PITTSBURGH — Comfort food comes by its name honestly. Who doesn't love a gigantic plate of their favorite fare?

Along those lines, it didn't take long for Mason Rudolph to return one of his favorite spots, DiAnoia's Eatery on Penn Ave., after re-signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers in mid-March.

"It's a great Italian meal," Rudolph said Tuesday.

That feeling was flipped for me, as the Steelers held their first session of organized team activities (OTAs) of the offseason, Rudolph and those familiar feelings mixed with more silliness involving Aaron Rodgers.

The latest: Adam Schefter on ESPN's "Get Up" saying he thinks the Steelers will be comfortable waiting on Rodgers until Sept. 7.

Gimme a break.

Read the room, Steelers.

Rodgers may offer a marginal increase over Rudolph, sure. He may also be a way bigger headache. It's a risk the Steelers are clearly willing to take, but do they really think they're a Super Bowl team with Rodgers under center?

Someone needs help if they do.

Until this point in the NFL calendar, it made some sense to wait for Rodgers, to allow him to handle his personal business while respecting the process of a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

My patience is wearing awfully thin because it's hard to see the point.

The Steelers may be average to slightly above-average — still not a threat to do anything more than win one playoff game — with Rodgers. Or they could stink.

The Steelers are probably a tick below that with Rudolph, though there could be a greater degree of variability.

For example, if Rudolph replicates what he did in late 2023, producing a 118.0 rating over four games (three starts), he could become one of the NFL's best breakout stories.

If that was a mirage, they'll crash out and draft high.

OK, so tell me again what Rodgers and this never-ending soap opera changes?

The great thing about comfort food, to get back to our analogy, is that it makes the outside world disappear, even if it's for 10 or 15 minutes. It felt like seeing Rudolph in black and gold again Tuesday accomplished that.

I also wasn't alone.

"I love Mason," Pat Freiermuth said. "He's a hell of a guy, hell of a teammate. Great locker room guy. ... We have all the faith in him."

"He's an elite quarterback, really locked in and bought in," Roman Wilson added. "Everyone likes him a lot. He's a good dude."

Bought in might be an understatement. The same for the other stuff about how much Rudolph's teammates like him.

Even as Rudolph approached the horde of reporters waiting for him Tuesday — he cracked a joke about missing the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Gerry Dulac, who's working ahead on U.S. Open coverage — he could hardly hide his smile.

"It's great to be back," Rudolph said. "I'm excited. A lot of familiar faces. I don't need to make any handshakes here. I know most of the media. They're all good people. ... We only have eight more of these practices. Looking forward to it."

Rudolph would go on to praise offensive coordinator Arthur Smith for how detailed he's been and his ability to teach. There's also the offense itself, which Rudolph likes for its balance, as well as the drop-back passing schemes he feel fit his game well.

While DK Metcalf wasn't there Tuesday, Rudolph has been in regular contact with his new No. 1 receiver, marveling at the work Metcalf does behind the scenes, as well as the prolific tape the rest of us have observed.

"He's a low-ego guy," Rudolph said. "He's been paid a lot. He's been very successful. But he's very hungry to improve."

The low- or no-ego quotient represents another area I've come to really appreciate about Rudolph. There's a bunch of humility and little drama. Rudolph's answers routinely involve leading his team, doing his part, taking advantage of his opportunity, that sort of thing.

It's what has endeared Rudolph to Steelers fans and teammates alike, his ability to combat some crappy circumstances while never giving up, in 2023 coming out on the other side smelling like a rose.

I'm sort of low-key hoping Rudolph pens another chapter to his book on being overlooked, on ignoring the outside noise that has trailed him for years.

When Mike Tomlin turned to Duck Hodges in 2019, Rudolph put his head down and worked. When Tomlin staged a faux quarterback competition a few years later and the Steelers bumbled between Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett, Rudolph just kept being himself.

As they've courted Rodgers (and filled countless talk-radio hours in the process), Rudolph hasn't changed. Do the job. Put in the time. Earn teammates' trust. And get some damn good Italian food.

"I've been used to that for a long time now," Rudolph said of existing amid the drama. "I need to be the best I can be and help our team get better this spring."

The Steelers will probably sign Rodgers because this sure seems like a Mike Tomlin pet project. I don't know if it'll make a difference. But it's hard to not root for Rudolph and admire how he's handled things.

He seems genuinely thrilled to be back.

"This is a special place," Rudolph said. "I've got a lot of great friends and teammates here, a lot of comfortability with Mike T and the staff. [General manager] Omar [Khan] has put together a great roster.

"Who wouldn't want to be a part of this team and this offense?"

I can think of one guy. But independent of that, here's hoping the Rudolph story in Pittsburgh has some positivity left.

Plus, it's hard to go wrong with dessert at DiAnoia's.

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