Josh Dobbs admitted he was a bit of a procrastinator at the University of Tennessee.

As the starting quarterback for the Volunteers back in the mid-2010’s, Dobbs had a lot on his plate, and thus, he often found himself cramming for tests at the last minute. Not exactly the easiest thing considering his major in aerospace engineering.

That said, Dobbs still managed to maintain a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, and eventually parlayed his degree into an internship with NASA.

He could have been a rocket scientist. He chose NFL quarterback for the time being. Now the 28-year-old Dobbs is hoping the former can help the latter.

After being acquired by the Vikings this week at the trade deadline, Dobbs might as well be back in college, cramming for a test at the last minute. He will be the backup on Sunday when the Vikings play the Atlanta Falcons on the road, and while he’s not expected to know the whole play book, he’s hoping his study habits from the past can help him learn as much as possible.

“This is very similar to that where I’m cramming a lot of information and having to study it,” Dobbs said. “Not just study it to memorize it. Study it to actually go out and execute the plan.”

Luckily for Dobbs, he has experience learning a new playbook on the fly. He has spent time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals throughout his NFL career. That roller coaster has prepared him for his current situation with the Vikings.

“I wouldn’t say any quarterback is prepared to learn an offense in a week,” Dobbs said with a laugh. “I have been in these situations, though, where I have had to process a ton of information in a short amount of time.”

Asked about his process, Dobbs noted how there’s a duality to learning a new playbook. He’s trying to master the things that are going to be expected of him if he actually has to play in the game. He’s also trying to learn the intricacies of the offense as a whole.

“There are a lot of pieces to it,” he said. “It’s a little bit of a balancing act.”

The past 365 days have been a crash course for Dobbs in navigating his process. He was signed by the Titans toward the end of last season, then named the starter for Week 17 and Week 18. He was traded to the Cardinals a couple of weeks before the start of this season, then named the starter with very little time to prepare.

“I have a lot of confidence,” Dobbs said. “Obviously I’ve been put in some drastic situations over the past 12 months.”

It might be a similar story with the Vikings. The plan is for rookie Jaren Hall to make his first start in the NFL this weekend. His performance on the field will likely play a role in whether Dobbs takes over in the near future.

“I’m going to embrace whatever role I’m given,” Dobbs said. “Just try to help out however I can.”

No matter if he becomes the starter at some point, or he stands on the sidelines as the backup, Dobbs said he’s excited to learn from head coach Kevin O’Connell.

“I’ve heard he’s a whiz,” Dobbs said. “I’ll pick his brain whenever I can. To be able to get in the mind of the play-caller is only going to help me and help Jaren this weekend. Then if my role is to go out there and play, it’s only going to help me play at a higher level.”

Spoken like a true rocket scientist.

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