Steelers' offensive coordinator says Mason Rudolph didn't make open throws

PITTSBURGH — Randy Fichtner was beyond candid when it came to assessing the performance of Mason Rudolph in his first start in place of injured Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers' 24-20 loss at San Francisco last week.

Fichtner has taken a lot of criticism for what many felt was a pretty conservative game plan in the first half, when Rudolph was 8 of 15 for just 40 yards in the first two quarters. But Fichtner said Friday at the Rooney Complex Not by a long shot -- no pun intended.

"I don’t know if it was conservative. We put ourselves in position," Fichtner said. "We had some opportunities for some throws and even for some shots. If you don’t connect or throw them, it never materializes. We were able to go down the field early. You’ve got to throw them. You’ve got to attempt to throw it there."

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