Josh Dobbs Conspiracy Theory Questions Whole ‘New Guy’ Act in Minnesota

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Nov 13, 2023
NFL: New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings
Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Well, a player for the Minnesota Vikings has been grabbing all of the big NFL headlines (and social media banner photos) over the past two weeks and some National Football League talking heads are sick of it already.

The topic of league conversation recently has centered around new Minnesota QB, Josh Dobbs, who was acquired from the Arizona Cardinals, after Kirk Cousins went down for the season with an Achilles tear.

Josh Dobbs magic takes over NFL

As the legend goes, Dobbs was thrown into the fire of football battle just three days after being acquired by the Vikings. He fumbled in his first drive — pushing many Minnesota sports fans off the ledge of despair they were already teetering on after Cousins went down — but rebounded for the next three quarters to lead the Vikings to an impossible victory over the Atlanta Falcons.

Then, this weekend, the 28-year-old rocket scientist played his first home game as Vikings QB. He needed help finding the U.S. Bank Stadium locker room, when he arrived at the downtown Minneapolis facility, but that didn’t stop him from leading the purple to their 5th-straigh win, this time over the 5-4 New Orleans Saints.

Related: Minnesota Vikings are Signing Anthony Barr

‘Around the Horn’ panelist develops insane Josh Dobbs conspiracy theory

But as I mentioned earlier, the national talking heads have had enough of the happenings in Minnesota. They’ve been talking about the Vikings and their new miracle quarterback for double-digit days in a row and they want to get back to the Cowboys, Giants and Jets.

That was very apparent when ESPN NFL columnist Bill Barnwell went as far as developing an insane conspiracy theory accusing Josh Dobbs of, at the least, overplaying this whole “new guy” bit in Minnesota, for his own self interests. At worst, Billy boy is straight-up accusing Josh of completely fabricating media stories, in order to stay in the national spotlight and pad his landing for a future fall from grace. Watch/listen/read to this shit…

Bill Barnwell: “I’m just saying he played he played this same exact card with the Cardinals I was like yeah I don’t know anybody’s name like I know I’m people’s names I feel like this is just his way of protecting himself, like ‘I don’t have to know anybody’s name, I’m good’.”

Tony Reali: “This is an incredible conspiracy theory… Alright give it to me in full, Bill, Josh Dobbs is milking this whole [new guy act] for…? I mean, he’s doing it for for social media clout? He’s doing this for public appeal? What is he doing it for?”

Barnwell: “[In theory] it makes it more impressive winning games without knowing his teammates’ names, not knowing where the locker room is, 2 weeks into joining the team, when he’s been reportedly at the facility every waking hour of every day. But again, it covers up some sort of social responsibility to know people’s names. He pulled this with the Cardinals earlier this year, as well. I’m someone who forgets people’s names when I’m introduced to people and this feels like a perfect out for Josh Dobbs.”

Reali: “Wait, wait, wait… so we’re saying he’s faking not knowing where the locker room is and he’s faking not knowing people’s names?”

Barnwell: “I’m saying his story is a little curious, that’s all I’m saying.”

Around the Horn (ESPN)

So, Barnwell is openly doubting the story that Dobbs ever struggled to remember the names of his new Minnesota teammates, even if it was only three days after meeting most of them. And he doesn’t believe Josh needed help finding any locker room on Sunday morning, when he got off the elevator at U.S. Bank Stadium.

Former Vikings reporter, Courtney Cronin (now covers the Bears), played into the Josh Dobbs conspiracy theory adding doubt to the elevator video because of how close and easy the team’s home locker room supposedly is to find, when you come off the elevator Dobbs did.

Related: Jordan Hicks Rushed to Hospital After Vikings Win with Freak Shin Injury

Worst conspiracy theory ever…?

Okay, so I’m all for a good conspiracy theory but this one isn’t even good. Bill Barnwell’s biggest piece of evidence to support his conspiracy theory that pretty much calls Josh Dobbs an attention whore piece of crap, is the elevator incident.

‘How could Josh Dobbs not know where the Minnesota Vikings locker room is, when he is reportedly spending every moment of every day at team facilities? That seems suspicious.’

As I explained in my blog, about Josh Dobbs needing directions off the elevator on Sunday morning, the Minnesota Vikings do not practice or spend any of their non-game day hours during the week, at U.S. Bank Stadium, where the new QB was filmed coming out of that elevator.

The Vikings practice 20 minutes away (on a good traffic day), at their state of the art practice facility (TCO Performance Center) in Eagan, MN, a Minneapolis suburb. So, as was evident in the video, that video of Dobbs’ exiting the elevator was the first time he had ever done so.

I’m sure the locker room is just 30 feet straight ahead. from where Dobbs exited the elevator. But hell, 30 feet isn’t exactly a small hallway. How would Dobbs know, unless informed or shown beforehand, where the locker room was, if it was his first time walking out of that elevator or ever stepping foot in that stadium?

Of course he needed someone just to give him a quick point and verbal guide ‘yeah, go straight ahead, it’s that door right there, you can’t miss it.

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