Former QB Blames Steelers for Lack of Development

Dobbs Development Issues in Pittsburgh

Speaking with Tyler Dunne of Go Long! Dobbs opened up about some of the tougher times in his career, pointing to when he was with the Steelers and they had no real plan for him.

"So, I've seen it both ways. I've shown up for work and I had no clue what I was being asked to do. And I've been in a place where you've had to come in as a quarterback and it's like 'Here's the game plan, here's a script.' You're figuring out your reads and your footwork and it's trial by error. There's no framework of what you're trying to get done as an offense. I've been there. I've done it. It's not enjoyable," Dobbs said.

"I want to know the why. I want to know why and how we're attacking them. You just want reasoning. As I said, I've seen the exact opposite of the coin."

That's not the case for Dobbs now, and may not have been the case for the other teams he played for outside of the Steelers. However, Dunne identified that Dobbs was talking about his time behind Ben Roethlisberger, where he was trying to learn from a veteran who may have been working at his own pace.

"As in, Pittsburgh," Dunne wrote. "When Dobbs backed up Ben Roethlisberger, he felt left astray. Lines got blurred. He had no clue what the timing, rhythm and spacing of plays were supposed to be. By then, Roethlisberger had already been through the ringer and was doing his own thing. Dobbs could learn from watching but also remembers asking himself all the time Is that right? Is that wrong?"

Tougher Times in Pittsburgh's Offense

Dobbs was part of an offense that went through some hardships. Really, since then, they've continued to, with things getting worse for a moment under Matt Canada and now starting to see some light under Arthur Smith.

But at the time, Roethlisberger was working with a group of players he had established relationships with. There was little need to go by the book when Antonio Brown was catching passes from you. And so, Dobbs lacked in development.

Eventually, Dobbs found himself being traded and Mason Rudolph joined the team as the QB2. Today, Rudolph remains the Steelers backup to Aaron Rodgers, while Dobbs hopes he's on the right side of history on a growing Patriots team.