Arizona Cardinals rookie defensive lineman Darius Robinson has played his first 22 NFL snaps and is expected to attack with a vengeance this week of practice after being disappointed with himself.
He said this after Sunday's loss to the Vikings.
“I’m a game-changer and I haven’t changed the game at all,” Robinson said. “I have to get better.”
When asked about the five sacks the defense had, Robinson said, “They rallied.” I just didn't do my part today. But I’ll make better progress.”
His teammates and coaches believe that too, emphasizing to Robinson that the NFL is usually about stacking up games and getting better every day. That's the mantra that head coach Jonathan Gannon preaches.
“I thought he did some good things,” Gannon said. “I thought he was being disruptive. His plan went exactly as we wanted. I think he had a really good learning experience. (The) first time in three months that he played, lathered up, made a few plays, ran over a few different people and played the run against different people.
“I think he will take a big step forward as we move forward. I think he's hard on himself and that's what you want, but he also did some good things in this game. He will learn and grow from it.”
Linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. said, “He was pretty down, like he didn't do what he was capable of, but I'm just trying to keep talking to him and let him know you're just getting back into it.” I know it will change. I know the DRob I saw in training camp is going to come out at some point, and it's just a case of waiting, being patient and just focusing on the task at hand and executing it when the number is called.”
Defensive coordinator Nick Rallis emphasized the reality of the nfl, noting that there is “good and bad.” This is his first nfl game, so it wasn't going to be perfect. I knew that. He's hard on himself because he wants to be great. And he's probably being too hard on himself. I think there was some really good stuff and some stuff that we need to clean up.”
Asked if it was a good thing in a way that he was hard on himself, Rallis replied: “Absolutely. We just have to make sure we channel that and that it’s really maximized and he learns from it.”
Of himself and Robinson, Rallis said: “It's a performance mindset, so I'm not going to dwell on those mistakes and let them reflect negatively on me (him). “I'm going to use that to correct it and then move on, clear my head and make sure my (his) performance progresses and I (we) have learned from it and am not stressed.”
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