Last year, former Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson arrived in Jacksonville and was dubbed an “offensive weapon” who could do a little of everything. But that weapon shot blanks: Robinson gained just 66 yards on 20 carries, never caught a pass, threw incomplete on his only pass attempt, and fumbled three times.
This year, the Jaguars have scrapped the offensive weapon label and said Robinson is a backup running back to starter Toby Gerhart, and General Manager Dave Caldwell says Robinson now looks like a perfect fit at running back. Caldwell also says Robinson is showing no signs of the elbow and hand injuries that caused him to drop passes last season.
“We knew the transition from quarterback to running back would take some time when we drafted D-Rob,” Caldwell told USA Today. “I told him the other day, ‘I don’t want to jinx you, but you haven’t dropped a ball since we started OTAs.’ He has excellent speed and ability to take it to the end zone from anywhere on the field.”
Ex-Jaguar Jeff Lageman, who now serves as the team’s radio analyst, said Robinson has had “the best offseason of anyone.” 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!’”
That’s the kind of playmaker Robinson was at Michigan. Jacksonville could use that kind of explosiveness in its offense.