Quarterback Josh Dobbs making big impression on and off field for Arizona Cardinals
There's no timetable for the return of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray from knee injury rehab, even though he is eligible to come off the Reserve/PUP list and practice with the team.
And the way Josh Dobbs is running the show at quarterback, why rush to get Murray back on the field? Even though the Cardinals are 1-3, Dobbs has a 70.7 completion percentage, four touchdown passes to zero thrown interceptions, a quarterback rating of 99.4 and an average of 5.9 yards per carry on 24 rushes.
Has Dobbs been better than expected in what is a fill-in role for Murray? Most would say he has. The Cardinals, too, it can be argued, have exceeded general expectations in how they've played overall through four games.
"It's a team effort. Obviously, as the guy kind of on the field orchestrating it all, I'm comfortable with the play calls coming in and understand the plan," Dobbs said, crediting his collaboration with offensive coordinator Drew Petzing and teammates in formulating an offensive game plan Dobbs feels good about.
"We'll continue to be creative in the ways that we execute," he added.
Dobbs is well spoken, a hit with kids — he read to them at a school on Tuesday and answered all of their pointed questions, even one about when Murray would be back — and his book smarts give him options for the future after football. Dobbs has an aerospace engineering degree from Tennessee (he almost chose Arizona State for its program) and has been able to pursue opportunities in that field during football offseasons.
He told the Cardinals website he hopes to be a pilot one day, and travel to outer space.
"I would say it's been really cool developing relationships with NASA, Florida, got one in Cleveland. So I was working with different companies like Cirrus Aircraft out of Knoxville, they have one out here in Scottsdale," Dobbs said back in August. "So yeah, that's obviously a goal down the road. I've been able to create amazing connections in that field, the engineering world. But yeah, you know, focus on ball now. And then when that day comes, you know, we'll make the most of the opportunity."
Dobbs wears a hat bearing the word "Astro," a nickname he's long had. His ASTROrdinary Dobbs Foundation, established last year, is "a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting, encouraging, and inspiring all members of our community, particularly the youth, through educational, economical, professional, and recreational empowerment," according to its websites.
Related: Cardinals rookie WR Michael Wilson has quickly gained the trust of the offense
Dobbs on Tuesday mentioned STEM, or science, technology, engineering and math, as part of what the foundation promotes. He is also an advocate for those who deal with alopecia, a hair loss condition by which he is affected. But Dobbs spreads a message of being confident in yourself despite the effects of alopecia.
"It's just a part of your story and not let it define you and not let outside opinions, critiques and criticisms about something you can't control define your story, your journey and what you can do in this world," Dobbs said. "It's been tremendous to have the platform not only here with the Arizona Cardinals, but also growing up. In Tennessee playing football, you're a little more projected playing quarterback. Playing at Tennessee you get a lot of shine for sure. You're in front of a lot of eyeballs, so to be able to have the platform and be who I am has been tremendous."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Get to know more about Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Dobbs
