Denard Finds his Fit
By Mike Milder
Jun 13, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars running back Denard Robinson (29) rushes with the ball during a mini camp held at the Florida Blue Health & Wellness Practice Fields. Mandatory Credit : Rob Foldy USA – TODAY Sports
In College he was a Quarterback. For the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine he was a Wide Receiver. On draft day he was a Running Back. No one really knew how former Michigan quarterback was going to fit into an NFL offense. Until Now. According to John Oehser on jaguars.com the Jaguars have officially listed the versatile player as an “offensive weapon”.
Robinson is no longer considered a running back who can play multiple positions and be a weapon to the Jags new offense. He now is officially by position an offensive weapon. As an offensive weapon Denard will be playing any position that the new coaching staffs sees fit for his style of play.
Coming out of college everyone who followed college football knew that some team somewhere was going to find a spot for Denard on their team, because hes just too talented and too much of a play maker to not be used in an NFL offense.
Since then the Jags have been using Robinson in many different offensive looks where they have tried him at quarterback, running back, and also wide receiver. So far in practices he has seen the majority of his reps as a running back, and Robinson also has said in a jaguars.com video special that he still meets with the running backs during team meetings.
General Manager David Caldwell has said that he foresees Robinson being able to receive 10 – 15 snaps per game this season with some of those snaps even coming as a kick returner.
The NFL has never yet seen a player listed as an offensive weapon until now and some believe that Robinson and the Jaguars could be the start of a new NFL trend, and although Robinson brings a lot of excitement, versatility, and athleticism to the game, he and the Jacksonville coaching staff have too find a way for him to make plays. If Denard and the coaches can’t find a way for Denard to make an impact on the field, then Denard Robinson could be the first and last “offensive weapon” the NFL ever sees.
-Mike Milder