The New York Giants went from having an 11-5 record, one of the top scoring defenses in the NFL and snapping a four-year playoff drought in 2016 to spiraling to a 3-13 record last season, firing a head coach and picking second in the NFL Draft in 2017.
Linebacker Keenan Robinson is set to be a free agent and is uncertain whether his future lies with the Giants or elsewhere. However, he believes the team needs to recapture the same focus and drive it had in 2016 if it wants to get back on track.
“When I got to the Giants it was a kind of a new feeling for a lot of guys,” Robinson said, via Alex Marvez of the Sporting News and Sirius XM NFL Radio. “We had a whole bunch of major offseason acquisitions and a lot of veterans from different places.
“Guys were hungry and willing to sacrifice and put in the work to get where they wanted to get to.”
But 2017 felt different to Robinson.
“I don’t know if we were as hungry or dedicated as we were (the year before),” Robinson said.
Robinson appeared in just six games for the Giants last season as he was placed on injured reserve in November with an injured quadriceps. He recorded 83 tackles with seven passes defended in 16 games with New York in 2016 after signing with the team in free agency. He spent the first three years of his career with the Washington Redskins.
The Giants have a new general manager and a new head coach after the collapse last season spurred changes. While many key players from the 2016 campaign will be back next fall, it’s incumbent upon the roster to find the same cohesion that led the group to the playoffs.
Whether Robinson himself will be a part of that remains to be seen.