Josh WeinfussESPN Staff Writer5 Minute Reading
Stephen A.: The Cardinals are not a respectable team in 2023
Stephen A. Smith takes a look at the Cardinals organization and their questionable picks over the years.
Dobbs said he was “definitely” close to joining the Cardinals as a free agent but said his familiarity with the Browns, with whom he played most of the 2022 season, led him to return to Ohio.
“Everything works for a reason, right?” Dobbs said in his first news conference with his new team.
Dobbs has about two weeks to learn the Cardinals’ offense, the names of his teammates and their tendencies before Arizona plays the Washington Commanders in Week 1. Although coach Jonathan Gannon declined to name a starting quarterback for the season opener, Dobbs said he has set expectations to be a starter himself.
Kyler Murray will open the season on the disabled list and will play at least the first four games.
“I know the QB situation’s gonna play out however the coaches see fit,” said Dobbs about the team’s decision between him and fifth-round rookie Clayton Tune. “But, for me, I’m ready to compete every day. I push myself, but also approach the room that way, and so I’m excited to be a part of it and be a part of the team.”
If Dobbs has a chance to start against Washington, which has played in just eight games in six seasons, he said he feels he’s ready because of the time it’s taken him to get to the point of being Weeks’ starter.
“If that’s the case, you know, I put in a ton of work,” he said. “I have a ton of sweat equity, and I’m very ready for the opportunity, but that doesn’t mean I’m always complacent, using every hour, every minute of the day… , whatever opportunities come after this .”
Arriving with a new team after the preseason and just a few weeks before the regular season begins, one advantage Dobbs will have in reducing his learning curve is familiarity with the offense. -installation of new Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing. Petzing was the Browns’ quarterbacks coach last season and Dobbs also worked with Arizona’s quarterbacks coach, Israel Woolfork, who was a fellow coach who worked with the Browns quarterbacks last season.
“Obviously there are similar schemes in Cleveland, knowing that Drew and Izzy are from there, but each coach has their own nuances and spins that they want to put in the playbook as well as combining things that are here and things the players have done here. have been good for a long time,” Dobbs said.
“So, even though it’s the same terminology each playbook has its own, different spin. the huddle, at the line of scrimmage and communication with all the guys, and so it looks different when different guys are in there. in the field, but in my free time and I enjoy it.”
Already paid.
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said Dobbs is very comfortable with the offense.
“He went in there yesterday and operated accordingly,” Gannon said.
Tight end Zach Ertz said there was “a lot” of communication with Dobbs between reps to discuss what Dobbs wanted from Ertz versus certain looks. Ertz’s first impression of Dobbs, who is an aerospace engineering major at Tennessee, was that he was “smart, obviously.”
“I think that’s well noted. He’s an astronaut or whatever he is,” said Ertz with a grin.
“He’s a guy who understands football. He’s played a lot of football. He’s got a good understanding of this offense. Obviously, he’s played it before. It’s been seamless so far and he’s throwing an easy catch that ball, which as a receiver you want.”
Dobbs called the past few days a “whirlwind logistically” moving cross-country. He documented his day packing up in Cleveland and flying to Arizona on Saturday in a TikTok that has been viewed more than 860,000 times.
When Dobbs arrived at the facility at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, one of the first teammates he met was fellow quarterback Kyler Murray, who was doing his rehab and getting ready for the day.
Since then, Dobbs has picked Murray’s brain in the quarterback room.
“I know we’re going to continue to build a relationship during my time here, and it’s all about getting to know your teammates,” Dobbs said.
When Dobbs is in the Cardinals facility, the routine of everyday football life is in motion. One of the biggest changes in doing business, he said, is everything outside the facility, like finding places to eat.
One of the first things Dobbs talked about after his first practice Wednesday was his new climate.
“It’s good to be in the sun,” he said. “It’s nice and warm in practice, which is fun.”