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Daily Bullets (Sept. 17): Rudolph Era Has Begun, Spencer Sanders’ Wheels vs. JW Walsh’s

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5 years ago

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Love that the K-State game will end after dark in Stillwater – that one could be a blast. 

Bullets Rundown

• Rudolph era in Pittsburgh has begun
• Spencer Sanders’ wheels against his predecessors
• D-Rose spoke glowingly of Marcus Smart

OSU Bullets

• The Mason Rudolph era has begun and the Steelers are excited for a unique reason.

The Steelers are sold on Rudolph for one prime reason: He grinds. They aren’t worried about his preparation if he makes the start Sunday at San Francisco, which is crucial to avoid dropping to 0-3 and dwelling at the bottom of the AFC North.

No matter the results, they know he’ll be ready for everything on the field. This is the same guy who wears his helmet on the sideline as the backup and used to mimic practice plays from the sideline as the third-stringer last season. [ESPN]

That’s interesting – I wonder if that’s what really intrigued the Steelers in the first place. Did all of Gundy’s “he loves to play football” resonate with an NFL audience?

Drafted ahead of him in 2018 were Baker, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson. He’s not as athletic as Baker, Allen, or Jackson and may not have had Rosen’s apparent upside. But maybe his most NFL-ready quality was his desire to learn.

This will be the best: Mason with the bluebloods this time.

• Berry Tramel takes a stab at comparing Spencer Sanders’ running ability compared to his Texan predecessors’ JW Walsh and Taylor Cornelius.

Oh, Taylor Cornelius was a Texas Panhandle raw-bone who could duck his shoulder and make a linebacker sorry he’d ever donned shoulder pads. But a quarterback who could dart around and make defensive coordinators gasp by fleeing the pocket? Not since Walsh in September 2014 has OSU had such a weapon.

Walsh acknowledges some similarities. The dual threat. The confidence. The Denton, Texas, Friday night lights, Walsh at Denton Guyer and Sanders at Denton Ryan.

But, Walsh said, Sanders is a “much better version. He’s more athletic than I was, there’s no question about that. I had some decent athletic ability, could run the football. His athletic ability is far superior to mine. I think he throws the ball better. He’s more fun to watch.” [NewsOK]

This will be fun to compare over time. I don’t know if it’s Walsh’s shorter strides but Walsh seemed quicker, while Sanders seems to have a higher (CJ Moore-esque) top-speed. Sanders’ arm keeps defenses honest more than Walsh’s did as well.

• Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose had glowing words about former Cowboy Marcus Smart in his new book – and they describe Smart well.

Allow D-Rose to explain. . .

“I always said I’m a hooper, and hoopers can do anything, I feel,” Rose writes. “It don’t matter. Like, Marcus Smart is a hooper. Analytics, you would say no way you want him. But when you go out there and watch the game, you say, ‘Of course I want him on my team.’ Makes shots, period. That’s a guy I love playing with.”  [NBC Sports]

I think what Derrick is getting at it is this – Smart is a dude, and he has the intangibles other players want. He can be a bit of a ball-stopper but what probably quantifies his value better is he’s probably a dude other guys don’t want to play against.

• The CFB trend of having your team “staying at hotels in town” idea has always been a bit wild to me

• Enjoyed these Mason Rudolph qualities from USA Today

• Texas Tech’s quarterback will (likely) be out for the OSU game after an injury over the weekend

• It’s hard to be surprised by this one.

Non-OSU Bullets

• Stress causing lost weight/the world of grandmasters of chess was wild

• This 20-minute podcast on developing your passion vs. following it was great

• These faith-based thoughts on cynicism in the church challenged me

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