The Facts: Dobson is anteing up for a season that could define his NFL career. After a pair of injury-shortened campaigns, Dobson dedicated himself to a new workout plan at Fischer Institute in Phoenix. Dobson has been in the program for two weeks and is expected to remain for 6-8 weeks before returning to Gillette Stadium for the April 20 start of offseason workouts.
Diehards Line:
Brett Fischer, who runs the facility, has vast experience with the Patriots, as he hosted Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty among a handful of defensive backs last offseason. He has a history of producing results. Fischer has seen a 2013 second-round pick who is motivated to come back strong after a couple of disappointing seasons. “He was talking about, ‘When I go up there (to Foxboro) and they see me again, I want to make sure they know I’m in the best shape of my life.’ He is really determined,” Fischer said. ... Dobson strained his hamstring in Week 13, and the Patriots placed him on injured reserve, though he didn’t require surgery. He only caught three passes for 38 yards in 2014, which was also interrupted on the front end because he underwent major surgery to repair a stress fracture in his foot last March. As a result, Dobson didn’t debut at practice until Aug. 11, so he essentially missed nine weeks of offseason workouts and two weeks of training camp. Will different preparation this offseason lead to different outcome? We'll be watching for more.