oregonpackfan
09-19-2008, 11:00 AM
Robinson's return should be about redemption, not numbers
Posted by Aaron Fentress, The Oregonian September 18, 2008 15:08PM
Categories: NFL insider, Seahawks Update
RENTON, Wash. -- The story of wide receiver Koren Robinson had gone like this:
Talented athlete receives big bank and fame. Can't handle responsibility. Fast living and substance abuse derail career. Becomes a sad and familiar cautionary tale told with a smacking of the cheeks and quick head shake.
The end.
At least, that's how Robinson's saga should have closed.
Elaine Thompson/Associated PressKoren Robinson (right), walking with fellow Seahawks receiver Deion Branch, has a chance to redeem himself in the minds of Seattle coaches, teammates and fans.
But wide receivers have become an endangered species in Seattle -- injuries have sidelined five, including three for the season -- so Robinson has been given that rare opportunity to rewrite his ending, to save his career and reputation just when it looked like he had exhausted his chances.
The 0-2 Seahawks' desperation is Robinson's gain. And to his credit, he wants nothing more than to help the outgoing coach who so sincerely tried to help him, and to pay back the fans he has apologized to for his selfishness.
Sober two years, Robinson the family man has convinced the right people in Seattle that he has changed. Teammates have embraced him, even those who were around from 2001 to 2005 to watch the former first-round pick self-destruct.
The off-the-field risks might be minimal. The potential on-field rewards?
Shrug.
This has uneventful written all over it -- at least from a football standpoint.
The NFL isn't kind to players with freakish athletic ability who toss away years and expect to maintain their edge. Case in point: Miami's Ricky Williams. The running back spent two years away from the game finding himself and along the way misplaced the combination of power and speed that once made him special.
Robinson was every bit as gifted. Not overly big, at 6-foot-1, but athletic with blazing speed that turned defensive backs inside out.
Frequent alcohol-related incidents and poor behavior led to a dip in production, and Seattle showed Robinson the door in 2005.
Since then, he's made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner for Minnesota, served jail time for DUI following a high-speed police chase and put up mediocre numbers in Green Bay.
Last May, the Packers, who watched Robinson turn his life around, released him anyway.
Seattle general manager Tim Ruskell, who cut Robinson in 2005 and was originally reluctant to sign him this time around, said other teams likely stayed away from the wide receiver out of North Carolina State because of his past.
But let's not pretend that the NFL shies away from bad boys. Dallas embraced cornerback Adam Jones. Cincinnati brought back wide receiver Chris Henry. Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen has been suspended for repeated DUIs. The list goes on.
But all of those players have one thing in common, other than being knuckleheads: They can ball.
Teams readily turn the page on marginal players. Just ask former Chicago running back Cedric Benson, who went from starter to unemployed after two alcohol-related arrests.
Robinson has had his page turned. Despite being sober. Despite his claims that he no longer goes out, and is in counseling, and has shed what he called an entourage of negative people.
So, what Seattle has is a discarded, former elite athlete who has not participated in a training camp since 2005.
Not good.
Robinson is hoping for a career rebirth, but more immediately he has to deal with returning to the place where his career unraveled. It's the chance of a lifetime. Or in Robinson's case, it's the 15th chance of a lifetime.
"I want to have Coach Holmgren go out with a bang, and not disappoint him or let him down," Robinson said.
It's a noble pursuit. But the reality is that Robinson can best repay Holmgren by being the man his coach hoped he would be. Football success would be gravy.
Ruskell, who has made a commitment to building a team without "knuckleheads," said he and Holmgren told Robinson they don't expect him to be the savior.
"We're not asking Koren to be 'The Man,'" Ruskell said.
Good! He won't be.
But at least this time around, he can show Seattle fans and Holmgren that he is a new man worthy of a better ending to his story.
-- Aaron Fentress covers the NFL for The Oregonian. His insider column appears Fridays during the season. Fentress: 503-221-8211; aaronfentress@news.oregonian.com
Posted by Aaron Fentress, The Oregonian September 18, 2008 15:08PM
Categories: NFL insider, Seahawks Update
RENTON, Wash. -- The story of wide receiver Koren Robinson had gone like this:
Talented athlete receives big bank and fame. Can't handle responsibility. Fast living and substance abuse derail career. Becomes a sad and familiar cautionary tale told with a smacking of the cheeks and quick head shake.
The end.
At least, that's how Robinson's saga should have closed.
Elaine Thompson/Associated PressKoren Robinson (right), walking with fellow Seahawks receiver Deion Branch, has a chance to redeem himself in the minds of Seattle coaches, teammates and fans.
But wide receivers have become an endangered species in Seattle -- injuries have sidelined five, including three for the season -- so Robinson has been given that rare opportunity to rewrite his ending, to save his career and reputation just when it looked like he had exhausted his chances.
The 0-2 Seahawks' desperation is Robinson's gain. And to his credit, he wants nothing more than to help the outgoing coach who so sincerely tried to help him, and to pay back the fans he has apologized to for his selfishness.
Sober two years, Robinson the family man has convinced the right people in Seattle that he has changed. Teammates have embraced him, even those who were around from 2001 to 2005 to watch the former first-round pick self-destruct.
The off-the-field risks might be minimal. The potential on-field rewards?
Shrug.
This has uneventful written all over it -- at least from a football standpoint.
The NFL isn't kind to players with freakish athletic ability who toss away years and expect to maintain their edge. Case in point: Miami's Ricky Williams. The running back spent two years away from the game finding himself and along the way misplaced the combination of power and speed that once made him special.
Robinson was every bit as gifted. Not overly big, at 6-foot-1, but athletic with blazing speed that turned defensive backs inside out.
Frequent alcohol-related incidents and poor behavior led to a dip in production, and Seattle showed Robinson the door in 2005.
Since then, he's made the Pro Bowl as a kick returner for Minnesota, served jail time for DUI following a high-speed police chase and put up mediocre numbers in Green Bay.
Last May, the Packers, who watched Robinson turn his life around, released him anyway.
Seattle general manager Tim Ruskell, who cut Robinson in 2005 and was originally reluctant to sign him this time around, said other teams likely stayed away from the wide receiver out of North Carolina State because of his past.
But let's not pretend that the NFL shies away from bad boys. Dallas embraced cornerback Adam Jones. Cincinnati brought back wide receiver Chris Henry. Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen has been suspended for repeated DUIs. The list goes on.
But all of those players have one thing in common, other than being knuckleheads: They can ball.
Teams readily turn the page on marginal players. Just ask former Chicago running back Cedric Benson, who went from starter to unemployed after two alcohol-related arrests.
Robinson has had his page turned. Despite being sober. Despite his claims that he no longer goes out, and is in counseling, and has shed what he called an entourage of negative people.
So, what Seattle has is a discarded, former elite athlete who has not participated in a training camp since 2005.
Not good.
Robinson is hoping for a career rebirth, but more immediately he has to deal with returning to the place where his career unraveled. It's the chance of a lifetime. Or in Robinson's case, it's the 15th chance of a lifetime.
"I want to have Coach Holmgren go out with a bang, and not disappoint him or let him down," Robinson said.
It's a noble pursuit. But the reality is that Robinson can best repay Holmgren by being the man his coach hoped he would be. Football success would be gravy.
Ruskell, who has made a commitment to building a team without "knuckleheads," said he and Holmgren told Robinson they don't expect him to be the savior.
"We're not asking Koren to be 'The Man,'" Ruskell said.
Good! He won't be.
But at least this time around, he can show Seattle fans and Holmgren that he is a new man worthy of a better ending to his story.
-- Aaron Fentress covers the NFL for The Oregonian. His insider column appears Fridays during the season. Fentress: 503-221-8211; aaronfentress@news.oregonian.com