Vikings CB Josh Robinson Deserves More Playing Time in 2nd Half of Season: The rapid improvement of the 2014 Minnesota Vikings defense has occurred in part because of the growth and maturation of a number of defensive players, maybe none more so than cornerback Josh Robinson. The third-year CB is stating his case for more playing time after nine weeks of stellar play. Improvement is a mild way to explain the turnaround from Robinson. As far as cornerbacks who were given significant snaps in 2013, Robinson may have been the league’s worst. A number of Pro Football Focus premium statistics (subscription required) back that up. Robinson allowed a reception every 6.9 coverage snaps, worst of any CB that played 50 percent of his team’s snaps. His passer rating allowed when targeted, 127.0, finished only better than Minnesota’s Chris Cook. Worst of all, Robinson gave up 56 receptions on 66 targets for an alarming completion percentage of 84.8. His poor play occurred for a few different reasons. The biggest appeared to be that, despite being identified and drafted into the Tampa 2 defense, Robinson wasn’t a great fit for it. When the Vikings ushered him into the slot, trying to replace Vikings legend Antoine Winfield, the issues grew. Robinson struggled with the nuances of slot work, having important responsibilities in run defense and coverage at the same time. The job requires different instincts and mental processing than does the job of a boundary cornerback. It didn’t fit him at all. Mike Zimmer came to Robinson’s rescue, bringing with him an entirely different defensive scheme that emphasized man coverage and trusted athletic cornerbacks to hold up on the outside. The Vikings then brought in Captain Munnerlyn in free agency, a CB with a track record of effective play from the slot. Munnerlyn was handpicked for the role, moving Robinson back to the outside where he felt most comfortable. He was relieved to hear the news and acknowledged his struggles in the slot, as quoted by Ben Goessling of ESPN: When I finally heard Id be outside, I was ecstatic, Robinson said. [Slot cornerback] is a thing youve really got to feel, get a feel for it and you can really do it and excel in it. And Captain has proven that.” The Munnerlyn acquisition made Josh Robinson the de facto nickel cornerback, entering the game in the nickel package but playing on the outside instead of the slot. Per Football Outsiders, Robinson has played 55.8 percent of defensive snaps, while Munnerlyn and Xavier Rhodes have played over 90 percent. Before the season, that statistic would have only made sense. But now, Robinson is performing better than any other Vikings cornerback. Numerous indicators say so. Let’s start with some of the coverage statistics. In every single category, Robinson beats the other two. After posting the type of numbers that usually would have run a CB out of the league last year, he has become a whole different player. Robinson is playing left cornerback, so the player he’s directly competing with for starter snaps is Munnerlyn. Not only are Robinson’s statistics much better, but Munnerlyn has also been especially error-prone in 2014. The five touchdowns scored on him come from a few glaring busts in the red zone, the type that can cost defensive backs some snaps. Robinson is also a more athletic cornerback than Munnerlyn, more suited for play on the boundary so long as the technical skills and the ball skills are there. Through nine weeks, it’s not only the long speed and short-area quickness that have made Robinson a glue in coverage. His footwork has also been terrific. Off-man coverage is the most difficult task a CB can be given against polished, explosive route-runners. Because of his ability to backpedal so smoothly and because of the precision to his footwork, Robinson has blanketed receivers in off coverage. This is off-man coverage with the receiver getting almost to 15 yards of depth and out. The receiver’s goal is always to accelerate quickly enough to open the hips of the CB. Once the CB flips his hips one way or the other, he has a difficult time redirecting his momentum in the direction the route goes. Robinson has the type of athleticism and footwork to backpedal almost 10 yards on this play. Not many cornerbacks have the ability to get to that depth before a receiver erases the cushion. He has then positioned himself at the top of the route, ready to break whether it goes inside or out. If the receiver continues to carry the route deep, Robinson can flip his hips to turn and run. In this case, Matthew Stafford throws the out, and Robinson has it smothered because of the way he sets himself up with precise footwork. Confidence is also a must for a successful CB. During his shambolic 2013 season, Robinson knew he wasn’t cut out for the task at hand, and it showed in his play. It only took a couple of quarters of the 2014 season for Robinson to show how much more confident he had already become playing under Zimmer in the new scheme. Coincidentally, it was a Cover 2 look ran by the Vikings, at least on Robinson’s side of the field, which brought about the game-changing play. St. Louis even has the perfect route combination called to isolate Robinson between two routes and pick on him. When Shaun Hill breaks the pocket, Robinson shows that he already has picked up on the corner route behind him. After stepping forward to respect the short throw, he begins to sink into the downfield throwing lane. Robinson finds himself in the right place to make a spectacular interception, tapping his toes inbounds to close the deal. After failing to intercept a single pass in all of 2013, Robinson stole one before his first game under Zimmer came to a close. Even better, he did it running the scheme he struggled so much with the previous season. The shift back to the outside has done wonders for his confidence. It has him playing faster, more instinctive and more decisive. He has the athleticism to run with any receiver in the league. He can also hold his own against savvy receivers who disguise routes well because he can backpedal for what feels like miles. For all these reasons, Robinson has earned an increased role for the rest of this season. If Munnerlyn has to relinquish some snaps to accommodate the change, so be it. Robinson is currently the best CB Minnesota has to offer. Get him on the field. Read more NFL news on BleacherReport #Football #NFL #NFCNorth #MinnesotaVikings
Posted on: Wed, 05 Nov 2014 09:29:18 +0000
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