8/13/17-Josh Dobbs, Is He The Next Man Up?

By: Mike Pelaia

“Next Man Up” is a philosophy that Mike Tomlin has employed for as long as he’s been the leader of the black and gold. It’s a phrase uttered just about as often as he says “the standard is the standard”. Sometimes those mantras fit, other times they don’t.
Soon enough, whether it be in 2018, 2019 or beyond, Ben Roethlisberger is going to retire and Tomlins’ favorite phrases will be tested in terms of replacing his Hall of Fame QB. Who will be the “Next Man Up” and will the “Standard be the Standard” with that successor?
Enter Josh Dobbs. The rookie who made is pro football debut the other night was drafted to serve the purpose of replacing Big Ben. Dobbs, who played decently enough in his Steeler debut, completing eight passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, to go along with two interceptions, won’t be the guy to step in this season, should Ben go down with an injury; that job stays with Landry Jones, but he is positioned to surpass Jones when the time to be a full-time starter comes, which is not far off.

Dobbs showed poise vs. the Giants, making a few good passes and scrambling for yardage. He brings a little bit of the pocket passer along with the mobile quarterback that is needed in today’s NFL. Dobbs comes from the SEC, the conference that touts the most NFL players, which gives him a toughness that some rookies don’t yet have when entering the league.

As a senior at Tennessee, Dobbs completed 63% of his passes for over 2,900 yards and 27 touchdowns. He added another 831 yards on the ground for 12 more scores. In the SEC, playing against NFL level talent, those numbers are no joke.
SEC football and NFL football are in no way, shape or form an apples to apples comparison, however, if I’m looking for collegiate level production to translate over to the NFL, I’ll start in the SEC and work my way from there. Dobbs proved his worth at the highest level of college football, in my opinion.

Two years ago, the king of college football, Nick Saban said about Dobbs “He’s just developed into a really fine quarterback”. Saban knows a thing or two about football and I’ll take his word any day. Add a few years of college success to that, plus, ideally, a year or two of pro football practice and sideline experience, while being mentored by a Hall of Fame quarterback and Dobbs will be ready to soar when it’s his time.
Unlike Landry Jones, Dobbs is being groomed to be the guy. He hasn’t lost the fans yet, as Jones has, which can be critical to a quarterbacks development and quite frankly, as long as Jones is wearing a Steeler uniform, Dobbs will ultimately be a fan favorite, only furthering his opportunity to succeed. 

When asked about what he’s taken away from Big Ben thus far, he said “The things that have been invaluable; seeing how he practices and how he runs the team, getting in and out of the huddle quickly, at the line of scrimmage; his communication.” “Where he goes with the ball, just sitting back and watching him.” “It’s also been invaluable to just sit in the film room and hear his thoughts on my reps, his thoughts on his reps and what he’s thinking and how he approaches each day”. “Ben has a plan each day of what routes he wants to cover with the receivers or what signals he wants to cover.” “Just having an overall good approach to the day, I think has been the biggest thing to take from him.” This kid is wise beyond his years to watch a guy like Big Ben and pick up the nuances such as an approach to the day. Veteran stuff from a rookie.

But Dobbs doesn’t stop with learning from Roethlisberger, he knows he has leadership and invaluable experience with his receivers too. When asked if he’s picked anything up from Antonio Brown, Dobbs stated “Just what he sees, he definitely has a different perspective.” “Hearing what he sees, how he’s approaching each look, what routes he likes to run”. “How he feels like he can create separation from the defense and get open”. “Watching him in practice, talking with him and getting on that same page, to get that information from a receiver’s perspective who’s really good at what he does; it definitely gives a quarterback a different viewpoint on the game of football.”
It’s not all about potential though, it’s about what is being done on the field as well. And Dobbs is doing that early in his rookie campaign. Dobbs is clearly not just throwing words around when talking about learning from Big Ben. In practice, he can be noticed working through his progressions, making checks at the line of scrimmage, talking to the receivers after plays and most of all, he’s getting an opportunity to do some of this with the first team as Roethlisberger is given a breather and Jones continues to be sidelined.

Cobi Hamilton, who had a productive evening on Friday with Dobbs under center, said “He’s focusing, he’s getting better every day”. He also stated that after the first two interceptions that were thrown Dobbs’ demeanor didn’t change. That’s exactly what a team leader should be like, that’s what you want in your future. “He’s a good passer. I know he’s capable of doing it” Hamilton went on to say.

Dobbs himself understands the position he’s in, too. He knows the QB position comes with scrutiny, perhaps even more so in Pittsburgh. He understands what it takes to leave a game and learn from it. “There’s always things to go back and improve on. It’s a great learning opportunity. We’ll work on those today in practice.” He also mentions using those areas of improvement to help prepare for next weeks’ game. He just gets it. “Throughout the game there’s always going to be adversity. You’re going to make good plays and you’re going to make some mistakes”. That statement defines him, even keeled, smart, understanding. He speaks as though he’s a veteran, not a rookie coming off of his first preseason game ever. Speaking about playing quarterback, Dobbs stated “Your team is looking at you throughout adversity. You just got to keep your head up, keep working hard, stay focused and locked in and not be fazed throughout the game.”

Dobbs goes on to discuss the little things that he already realizes can be worked on, such as getting out of the huddle quicker, checks at the line and of course communication. He’s got a good head on his shoulders and it shows on the field but also as he is surrounded by the Pittsburgh media wanting to dissect his every thought coming out of Friday night’s victory. He speaks humbly, says nothing controversial but looks you in the eye and has a smile on his face. The moment isn’t too big for him, just as playing quarterback isn’t. He’s poised, he’s polished and he will be the “Next Man Up”.