Smitty’s Take: A news report came out today talking about how Ben Roethlisberger isn’t worried about a new contract as of now, and that he has 2 years left on his deal. The way Roethy reportedly talked about the issue, it sounds like he’s far away from last year’s thoughts of retirement. However, folks, I’ll put this on record right now before Mason Rudolph even plays in his first preseason game… Rudolph might just be that gem QB that emerges a year or so from now. I see elite talent in Rudolph, and given how injury-prone Roethy is, I can envision a scenario where Rudolph starts some games this year, and if that happened, I think the 2019 off-season would get quite interesting. Keep in mind, Rudolph played at Oklahoma State with rookie wide receiver James Washington, and both being drafted to Pittsburgh this year wasn’t talked about all that much. That’s some awesome instant rapport for the passer. I’m calling “sleeper alert” to the extreme on Rudolph! I’m also suggesting that PIT could be one of the teams to beat in 2018. Get some!