No Longer Semi-OT: Denard Robinson Turning Heads in Jacksonville

Submitted by boliver46 on

PREVIOUSLY OT because NFL, But NOT EVEN Semi-OT because Dilithium.

Denard Robinson is apparently making people sit up and take notice this offseason:

Ex-Jaguar Jeff Lageman, who now serves as the team’s radio analyst, said Robinson has had “the best offseason of anyone.”

I personally am very interested to see Robinson succeed at the next level, even if at RB.  I could even envision a GOOD RB "Oh Noes!" type of play with Robinson getting the hand-off, heading to the line, and popping a quick slant to the Slot receiver.

Here's hoping Robinson's predictions this season come true:

And Robinson himself says he thinks people are going to be excited by what they see of him this season. “I want to be a dangerous playmaker,” Robinson said. “When they give me the ball, I want to be that guy where everybody in the stadium goes, ‘Whoa!’”

Link

EDIT: So, in trying to avoid a controversy, kerfuffle, hubbub, ruckus, furor, or general pandemonium over whether this was OT or not, I inadvertantly invited a kerfuffle, hubbub, ruckus, furor, and general pandemonium.

Title modified.  Dilithium Robinson shall heretofore NEVER be considered OT!!!  The people have spoken!!!

Ali G Bomaye

June 19th, 2014 at 3:19 PM ^

Denard is listed at 6'0, 197 lbs by the Jaguars (which were also his measurements at Michigan).

Jamaal Charles is listed at 5'11, 199 lbs.  Chris Johnson is listed at 5'11", 195 lbs.  Reggie Bush is listed at 6'0", 200 lbs.  Ray Rice is listed at 5'9", 195 lbs.  C.J. Spiller is listed at 5'11", 194 lbs.

All those guys have done just fine with heavy workloads, and they're all basically Denard's size.  Denard doesn't need to add weight.

GoWings2008

June 19th, 2014 at 4:47 PM ^

but for some reason, even at that size, Denard seemed to get hit pretty hard by college players and well, he got some boo boos because of it.  Maybe its cuz he's a lot faster than many of those guys, who knows. But for his running style, I think a few more pounds would help him.

ShadowStorm33

June 20th, 2014 at 2:25 PM ^

Err, I'm not sure how reassuring that is in the end. I mean at least Denard isn't as small as he might seem (I wouldn't have pegged him the same weight as most of those guys, so that's good), the closest comparison there is Bush, and he's not exactly what I think of as a rugged, durable (in the NFL) guy. Honestly I think of Bush as super-athletic (hey, like Denard) but seemingly always dinged up. Ray Rice shouldn't even be listed because that's not even close; 5'9 195 is much lower and more compact than 6'0 197, which isn't surprising as I'd peg Rice as the best and most durable of that bunch. Spiller and to some extent Johnson are more speed than power backs, but at least they (and especially Charles) aren't too far off, which is encouraging.

Honestly though it'd be interesting to compare Denard's weight distribution to Charles, Johnson and Spiller. Maybe they'd be similar, but for whatever reason Denard seems to play higher whereas I think of those guys as having a lower center of mass. At any rate, I'm excited to see what he can do, especially as the Jags continue to add some talent around him.

Tater

June 19th, 2014 at 3:50 PM ^

If Denard has adjusted his style enough that nobody gets a good hit on him, he can get by without taking as much of a beating.  He is fast enough to be "slippery" if he works on it.

MayOhioEatTurds

June 19th, 2014 at 4:30 PM ^

Denard can never be OT.  Denard is greased lighting.  I'm so pleased his role in the offense has stabilized; if so his effectiveness is sure to improve over what it was as "offensive weapon." 

Now if he can just wipe the grease off his hands, and hold onto that ball no matter what happens . . . .

uofmfan4

June 19th, 2014 at 2:02 PM ^

Always a bit skeptical about off-season head turning. I swear the Lions writers said for two or three years that Patrick Edwards was tearing it up in camp. Still good to hear though. It's better than not hearing anything at all.

boliver46

June 19th, 2014 at 2:07 PM ^

but after the "Offensive Weapon" crap last year where they didn't know what to do with him - it's nice to know he has a home in the backfield now.  And with only Toby Gearhart ahead of him, I can see him getting significant touches.

LB

June 19th, 2014 at 2:30 PM ^

I want Denard to be successful in life. If he can use a football to make that happen, so much the better. It would be cool to watch Henne hand him that football, of course.

LSAClassOf2000

June 19th, 2014 at 2:37 PM ^

Everyone else here is correct, of course - Denard is, without question, one of the least OT topics in the ever-lengthening history of MGoBlog. 

As for the article, I think the hope was that giving Robinson a specific role in the offense as an RB would be huge because it provides some focus, so it is great to see that this seems to be working out for both him and the Jaguars. I think that now that he's not merely a "weapon", but one with a specific role and purpose, he should be that much more effective. 

michchi85

June 19th, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^

Every single player is "improving" or "getting better" or "turning heads."  It's so great that he is getting some serious looks, but he really needs to fix the fumbling issues if he wants to stay in the NFL.

Michigasling

June 20th, 2014 at 12:46 AM ^

At about 22:00 or so in this video from Jaguars camp, you'll start to see #16 on the field, looking terribly mature and healthy.  About a minute later in, one of their radio guys (Brian Sexton) talks about Denard and asking a coach about his progress. 

"I mean here's this guy who held the ball at the University of Michigan-- and I'm not talking about the University of Kansas, my alma mater-- this is the University of Michigan!  And he held the ball all the time, in warm weather, cold weather..."  So the coach reminds him that he had an elbow injury, the ulnar nerve, and describes the ulnar nerve's role in being able to hold something in your hand, being able to open and close your fingers, or not. 

Apparently his ulnar nerve is finally better, and it's doing the things Denard is asking it to do.   Then they go on to talk about other things, but the camera is still showing a lot of Denard in RB drills, catching that ball easily (and tossing it back in a nice, smooth former-QB style).  Henne is on screen too, enjoying his role as senior supervisor. 

NoMoPincherBug

June 19th, 2014 at 4:48 PM ^

“We knew the transition from quarterback to running back would take some time when we drafted D-Rob,”

It is cool to see someone call him D-Rob once again.

Also amazing to see how many haters there are in the comments section.  Mostly Ohio and Sparty idiots obviously.  If someone hates Denard...they have issues with themselves in my opinion.  He is a classy as it gets in the NFL.

Mr. Yost

June 19th, 2014 at 11:40 PM ^

He's not Richard Sherman, talking to hear himself talk.

He was asked a question and answered it. And what he said was about his goal to be an exciting player.

Your comment is like he can't say anything until he proves his worth on the field. He's accomplished a hell of a lot more than most everyone on this board. I think he can speak whenever he damn pleases.

Wolfman

June 20th, 2014 at 2:33 AM ^

and I am certain you do, it wasn't only Denard that was speaking about the tremendous improvement made between his freshman and sophomore years while in AA.  This is a young man that has never displayed arrogance or even hinted at being abrasive. However, his confidence and his willingness to verbalize it are done in a manner that he seems to only want people to be aware of his abilities that, as he has proven numerous times, is almost unparalleled.

Whenever I think of this kid, my only disappointment is he wasn't able to enjoy a RS year to learn the system. Because RR needed players, and most importantly qbs, he was thrust into 2nd team status before he ever stepped foot on campus.  His records, both at UM and in the NCAA books are certainly cause for pride. I could not believe the improvement I saw in this kid between his Freshman season and the next season's spring game.  One can only imagine what his numbers would have been had he, like Pat White, been able to carry a clipboard for a year and soak in the knowledge it takes to run that offense.  I know I'll never see another like him in my lifetime and I have a feeling the younger fans are going to be hard pressed not to conclude the same.