FOXBOROUGH – Joshua Dobbs has appeared in four games this season, mostly in mop-up duty.
Drake Maye’s backup has attempted 10 passes, with seven completions.
Even as the proverbial next-man up at quarterback, Dobbs is excited to get to the Super Bowl, and be a part of it. With Maye having an injury to his throwing shoulder – and Friday missing practice with an illness – Dobbs knows he has to be ready to play at a moment’s notice.
And deliver.
As it is, Dobbs was forced to take over first-team reps Friday for the first time this season with Maye being sick. So the 31-year old veteran, who has played with nine different teams, knows the drill. He knows what’s expected from the backup.
Of course, Dobbs would love to get in the game. Who wouldn’t? It’s the Super Bowl. It’s every football player’s dream.
He also knows Maye is going to do whatever necessary to play. That’s the expectation for the MVP candidate.
This is Maye’s time to shine. It’s his time to help deliver a championship.
And whether Dobbs gets into the game or not, his approach for the lead-up to Super Bowl 60 against the Seattle Seahawks is no different than it was all season.
He’s still preparing as if he’ll play.
“You don’t approach it any different than any other game, except the stakes are higher,” Dobbs said. “I think as our season has grown, the stakes have only gotten higher every week. I mean it’s approached with the same focus.”
Dobbs has done his best to be a friend, and mentor to Maye.
Along with prepping to play, Dobbs also spends time getting Maye ready for the game and what to expect.
“It’s just on what we need to do, how to help him prepare, like seeing different looks that (the Seahawks) can show you as a defense,” Dobbs said. “It’s thinking about that, knowing they’ll probably have some wrinkles. So just kind of thinking about Seattle and then just getting really good at all the situations.”
Dobbs has already watched a ton of film of the Seahawks, who finished as the NFL’s top scoring defense, allowing the fewest points (17.2) per game.
“They work really well together as a unit. They do a good job like kind of disguising some things and holding things till post snap, and they’re talented,” Dobbs said of the Seahawks. “They’re talented in the back end, they have good length, good size, and they make plays on the football when it’s in the air. So we gotta be on our details.”
How does Dobbs manage to stay sharp?
By simulating reps during and after practice with whoever wants to stay late.
“I think the mindset on the team is great because the young guys are always asking for more work,” Dobbs said. “Some guys like Chiz (Efton Chism III), Jiles (John Jiles) and Dip (C.J. Dippre) are always asking to get extra reps after practice and it’s a great opportunity for me to be able to go back to the script, go through the game plan and get full speed throws and opportunities.”
Asked if being at the Super Bowl in a backup role can still be fulfilling for him, and satisfy that childhood dream, Dobbs thought about the question for a moment before answering.
“I think it can,” he said. “It’s a team game. You might not be out there every snap … I mean as a kid, you never envision watching it from the sideline, but I don’t think that takes anything away from it.
“You’re still part of the team going through the process, and this process has been extremely unique,” Dobbs said. “We’ve all come together and been a part of the team making process to get there.
“(Mike Vrabel) has done a great job setting that culture … The wins on Sundays leading up to this game, you know, it starts in OTAs and all of those banked reps, that was all of us out there working, grinding, trying to understand the system. I think with the nature of this situation, with what Vrabes has done, it does make it just as fulfilling … It’s cool.”
