It is time, and Adrien Robinson knows it.
The Giants didn’t draft Eric Ebron, they didn’t draft Jace Amaro, they didn’t draft any tight end.
“I take it as that they still believe in me,” Robinson said Tuesday. “I know it’s basically time to show up or go home.”
They’ve been waiting on Adrien Robinson from the day they drafted him in the fourth round in 2012 and GM Jerry Reese gushed: “We think this guy is kind of a JPP {Jason Pierre-Paul] of tight ends.”
Breaking: Robinson thinks he can be the JPP of tight ends.
“At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but people kept talking about it, and I talked with Mr. Reese about it, he just means that we’re both athletic, we both didn’t have a lot of college experience,” Robinson said.
“Actually, I do feel like I can do that coming into this year, so we’ll see.”
Just to make sure I heard Robinson correctly, I followed up with: “You feel like you can do what?”
“Be the JPP of tight ends,” he said, and laughed.
You do?
“Yeah, definitely.”
Because why?
“Just my athletic ability, and fitting in with this offense.” Robinson said.
The 6-foot-4 Robinson is down from 285 pounds to 270 and is targeting 265.
“I stay extra every day, get extra film, I’m on the elliptical every day trying to get my weight down more. … I feel like I’m more mature, I’m more of a professional now,” Robinson said.
Robinson is excited to have a fresh start under new offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo with a new use of the tight end under new position coach Kevin Gilbride Jr.
“We move around a lot more, we’re in the backfield, different routes, so I feel like for me, it’ll be more fitted for things that I’m good at,” Robinson said.
It has been a frustrating two years for Robinson. He suffered a foot injury last preseason, and in Game 16, when he finally dressed, a knee sprain on the opening kickoff. His next NFL catch will be his first NFL catch.
“Everyone wants to play as soon as they get here, but there’s nothing you can do about injuries, and that pretty much took up my whole second year, so I’m just moving forward from that,” Robinson said.
It’s time, and Adrien Robinson knows it.
“It’s just a huge opportunity,” Robinson said. “It’s like they laid an opportunity right in front of me, and I just have to go take it and make the most of it.”
His competition — Larry Donnell, Daniel Fells, Kellen Davis, undrafted free agent Xavier Grimble — hardly conjures up visions of Mark Bavaro or Jeremy Shockey. Ex-Packers tight end Jermichael Finley (spinal fusion surgery) remains a free agent.
The post-Shockey era appeared to be in good hands with Kevin Boss and then Jake Ballard – – until the Raiders ($8 million) doubled the guaranteed money Big Blue offered Boss and Ballard tore his ACL in Super Bowl XLVI and was claimed by Bill Belichick after being waived/injured. Travis Beckum never panned out and versatile Bear Pascoe was never a threat.
Martellus Bennett (55 catches, 626 yards, 5 TDs in 2012) only stayed a year before bolting to the Bears, and Brandon Myers (47 catches, 522 yards, 4 TDs) was a disappointment last season. The Giants are banking on Robinson as a complete tight end, and feel it is a risk worth taking. But a risk nevertheless.
McAdoo coached tight ends for six years in Green Bay in Aaron Rodgers’ tight-end-friendly offense.
In 2011 and 2012, Finley caught 126 passes for 1,434 yards and 10 TDs.
“To me, it was always the best position to coach and in this offense it’s the best position to play because you have to learn how to do everything and you have to learn how to do it well at a high level,” McAdoo said when he was hired.