Jon Hoke praises QB Joshua Dobbs’ intelligence and mobility ahead of Vikings matchup

Chicago Bears defensive backs coach Jon Hoke knows his secondary has to be aware of Joshua Dobbs in Monday’s game in Minnesota.

LAKE FOREST, Ill., — Eleven weeks of football are in the books for the 2023 Chicago Bears, and Week 12’s Monday night matchup against the Minnesota Vikings will conclude their primetime slate of games for this season. While the Bears have grown accustomed to playing their NFC North foe under the lights before, this week’s matchup presents a new challenge as they will be tasked with trying to stop an unexpected rising star in journeyman quarterback Joshua Dobbs.

Dobbs was traded in-season from the Arizona Cardinals to fill in at QB1 following Kirk Cousins’s season-ending achilles tear just under a month ago. Despite having mere days to learn the Vikings’s playbook, Dobbs was able to orchestrate two straight wins against the Falcons and Saints, as well as keeping things close against a tough Denver Broncos team that has also been on the rise recently.

Bears cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke spoke to the media on Friday and praised the former Tennessee Volunteer’s intelligence and mobility ahead of Monday’s matchup.

“I mean it’s very impressive. Very impressive. Especially to go into that Atlanta game – I think that was the first one, right?” Hoke responded when asked if he was impressed by Dobbs’s recent performances since being traded to Minnesota. “[Cousins] gets hurt. [Dobbs] had been there since Wednesday and then he does what he does. He’s very mobile. Obviously we all know how smart he is. Crazy. I was at South Carolina in 2015 and he was at Tennessee and played against him. He was doing incredible things then. And what he has been able to do for their team right now is really remarkable. You have to give the guy a lot of credit.”

One of Dobbs’s most impressive attributes since his time at Tennessee has been his mobility. Since clocking in a relatively impressive 4.64 40-yard dash at the 2017 NFL Combine, Dobbs has used his time starting in 2023 to display his mobility. Including his time in Arizona to start this season, Dobbs has registered 389 rushing yards on 70 carries, as well as six rushing touchdowns, three of which have come in the three starts he has played in with the Vikings.

Dobbs’s mobility presents a unique challenge for the Bears to game plan against, as for the past five seasons they have had to defend against a traditional pocket passing quarterback in Kirk Cousins. Hoke spoke about preparing for Dobbs’s scrambling ability when he spoke to the media on Friday.

“[Cousins] is a true pocket guy. It stresses your defense in different ways,” Hoke explained when asked about the Dobbs’s ability to scramble compared to Cousins. “Now your rush lanes have to be really, really good. We always say four equals one. And you have to have that mentality with the rush lanes. You have to be smart with how you play man coverage when you do because now you have (defenders) running with people and they’re going to have their eyes back to him. So you have to have people who are responsible for him as best you can and still be able to rush the passer. That always complicates things.”

It’s safe to say Hoke will be preparing his Bears secondary to keep a watchful eye for when receivers are covered and Dobbs opts to run to gain yardage, which is something that was not as big of a factor when Cousins was under center for Minnesota. Being able to contain Dobbs within the pocket while exploiting a Vikings receiving corps that is down All-Pro Justin Jefferson will be critical to giving head coach Matt Eberflus his first divisional win under his tenure.

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Kenyan Drake noncommittal on free agency ahead of 2021 season

Arizona Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake is unsure where he’ll be during the 2021 season after playing last fall under the transition tag with a team that utilized his versatility, but knows he brings value to a backfield as a featured option.

The Cardinals are allowing Drake to ponder his future if he wants a deal that isn’t team-friendly.

““I know my team specifically, they’re doing their job diligently working in that degree to put me in the best position from that standpoint. [Working out] is my main focus right now,” Drake said on Tuesday when asked about free agency via “Good Morning Football”. “It hasn’t really been too much dialogue right now. I know the league and the teams are trying to figure out the cap room, that type of situation. So like I said, once we cross that bridge, we’ll get there. But as of right now, I’m just kind of focusing on making sure I put my best foot forward in this offseason, get to that 1,000 yards.”

Bothered by a hip injury at times last season, Drake rushed for 955 yards and 10 touchdowns, sharing time with Chase Edmonds — who is still on Arizona’s roster.

Drake made it clear what he wants from the Cardinals or another team requesting his services.

“Being in this league and being in the position that I’m in is a blessing,” Drake said. “There are gonna be several different circumstances that I guess I’ll come together with my team to kind of deliberate with exactly who we feel will be the best fit. But right now, I feel like anything is up in the air.

“I would just appreciate a team coming in and allowing me to continue playing my game, help the team win games, be a versatile playmaker out the backfield. I didn’t get to 1,000 rushing this year as a goal of mine and I’m pretty sure the O-line and everybody else who was trying to get me there. But three straight years with 1,000 yards rushing and receiving, so just trying to continue to get better year-in and year-out.”

Drake said his focus this offseason is to continue working out and get his body in prime shape for the 2021 campaign. An ideal fit for the former Alabama star would be an offense which caters to his strengths as a pass catcher and ballcarrier, similar to Alvin Kamara’s role in New Orleans.

Writes NFL.com’s Kevin Patra, “a complementary piece in three and a half years in Miami, Drake got a bigger workload in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense in his 23 games — 21 starts — in Arizona. Over that spell, Drake has earned 1,598 rushing yards, 18 rushing scores and added 308 receiving yards. For the first significant stretch of his career, Drake was used more as a runner than a pass-catcher.”

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Davis Dominates Cavs

Air quality issues threaten Cardinals, 49ers season opener

The reigning NFC champion San Francisco 49ers’ season on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals could be postponed or potentially moved to an alternate location due to expansive California wildfires and air quality dangers. Air quality in Santa Clara continues to worsen ahead of Sunday’s kickoff (4:35 p.m. ET), but there’s possible weather help on the way according to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler.

Fowler said during Saturday morning’s SportsCenter appearance that league officials and those from both sides are crossing their fingers.

“I spoke to people associate with the 49ers and they told me they’re closely monitoring the situation and they’re going to follow NFL protocols, but here’s the problem — if the air quality index is above the number 200, that jeopardizes the game,” Fowler said. “Yesterday, we’re looking at 215, 210 — not very good numbers. But I’m told from the 49ers that they are expecting some windgusts that should come through Saturday and Sunday that should bring the number down.

“I asked about cancellations and alternate sites and they said, ‘look, we’re not there yet. Let’s not go there. Let’s play this game and push through.’ But they kind of have to hope for the best from mother nature.”

The NFL’s policy on air quality-related issues reads, in part, as follows: “Air quality is an important aspect of a safe game day environment. Many factors can affect air quality including temperature, humidity, local pollution from combustion engines, wildfires, volcanic activity, and industrial accidents. The biggest health risk occurs when levels of particulate matter rise to a level that can irritate the airways and cause breathing problems, especially during exercise.

“The most widely accepted scientific assessment measure for air quality is the Air Quality Index (‘AQI’). Medical experts have generally agreed that an AQI that consistently measures over 200 in the immediate vicinity of the stadium signifies very unhealthy conditions in which vigorous exercise is not recommended. The AQI is easily measured and widely available to the public through media sources.

Arizona Cardinals rise in Cam Newton free agent sweepstakes

Cam Newton is widely-considered the NFL’s top remaining free agent regardless of position, but potential fits have been difficult to pinpoint considering how many quarterbacks have come off the board and signed with new teams in recent weeks. Entering the summer, Newton hasn’t revealed his plan for next season after being released by the Carolina Panthers in March and may enter a situation as a backup for the first time in his career.

CBS Sports analyst Cody Benjamin wrote this week on why signing with the Arizona Cardinals makes sense for the nine-year veteran and how landing with the Cardinals could benefit the former NFL MVP.

“Newton’s chances of landin