Rudolph, Gundy Point to Brady, Manning When Talking About Success

Peyton Manning was not a very good thrower of the football, and towards the end of his career, he was flat out bad. Hospitalized ducks were offended by some of Manning’s throws throughout his career, and yet he remained one of the best in the business for nearly 20 years. Why? Because he was better prepared, more accurate and three steps ahead of his competition.

Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph has taken a page out of Manning’s metaphorical playbook, said Mike Gundy after Rudolph threw for 497 yards on 32 passes against Pittsburgh. While Rudolph doesn’t have the strongest arm in college football, he always knows where the ball is going and why it’s going there.

That’s how you have a 51:7 TD to INT ratio over the last 23 games.

“He prides himself on being the Peyton Manning, Tom Brady of college football,” said Gundy last Saturday. “That’s what he prides himself on, and he backs it up. Most people that are that committed that have some skill are going to be successful. His leadership and ability to be humble has been awesome.”

“He’s a workaholic,” Gundy added this week. “The guy’s crazy. Over his footwork, his release, his study, the game plan. I meet with him on the night before games, usually Friday nights and he goes over the game plan. He knows it front and back. He understands down and distance. He understands hash marks. He understands blitz. He understands everything like a coach.”

He’s got physical tools to boot. Rudolph has clearly improved his accuracy, and his arm strength has always been a plus. He possesses all the tools you could want a college senior to possess.

“And he’s totally committed to being a student of the game,” said Gundy. “He wants to play this game for 20 more years and when you’re that committed to something in life, it’s extremely difficult to not have success.”

Rudolph agreed with his head ball coach, noting that preparation for Saturdays is vital to whatever success he finds in his final year in Stillwater.

“Peyton Manning has said so many times, ‘If you put the work in, you put the time in during the week, there’s no such thing as pressure,'” said Rudolph on Tuesday. “You do everything you can and go react to the defense. That’s the way I approach it. You control what you can control, and you’ll put yourself in a good spot.”

There has been and will be much debate over the next year over whether Rudolph can be successful as a NFL quarterback. There are so many variables that go into that that it’s not even worth predicting.

What I know is that he’s given himself a chance, and he’s turned himself into one of the all-time greats in Oklahoma State history by trying to become like the all-time greats of the sport. Is Mason Rudolph ever going to have the success Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have had in the NFL? The odds are heavily against it, but it won’t be for lack of preparedness.