J.K. Dobbins may not be getting as many carries as he used to, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to be called a “former top dog.”
Dobbins, who has recently seen his playing time reduced in Denver in favor of younger players like Jonah Coleman and RJ Harvey III, had his impact questioned when a reporter called him a “former top dog.”
The NFL vet didn’t appreciate the reporter’s characterization of his role at this stage of his career and let him know.
“I like to consider myself a pro, right? Now, if we’re losing, and I’m not getting the carries, s–t, I’m gonna be mad as f–k,” Dobbins said. “But if we’re winning, and it’s working — I just want to win. I just want to win. I’ve been in the playoffs plenty of times. I just want to win a Super Bowl. And so, I just want to win. So, whatever it takes to do that, that’s what it is.”
Those remarks were followed by an exchange with another reporter who queried Dobbins for his thoughts on losing carries to younger players.
“We were winning pretty good, right? Weren’t we?” Dobbins said of the Broncos’ 30-16 victory over the Dolphins. “And everybody’s wanting me to play 17 games, correct? Correct?”
The back-and-forth then devolved into a bizarre exchange in which Dobbins challenged the reporter on his stats, average yards per carry, and other details of his performance.
“Did you watch the game?” Dobbins asked the reporter. “What did I do in the first half?”
The reporter replied, saying that Dobbins had roughly 23 yards on four carries. In actuality, Dobbins had 20 yards on four carries, an average of five yards per carry.
“I’m a math guy,” Dobbins explained.
“We were winning pretty good, right? Weren’t we? Correct? So can you take that into account before you’re saying stuff like that,” Dobbins told the reporter. “And I’m always there to coach my young guys; RJ is my rookie… I want to see them succeed. We were up by a lot; I want to win the game.”
Dobbins further made it clear that he did not appreciate being called a veteran.
“You keep calling me a vet. I’m not old. I’m 27 years old. Not old. I’m not 30. I’m not even close to 30,” Dobbins said. “So, let’s be smart about it. And that’s what it was, I believe. I’m not sure; you guys might make something bigger than what it is, but I’m just here to support my teammates, and I love my teammates, and I think they love me too. So, there’s your answer to that.”
Dobbins’ sensitivity on the topic may not be confined to his age. The former Ohio State standout has also endured a series of major injuries that have prevented him from playing in playing more than 13 games in a season since his rookie year.
In fact, Derrick Henry may not be a Raven right now if Dobbins hadn’t suffered a litany of injuries that derailed what otherwise appeared to be a very promising career in Baltimore.