MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – Joshua Dobbs has bounced around the NFL like the quintessential backup quarterback, lending an attractive combination of athleticism, experience and intelligence to seven teams in seven years even if none of them have committed to him as a long-term starter.
Perhaps his career is about to really take off. His nickname is the “passtronaut,” after all.
Just five days after Minnesota acquired him from Arizona in an emergency trade following the season-ending injury for Kirk Cousins, Dobbs rescued the Vikings in Atlanta for their fourth consecutive victory.
“I want to say surprising, but then again it´s not really surprising once you get to know him,” Vikings running back Alexander Mattison said. “The time he puts in to be prepared, it definitely makes sense.”
Dobbs had quite the week, beating his hometown team with a made-for-TV rally in his Vikings debut and drawing praise that transcended the football world into, well, outer space.
An aerospace engineering major at Tennessee, Dobbs even got a postgame social media shoutout from NASA. When he played for Cleveland, he spent regular time at NASA’s research center indulging his other lifelong passion. When he was with Jacksonville, Dobbs also took part in an offseason internship program through the NFL Players Association that provided him a monthlong experience at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Dobbs had no such immersion with Minnesota’s offense last week, with the Vikings focused on preparing rookie Jaren Hall to start. When Hall went down with a concussion in the first quarter, he was pressed into duty. After a couple of hasty voiceovers to get the linemen used to his snap cadence and surviving a sack for a safety and two lost fumbles the Falcons turned into field goals, Dobbs found his groove and guided the Vikings to the 31-28 win.
Soon, the feel-good story will fade. Dobbs will make his first start Sunday for the Vikings (5-4) against a difficult New Orleans defense.
“If you don´t show up and play next week, then no one cares about last week,” Dobbs said, “so I’m excited for the next opportunity to go out and compete.”
The Saints (5-4) have yet to beat a team with a winning record. This would be an ideal time for them to do that, on the road with sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
“The teams that are playing and dancing in January, you see they strung games together and they got hot at the right time and they kept it moving,” running back Alvin Kamara said.
