Aug 6, 2022; Canton, OH, USA; Kurt Warner arrives on the red carpet during the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Enshrinement at Tom Benson Hallof Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
It wasn’t his fault.
That was the word from Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner this week regarding Minnesota Vikings passer Joshua Dobbs. Minnesota benched Dobbs last weekend at the Las Vegas Raiders in favor of Nick Mullens, making the relegation semi-permanent as Mullens, not Dobbs, will start this Saturday at the Cincinnati Bengals.
Warner, a Super Bowl champion, tweeted Wednesday, “Just watched Vikings tape & I feel for Joshua Dobbs being benched … so important to watch each play & not just see the results… I feel he played well, dropped passes all over, some things didn’t work & of course missed some, but far from a “benching” performance IMO!”
The Vikings’ quarterback carousel began on October 29th when Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon at Green Bay, hitting the shelf for the rest of the season and jeopardizing Minnesota’s revitalized campaign. Mullens was already on injured reserve, too, so the Vikings’ coaching staff temporarily nominated rookie Jaren Hall for QB1, traded with the Arizona Cardinals for Dobbs, and maintained Sean Mannion on the practice squad.
Hall took control of the offense in Week 9 at the Atlanta Falcons — for two drives. He fell injured, as well, a concussion on a quarterback scamper. Dobbs entered the game with five days of playbook preparation and resembled Lamar Jackson, leading Minnesota to a crucial and clutch road win.
Naturally, O’Connell rode the hot hand with Dobbs, translating to a win the following week at home versus the New Orleans Saints. All was right in the world; DobbsMania took over Minnesota and the NFL.
But then the momentum crashed back into the atmosphere.
Dobbs struggled mightily in back-to-back-to-back games versus the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, and Raiders. He even had a bye week to prepare for Las Vegas, and head coach Kevin O’Connell recommitted to Dobbs during the break.
Then Raiders-Vikings kicked off, Dobbs couldn’t generate points in the offense, Mullens could, and Minnesota squeaked by the Raiders with a 3-0 victory. Until something else weird occurs, Mullens has been named the QB1 henceforth.
It’s just that Warner doesn’t think Dobbs was the problem against Las Vegas.
Vikings pass-catchers did the mobile quarterback no favors via dropped passes and contested catches and almost seemed to fix their goofy hands when Mullens entered the game.
Warner added on the X app, “I’m not even saying Josh is better … I just wish ppl would treat the position better, by that I mean watch the game & figure out the real problem, don’t just blame one guy … they should be 4-1 w/ Dobbs and he’s been there 5 weeks… just didn’t like it, even if right move in end!”
The Vikings are three-point underdogs heading into Paycor Stadium on Saturday against the Bengals.
“I love you all & your passion … but yes I watch every game! I assess every QB play by play, based off what I think they should do or what they could have done on a play… my point is always, we need honest assessment instead of looking simply at the end stats… don’t generalize!” Warner replied to folks’ rebuttals.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.