personal preference would be neither are back. And he’ll this might ruffle some feather: sign Wilson to a 2 year $30mm deal and draft Melton. 

I think last offseason Khan showed he’s not afraid to shake up entire rooms that aren’t working. 5/7 of the DB room changed with 2/4 being starters, the entire ILB room. There’s a high likelihood that in ‘24 only 1 OL from Colbert is left as this year 4/8 were holdovers. 

[Ward4HOF]

You make a sound argument, but my personal choice would be let Pickett get a fair opportunity with an OC who's NOT the worst in the league...

And heck...I think Rudolph might have played well enough to be considered a capable NFL starter, worth trading a day 3 pick to us for...maybe a conditional 4th?

[warfelg]

17 minutes ago, Ward4HOF said:

You make a sound argument, but my personal choice would be let Pickett get a fair opportunity with an OC who's NOT the worst in the league...

And heck...I think Rudolph might have played well enough to be considered a capable NFL starter, worth trading a day 3 pick to us for...maybe a conditional 4th?

We had bottom 5 QB play even outside the constraints of the offense. Kenny’s 6 quarters of success cam against terrible defenses. 

And on Rudolph 1 - he’s a FA. So if someone trades for him they should be fired and 2 - he’s just not that good. 

If they are back we have a bottom 5 QB situation and deserve a bottom 5 record. 

[jebrick]

For DJ, he is right.  Rudolph put the ball where it was meant to go.  It is what I have been saying.  MR is an average NFL QB.  The Steelers could sign him to compete for the starting job.  KP needs to at least match that to compete.  I also agree with the masses on this thread that he is not a franchise QB that will take you beyond where we were this year.  

[3rivers]

6 hours ago, JustPlainNasty said:

I kind of had high hopes of him doing what he's been doing when he became the starter," wide receiver Diontae Johnson said after the Bills loss. "I hope he gets the job next year, and do what he's got to do, but he did a great job in my opinion."17 hours ago

 

While money always plays a significant factor in the NFL, opportunity probably will as well. Will the Steelers tell Rudolph he can come back and be the starter in 2024? 

"I'm expecting that," running back Jaylen Warren told All Steelers. "He went out there, did his thing as we all saw. Very competitive. He put the ball in the right places when it needed to be." 

 

Very interesting stuff from this article and how all this plays out.. This plays into my thoughts on Diontae and how long his tenure will last here? 

it's obvious Mason was better than the other QB's tomlin had ahead of him. Saunders below  echoing tomlin and the coaching staff ?

 

 

 

[3rivers]

28 minutes ago, jebrick said:

For DJ, he is right.  Rudolph put the ball where it was meant to go.  It is what I have been saying.  MR is an average NFL QB.  The Steelers could sign him to compete for the starting job.  KP needs to at least match that to compete.  I also agree with the masses on this thread that he is not a franchise QB that will take you beyond where we were this year.  

 MR2 might not be the franchise QB, but he is much better than what we had with mitch and KP.  Not the ideal longterm answer, but at least watchable if that matters.  The team responded with Mason in there, but then forgot to wake up for the bills game , typical for tomlin in the playoffs so thats nothing new

If Penix is there at 20, would you draft him? If he would be there later, perhaps trade down then draft him?

Unless they get a legit longterm answer this year, I expect them to have KP play out his contract and then rinse and repeat after that.  

Wilson in a steelers uniform would be sickening but considering how this team is now, probably would fit right in.  Why not make the culture worse?

DJ might want Mason to return, but tomlin might not want either back.  We will see how this all goes down, but it appears that more drama  is on the way .

Winning cures this, but  there might not be much of that to go around . Consider this team would have been last place in the league if the one score games were reversed. Then consider the defensive TD's and all the teams we won against that had major injury issues , it's easy to see this team could be getting a high draft pick next year.

What is the QB class like next year?

 

[Ward4HOF]

1 hour ago, warfelg said:

And on Rudolph 1 - he’s a FA. So if someone trades for him they should be fired and 2 - he’s just not that good. 

1. Oops...Didn't pay attention to that, so yeah...

2. Very true, but he's obviously fooled some players on his own team; surely he may have fooled a GM or 2...we'll see during FA.  Maybe we get a Comp pick next year??

[warfelg]

13 minutes ago, Ward4HOF said:

1. Oops...Didn't pay attention to that, so yeah...

2. Very true, but he's obviously fooled some players on his own team; surely he may have fooled a GM or 2...we'll see during FA.  Maybe we get a Comp pick next year??

One thing I’ll give Mason credit on - he throws a good spiral.  It’s a very catchable ball.  And Mason trusts his arm a good bit.  So sometimes for players when you have had a thrower, even if you go to another thrower that fires it in there, it can be refreshing. 

Even thinking of DJ alone.  He’s had Mason, Duck, Broken Ben, Trubisky, Kenny, Mason again as guys delivering the ball.  That’s not a lot of good going on there, so I can see why he would speak so highly of Mason despite mason being, frankly, not good.

[jebrick]

46 minutes ago, 3rivers said:

 MR2 might not be the franchise QB, but he is much better than what we had with mitch and KP.  Not the ideal longterm answer, but at least watchable if that matters.  The team responded with Mason in there, but then forgot to wake up for the bills game , typical for tomlin in the playoffs so thats nothing new

If Penix is there at 20, would you draft him? If he would be there later, perhaps trade down then draft him?

Unless they get a legit longterm answer this year, I expect them to have KP play out his contract and then rinse and repeat after that.  

Wilson in a steelers uniform would be sickening but considering how this team is now, probably would fit right in.  Why not make the culture worse?

DJ might want Mason to return, but tomlin might not want either back.  We will see how this all goes down, but it appears that more drama  is on the way .

Winning cures this, but  there might not be much of that to go around . Consider this team would have been last place in the league if the one score games were reversed. Then consider the defensive TD's and all the teams we won against that had major injury issues , it's easy to see this team could be getting a high draft pick next year.

What is the QB class like next year?

 

So if you want to keep MR and have him compete for a starting job that will cost about $4-5M per year.  He may have other offers and leave but I would have a hard time believing it.  And if he does leave, c'est la vie.

For these draft questions you have to have some context.  So Penix is there at 20?  Who else is there?  Wiggens or DeJean or Nix?  I also do not think Penix gets you where you think you will want to go.  He is not quite a statue in the pocket but he is not mobile anymore.  How different then MR is that?  I am not a big fan of Penix even at 20 but YMMV.

If you/the coaches/GM/Owner think the Steelers are just a QB away form contenting for the SB then go out and sign Cousins or Wilson.  I would rather spend money on an OC with a modern NFL style offense but again, YMMV.

The QB class is an average QB class.  I am a fan of Carson Beck but he gets no press.  I also like Grayson McCall but he is getting long in the tooth.   Neither are the super mobile scramblers like Josh Allen but both can make accurate throws in to tight windows.