Reader Response: Wins Separate Weeden from Rudolph in the Pantheon

I became immediately concerned for our server space shortly after Marshall Scott wrote the following words on his look back at the 2012 Fiesta Bowl.

Weeden finished with 399 yards, three passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown to Andrew Luck’s 347 yards and two touchdowns. I think I’m ready to say Weeden is the No. 2 quarterback in program history behind Mason Rudolph. By fractions. [PFB]

Thankfully the servers held, and the reaction was actually [squints hard and stares into the distance] what is that … cordial? There were comments because there are always comments, but the discussion was good. One of the best responses I saw was this email from Kurt, who, like me, says Weeden > Rudolph.

At QB, wins matter. You’re the captain of the ship. Stats matter at lots of positions, but wins are the measuring stick for greatness. For this reason alone MJ is the GOAT too. Dont @ me youngsters. Six championships, no finals losses, no game sevens either. Wins matter more than stats and longevity.

I have seen a lot of QBs at OSU. Gundy was my first. I was 9. Now at 40, having seen 31 years of OSU football, I have concluded that wins matter. And memorable wins matter the most. Because of that Weeden is the GOAT at QB.

Weeden in two years and one game went 24-3 with two of the program’s biggest wins ever, a Big 12 conference title and a BCS win against No. 4 Stanford. He had two seasons of 4200+ yards and had 34 TDs to 13 INT each year. His worst loss was at ISU(* forever). Also memorable wins at No. 8 ATM, UT, and the Route 66 at Tech. Probably had the best 2nd half debut at QB on national television until Tua. 

Rudulph had three losses in each of his three full seasons. His best win was vs. No. 5 TCU at home. His TD-INT ratio was better than BW’s but he only had one season with more than 4200 yards. Rudolph had a handful of not great losses. CMU (more **) being the worst. Stats are comparable, his wins aren’t.

Mason was great. Heck, my parents named their new golden retriever puppy Mason. But he isn’t the GOAT.

And if you ask me who Is No. 2, I’d say Zac. He did more with less talent overall and he had huge wins that changed the trajectory of the program. At Nebraska (their worst home loss EVER at the time), UGA to open BPS officially, and the best road win that put OSU clearly on the map, No. 3 Mizzou in Columbia.

I love this. It’s a good reminder for those of us that go straight for the stats. Wins do matter, and Weeden won some monsters. The Rudolph truthers will point out that Weeden had Blackmon and a killer offensive line — both of which are true — but as Kurt pointed out, he very nearly won every single game he played at quarterback. There was almost no room for any improvement. I spent three years of Mason’s career hollering about how good he was, but even I can admit this … Weeden was (at least a little and maybe a lot) better as a quarterback for OSU.