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SANTA CLARA — Brock Purdy got the start, but it was quarterback Joshua Dobbs who stole the show during the 49ers’ 16-10 preseason win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
Dobbs strengthened his case for San Francisco’s backup quarterback job by putting on a dazzling display with his arm and legs against New Orleans’ defense.
Dobbs led the 49ers on scoring drives in each of the three series he played on Sunday, including an impressive two-minute drill to close out the first half where he marched San Francisco’s offense 80 yards in 1:16, capping it off with a one-yard rushing touchdown.
Dobbs finished the night 12 of 21 for 133 yards, adding another 25 yards on the ground while showing off his invaluable rushing ability. The veteran quarterback’s dual-threat performance didn’t just wow fans, as Purdy also was incredibly impressed with Dobbs’ outing against the Saints.
“He’s [Dobbs] a baller, man,” Purdy said. “He makes plays, goes through his reads and brings energy, man. He’s out there making plays and guys feed off it. That’s football. It’s not always going to be pretty, you drop back and everything is going to be perfect. You’re going to have to make plays off schedule and bring some juice to the team, and guys feed off that. So, love having him in the room, and like I said, he’s pretty electric.”
After the game, Dobbs expressed enthusiasm for his performance against New Orleans, detailing his focus remains on what he can control on the field, leaving the quarterback heirarchy to the powers that be.
“I thought it was a good day,” Dobbs said. “It was just a good day to go out and compete. It’s always fun stepping on the field and getting into that environment. That’s my goal every time I step on the field. I just go out there, take advantage of the opportunities and let the coaches handle the pecking order and everything else.
Dobbs bluntly detailed that no matter what his role is, his responsibility remains being ready to immediately step in should the situation call for it. Whether it’s on the field or cheering on another 49ers quarterback from the sidelines, the veteran signal-caller is committed to doing whatever he can to help San Francisco win foorball games.
“My job is to be ready when my number is called in whatever role that is,” Dobbs said. “When Brock is in there, it is my job to support him or whomever is in the game from the sideline. So it was fun to be out there, in Levi’s Stadium, wearing the right color jersey this time from my last experience here. It’s always good to get a win as well.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan appeared pleased with Dobbs’ efforts, highlighting the 29-year-old quarterback’s ability to improvise and extend plays.
“Did a good job,” Shanahan said regarding Dobbs’ performance. “Led us on a few drives, scoring drives. Made a couple plays when nothing was there, I thought it was similar to last week.”
Dobbs’ three series of work all came in the second quarter, with Brandon Allen taking the quarterback reps coming out of halftime Sunday after he previously started the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans last week.
Shanahan revealed that the order of Dobbs and Allen’s appearances has no bearing on the current standing of the backup competition, but rather was predetermined before the preseason began.
“No, we just planned on giving Brandon [Allen] first last week, and we were going to give Dobbs first this week,” Shanahan said. “Haven’t decided on next week yet, but that was the plan from the beginning.”
Shanahan also shared he was impressed with both players’ showings against New Orleans Sunday, expressing how tight the competition for San Francisco’s No. 2 quarterback job is.
“Yeah, I thought they both did well with the reps they were given” Shanahan said. “Dobbs got to play a little bit more and I thought he did a real good job leading on some of those drives. When Brandon came in, he did the same. It was very similar to last week. The games have been tight, the practice have been tight. So, it’s a good problem we have right now.”
If the race already was tight, Dobbs’ flashes of brilliance on Sunday might have been strong enough to push him into pole position for the backup job, with Friday’s preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders the opportunity to put hi over the top as the 49ers’ roster takes shape before Week 1.
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