Allen Robinson's Altered State
Allen Robinson seems to have become a victim of circumstance.
The Bears wide receiver makes plays when he can, but the Bears have a rookie quarterback with three starts to his credit. Justin Fields is starting before the team originally intended and the end result is going to be fewer opportunities for big plays and receptions until he gains experience.
After five games, Robinson has 17 receptions in 29 targets for 181 yards. All are career-lows for five games in a season.
Considering Robinson is once again in a contract year as a free agent with the franchise tag, it's not exactly conducive to bringing in a big contract. In fact, it's probably not going to help him in other ways, either.
He copes with it.
"Yeah, you know, just try to contribute to help my game. I think that's the main thing," Robinson said. "Being able to put everything else to the side, figuring out how I can capitalize on the opportunities that I do have and when I have them and being able to come away with those for the best gain, a pass interference or something on a 50-yard play or 20-yard play, or being able to, you know, catch a ball like to move the chains on second down or third down or whether that's blocking in the run game.
"So just trying to be able to do whatever is asked of me to help put this team and put this offense in the best situation, you know, to win games."
Robinson had before the season actually expressed the idea he could pursue and break some Bears receiving records, but this appears unlikely with the emphasis in the offense now on the run.
It could change.
Robinson anticipates the offense will eventually come around as Fields gains more experience.
For now, he sees Fields needing to grow at some lesser discussed aspects of quarterback play because the ability to throw and play are obvious.
"Maybe it's as far as the communication with certain things, a lot of little things that I don't want to say maybe people take for granted but at the position when you're taking on a lot as far as managing time, you know late in the game in the four-minute (offense), you know, maybe being able to let the clock bleed a little bit, knowing when to take advantage of the clock, knowing when you've got to hurry things up," Robinson said. "You know, stuff like that. So it's a lot of little things."
It will take play repetitions, games logged for this to happen.
"Like I always say the talent that he has is inevitable and everything else is kind of the nuances that come along with being a quarterback," Robinson said.
The question the Bears have to answer is whether Robinson will be a part of it by the time it does happen.
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