A 'shut-up' performance
Michael Robinson, a college QB turned NFL fullback, helped Marshawn Lynch gain 109 rushing yards against the Ravens on Sunday by blocking Ray Lewis play after play after play.
The path to Marshawn Lynch usually runs through Michael Robinson.
On the field, Robinson is the personal-escort of a lead-blocking fullback for the Seahawks’ leading rusher. In the locker room, the analytical and articulate Robinson is a good place to start when doing stories on Lynch, because the “Beast Mode” back’s least favorite subject is himself.
This week, that last role has been reversed, because it’s Lynch’s turn to discuss the dominating job Robinson did blocking Ray Lewis in Sunday’s 22-17 upset of the Baltimore Ravens – a victory that sets the Seahawks up as they enter a stretch of four winnable games, starting with this week’s game against the Rams in St. Louis.
Play after play at CenturyLink Field on Sunday, Robinson found his way through the line and into Lewis, the Ravens’ 12-time Pro Bowl middle linebacker and two-time NFL defensive player of the year. Lynch finished with 109 of the hardest-earned yards you’ll ever see on a career-high 32 carries.
But he was just getting started in discussing Robinson’s role in his big day.
“That was the best linebacker to ever touch the game,” Lynch said of Lewis. “Having those kinds of thoughts in your mind, like, ‘Ah, you know what, that might not be a battle that I want to take’ – but Mike-Rob just took it upon himself.”
Lynch then cocked his head and cracked a slight smile before adding, “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. I was looking at it on film and a couple times and I was like, ‘You know what Mike-Rob, I probably wouldn’t have done that.’ But he did, and he wasn’t turning it done.”
Lynch, one tough dude in his own right, then offered the ultimate compliment: “I wouldn’t have done it. I wouldn’t have done it, not that many times.”
He then laughed before adding, “Well, I did. But I had a choice to play off his block. Mike didn’t have any other choice.”
And Robinson knew what was coming the entire week, because the coaches approached him last Monday and said, “Mike, you’re on 52 (Lewis). He’s going to be yours all game.”
And Lewis was, with Robinson winning a lot more battles in their mano-a-mano matchup than he lost.
“All it was was an opportunity for him, and he really maximized it to the fullest of his potential and gave the shut-up to anybody who doubted him that he could be at that fullback position,” Lynch said.
Robinson just smiles – one of those sly grins of satisfaction that lets you know that he knows he did his job, and then some, but isn’t about to thump his own chest at the expense of a player he respects.
“It was an honor to play against a guy like that,” Robinson said. “To know that he’s probably the best defensive player to ever play this game, it was just an honor to be on the field with him.
“But it was definitely a team effort. Without the offensive line kind of clearing some paths so I could get up to him, I wouldn’t be able to do it. So big tribune to the game plan. Big tribute to how the coaches have been teaching our scheme. And big tribune to the whole offense.”
One extra-large tribune to Robinson, too.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of him,” Lynch said, “and how thankful I am for what he did.”
Robinson has been a leader of the Seahawks’ special teams since he was signed last September after being released by the San Francisco 49ers. This season, his teammates voted him a co-captain of the units.
But there’s so much more to his game than flying down the field and creating havoc while covering kicks. Robinson is a cerebral player who just happens to excel at throwing his 6-foot-1, 223-pound body into the paths of bigger opponents.
The overlooked mental aspect of his very-physical game can be traced to his days as a quarterback at Penn State and before that as a two-way standout at Varina High School in Richmond, Va.
“Mike-Rob went through a lot coming from being arguably one of the best quarterbacks in college and then coming into the league and playing special teams, for one, but to go to running back and then fullback,” Lynch said. “But it’s nothing you wouldn’t expect from a guy like that.”
Who could have seen such a transformation from Big Ten offensive player of the year to special teams phenom and bruising blocker? Joe Paterno, Robinson’s coach at Penn State.
“The crazy part about it – in 2001, my freshman year, after our first couple of practices – Joe Paterno kind of told me to stick with it,” Robinson said. “But, he said, ‘To be honest with you, Mike, you’ll probably be an NFL running back or fullback.’
“But he also said, ‘You’re our best quarterback.’ It’s so weird. It was like, ‘Whoa, are you looking at crystal ball or something?’ ”
And once a quarterback always a quarterback.
“He’s still back there like a quarterback,” Lynch said. “We have conversations back there about what’s going on and it’s just real helpful. It’s like having T-Jack (QB Tarvaris Jackson) back there to block for me.
“Mike-Rob is always in the right place. He always knows what’s going on. If there’s a check coming, I always know the check before T-Jack makes the check because Mike-Rob already has seen it and sniffed it out. So it helps a lot with pass protection. It helps if we’ve got a run checked to a pass, or a pass checked to a run. I get to look at the defense for a second or two longer, which is a big help with Mike back there.”
One more question: Was this the best game of Robinson’s 5½-season NFL career? In addition to all those building blocks be laid on Lewis, Robinson also forced a fumble on a kickoff return to set up one of Steve Hauschka’s club record-tying five field goals and got credit for helping create a second coverage-unit fumble that led to another Hauschka three-pointer.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I didn’t score any touchdowns. That’s a goal. But I don’t know. I just try to do what’s asked of me on each play and hopefully that will help my team win. That’s just kind of how I’ve always been.”
OK, one final question: At what point did Robinson allow himself a “Hey, look what I just did” moment?
“When I got back to my locker and I saw all the text messages and phone calls,” he said, “I figured somebody saw something.”
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