LISTEN: Patriots backup QB Joshua Dobbs praises Drake Maye’s development

Various NFL Players: Hey, this is Russell Wilson. This is Joe Montana. This is Dak Prescott. Hey, this is Jason Kelce, and you’re listening to Rob Maaddi. Rob Maaddi. Rob Maaddi. Rob Maaddi.

MAADDI: Welcome to On Football with me, Rob Maaddi. We’re on Week 7 in the NFL. There’s no dominant teams. Nobody’s unbeaten, but those New York Jets are still winless. Our guest this week is New England Patriots backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs. Mike Vrabel has the Patriots at 4-2. Drake Maye is having a breakout season. Josh talks about that and much more.

MAADDI: It took six weeks for the first NFL coach to get fired. The Titans let Brian Callahan go after a 1-5 start. He was 4-19. Callahan had success as an assistant on teams that had Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford, Derek Carr and Joe Burrow as their quarterback. It’s much different without a franchise QB and Tennessee didn’t have one last year, or with a rookie QB on a bad team like the Titans have this year in Cam Ward. It’s not always a coaching problem. Talent matters.

MAADDI: Joshua Dobbs began his career with the Steelers in 2017. He was a fourth-round pick. He started games for the Titans, the Cardinals, the Vikings, and the 49ers. He’s backing up Drake Maye in New England now, giving valuable veteran leadership to the young quarterback. Josh, welcome to the show. You’ve been with a lot of teams. You have a ton of experience, and now you’re in New England. Drake Maye’s developed into a franchise quarterback. What’s your role been like as the backup, and how have you been able to help in that developmental process?

DOBBS: It’s been good, like I’ve enjoyed being in New England. We’re playing really good football right now and it’s been really fun watching Drake develop over the past couple of weeks. I know I got here and I didn’t know much about his game. Honestly, I didn’t watch much of it, just through the nature of my career, but he’s been a joy to work with. And I think we have a really talented quarterback room and it starts with them and it started with him and he’s done a great job on Sundays, improving, growing, and it just started back in, honestly, OTAs. Josh McDaniels leads our room, and Ashton Grant’s our QB coach, and both of them have spent a lot of time in the NFL, and they’re really knowledgeable, and I think they’ve really set the standard high for us as quarterbacks, and that’s what I think is showing on the field each Sunday. So we gotta keep it rolling. They go to Tennessee this week, and get to go back home, right? Be really close to, obviously, the Tennessee-Alabama game, be watching it from afar. Keep the positive momentum that we have going in the QB room.

MAADDI: You have familiarity with Mike Vrabel, played for him in Tennessee, you’re playing for him again. It’s a special week for Mike going back to Tennessee. You weren’t there in New England last year when they struggled, but can you get a sense for how he’s changed the culture there?

DOBBS: Yeah, I think he’s just been himself. Like I was with him, as you said, in Tennessee, and he’s a former great player in the NFL. And he brings out that same intensity and expectation of success to his coaching style. And that consistency that he’s had coming into the building, addressing us as a team as the head coach, and really setting that precedent to all of us as players is what we’ve all enjoyed. And has allowed us to come together and really become a team over the past several months, starting back in OTAs with a lot of new faces to what we’re doing now. So there’s a lot guys going back to Tennessee that spent some time there, but as anyone will say in the NFL and how it really is, it’s just the next week, the next team, the next person that you gotta go out and compete and fight to get a win. They’ll be motivated just because they’ve had change and there will be new people in that organization that are trying to prove that they’re great coaches and great players as well. So we have to have our A game going down to Nashville and be ready to go out and play another good football game.

MAADDI: As a backup, you’re always one play away, and that’s difficult, because you have to prepare every single day as if you’re playing, and then, come Sunday, you are on the sideline in case something happens. How have you kind of embraced that role?

DOBBS: Yeah, you know, early in my career, I learned quickly that you never know when you’ll get your opportunity, but you have to be ready, no matter how big or small it is. And it’s almost like, you’re in school and you got a math test every Friday, you are studying and preparing for it all week. And you know most of the times you don’t take the test, but when it’s your turn to take that test, you gotta be ready to go out and ace it. That’s just the nature of the job and the role and you learn quickly that every rep that you get is important and also manufacturing reps and game situations in practice, after practicing ,your extra time through your film study is crucial so that when your number’s called, you’re prepared to go in and execute as if you’ve taken every rep since the beginning of the offseason. So it’s definitely a unique position, but I’m always prepared for any opportunity that’s put in front of me, thrown my way, and whenever my number’s called, I know I’ll be ready to go and execute and play at a high level.

MAADDI: Do you do the scout team or is that third string?

DOBBS: No, so it’s all works run the scouting just because Drake takes all the reps with the offense. And so the only other reps to go around are the two reps, giving the defense the look so the key is using those reps as if they’re game reps, even though you’re going against your own defense. And then after practice or before practice, in your extra time, it’s doing extra walkthroughs and extra route sessions with the other receivers, tight ends, and running backs in order to manufacture what a game rep would look like or what the practice look rep was so you’re prepared. So you’re definitely sometimes practicing twice, right? You’re giving the defense the look, and then in your own time, you’re doing the look that the starter will have gotten. So it’s a process. There’s definitely a process, but I got great teammates that are always looking for extra work, and that makes it really easy on my end to be able to get prepared and ready to go for Sunday.

MAADDI: Josh, I think you have the coolest nickname in the NFL, the Passtronaut. How much have you enjoyed that?

DOBBS: That’s a good one. It's good to be different. It’s good to be unique. That run was definitely a lot of fun and at stadiums now you run into the locker room, coming out. It definitely is a popular nickname that gets called out from the fans. So I’m not complaining to have a good nickname. That’s for sure.

MAADDI: Tell me about your partnership with Dr Pepper, the Pepper Portal, and the Tennessee-Alabama game coming up.

DOBBS: I’m excited. I’m exited to see the Tennessee fandom really come to life. As many people might not know, Tennessee’s won the last two games against Alabama, which we’re definitely very proud of. And so we’re excited to show that fandom, rocking out at Colby’s in Knoxville, which was one of my favorite spots to go to during my time on campus. And to be able to just show the Bama fans who’s the top dog in the SEC, who’s the best fans. I think it’s really cool what Dr. Pepper is doing, being able to bridge the gap between Knoxville and Tuscaloosa and have a very interactive activation for our fans on game day.

MAADDI: It’s time for some Pro Picks. The four pack is 17-6-1 straight up, 16-8 against the spread. Best bets and upset specials are 10-2 straight up, 9-3 against the number. My best bet this week, Eagles are two-point favorites in Minnesota. The critics were bashing Philly after a 4-0 start because an offense that features Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and AJ Brown looked stagnant and predictable. Now the defending Super Bowl champs are hearing it even more after losing to the Broncos and Giants. It won’t get easier against Minnesota’s defense. The Vikings are 2-1 with Carson Wentz, but he’s dealing with a shoulder injury and we don’t know if he’ll be able to face his former team or if JJ McCarthy can come back from an ankle injury to start after splitting his first two career starts. I don’t care if Fran Tarkenton is the Vikings quarterback, Eagles 26-18. For my upset special, the 5-1 Colts are 1.5-point underdogs in LA against the 4-2 Chargers. Daniel Jones, Danny Dimes, has revived his career in Indy. Jonathan Taylor is having an outstanding season. The Chargers were terrible against the run last week in a win at Miami. They’ve got a depleted offensive line that’s trying to protect Justin Herbert. There’s really no home field advantage in SoFi for the Chargers, I expect to see a lot of Colts fans there, and I expect to see them leave with a victory, 23-21. Next up, those 4-2 Patriots at the 1-5 Tennessee Titans. Patriots are seven-point favorites. Mike Vrabel going back to Tennessee with his first-place team in the first game since the Titans fired the coach who replaced him. Drake Maye playing at a high level under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Cam Ward has an interim coach for the next 11 games. That’s just a bad situation for a rookie quarterback. New England 24-13. For the fourth pick in a four pack, Carolina’s 3-3 and on the rise. They’re going to North Jersey to face the 0-6 Jets. The Panthers are only two-point favorites. Rico Dowdle has 473 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns in the last two games. Things look bleak for the Jets, Justin Fields is struggling. Aaron Glenn looks overmatched. Carolina’s 0-10 straight up and against the spread as a favorite since 2021. That ends this week. Panthers 24-17. That’s it for this week. Thank you to Joshua Dobbs. Thank you for listening to On Football and thanks to Haya Penjwani and Mike Hempen for producing this episode. Please check out APNews.com for the full Pro Picks, On Football analysis and more NFL news.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl