Robinson rediscovers sure hands when pressure mounts
KIRKLAND, Wash. — The most important event of Koren Robinson’s season didn’t happen when he caught nine passes for 150 yards against the New England Patriots on Oct. 17.
Nor did it happen when reports began to circulate of a possible four-game suspension the following day.
The awakening came at an Oct. 20 practice, based on what Robinson did not do. That is, drop the ball.
While most eyes were focused on new acquisition Jerry Rice, Robinson quietly caught every pass thrown his way. None of his receptions went into the season stats. They didn’t show up on SportsCenter’s plays of the week. Nobody interviewed Robinson about his performance afterward, and teammates seemed to let it slip by unnoticed.
But in retrospect, that practice may have been the turning point to Robinson’s season.
With questions surrounding his status because of the rumors of suspension and the trade for Rice, Robinson has started to endear himself to fans by hanging on to the football.
He hasn’t dropped a ball in two weeks after mishandling a team-high eight passes through the first five games of the season.
“In a way, he’s been challenged,” Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “He’s stepped up to the challenge, and I feel like he’s played pretty well.”
Robinson has caught five passes in the last two games, but it’s the consistency that has drawn raves. While Hasselbeck never lost faith in his 24-year-old receiver, fans were beginning to wonder if Robinson would prove to be reliable again.
Since Rice came to town, Robinson has done just that.
“He’s been great, hasn’t he?” Seattle coach Mike Holmgren said Monday about Robinson. “I’m very proud of him. He’s got a lot of stuff on his plate. He’s stepped up.”
Robinson, who recently confirmed that he is appealing a possible four-game suspension, isn’t basking in his recent dependability. When asked about not having dropped a pass for two weeks in a row, he started shaking his head before the inquisitor could finish the question.
“I don’t even want to talk about it,” he said. “Just let it ride. … I ain’t sweating it. Everybody else is sweating. It’s a big deal to everybody else.”
Robinson is tired of talking about his dropped passes, which seem to come up in every conversation. While he used to welcome visits from reporters, he sits at his locker these days and dreads the inevitable questions.
After weeks of talk about drops and possible suspensions, Robinson wants to discuss football.
“It is what it is,” he said of the hot topics of the 2004 season. “Everybody else makes a big deal of it because it’s happening to Koren Robinson, a player who plays for the Seahawks.
“Me, I’m Koren Robinson regardless. I’ve always been Koren Robinson. And stuff’s going to happen, bad or good. So it is what it is.”
Asked whether the presence of Rice has forced him to focus more, Robinson shrugged.
“I’ve still got to play,” he said.
While Robinson might not see a direct correlation between Rice’s arrival and his own success, Holmgren believes the two factors are more than coincidence.
“I think that probably helped him, maybe in ways that he doesn’t even know yet,” Holmgren said. “All I know is this: From a productivity standpoint on the field, he catches and hasn’t dropped any balls. He seems to be concentrating, practicing real hard. He doesn’t park in my parking place any more. He’s doing fine, and I’m proud of him, really. There is a lot in there going on.”
Robinson’s troubles haven’t gone away. His appeal is expected to take place sometime this month.
But he hasn’t let that, or anything else, affect him lately.
“I don’t think too much about anything,” Robinson said. “I let the Lord handle everything. If it works out, it works out. If it doesn’t, then that’s what He’s got planned for me.”
Receiving corps in flux
With Darrell Jackson, Jerry Rice and Alex Bannister suffering injuries in the Seahawks’ victory over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, coach Mike Holmgren may be forced to scramble to fill the spots.
Jackson, the team’s leading receiver, injured his ankle. Rice sprained his right ankle and Bannister broke his right collarbone and is out eight weeks.
If Jackson and Rice can’t play Sunday at San Francisco, the Seahawks will be down to one healthy receiver, Koren Robinson. Receiver Bobby Engram is already sidelined with a sprained ankle.
Holmgren said he expects kick returner and backup running back Maurice Morris to be able to play against San Francisco after suffering a concussion on the opening kickoff against Carolina.
He also expects defensive tackle Rashad Moore to be back after leaving Sunday’s game early in the second half because of an allergic reaction to something he ate.
Holmgren said the team doctors believe Moore reacted to oranges he ate at halftime. “All I know is that I’m glad he’s OK.”