NFL's QB shuffle puts premium on offensive, defensive plans

Tennessee quarterbacks coach Pat O'Hara called six-year journeyman Joshua Dobbs hours after a loss on Christmas Eve, asking him to come to the team headquarters on Christmas Day.Though he had signed just four days earlier, the Titans decided to turn the offense over to Dobbs and coach Mike Vrabel insisted the game plan would remain the same.Well, it really didn't. It couldn't.Dobbs was just one of many quarterbacks thrown into the heat of battle due to a rash of injuries at the league's premier position, making devising a game plan even more challenging. Those offensive schemes are tailored around the projected starter with opponents plotting to derail those plans.

Yet league-wide, injuries force continual changes. So coaches and coordinators on both sides of the ball have had to be even more flexible, adapting often at a moment's notice.It's not lost on the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles heading into the Super Bowl on Sunday.Back in December with a playoff berth slipping away, the Titans gambled their postseason streak on Dobbs, going with him over a rookie with three starts and with veteran Ryan Tannehill sidelined by an injury.The Titans joined a list of 13 franchises starting three quarterbacks, the most ever in the league's second 17-game season.The teams squaring off for the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday didn't have those problems: Patrick Mahomes started every game this season for Kansas City, while Jalen Hurts rested his sore shoulder sitting out two games for the Eagles.Dobbs had just a handful of practices and a couple of walkthroughs - half as the backup - since signing with Tennessee. A third-round pick, Malik Willis was protected in his first NFL start, throwing only once after halftime with