Wan'Dale Robinson Glad to Be Back with Giants Offense

There's a first for everything in life, but for New York Giants receiver Wan'Dale Robinson, his first time having to miss a significant chunk of playing time starting with Week 11 of his rookie campaign through Week 2 of his second season as a pro, was quite the challenge.

But for Robinson, who finally made his triumphant return last Thursday night in the Giants' Week 3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the euphoria of returning to the gridiron was a feeling like no other.

"I felt fine; I had no doubts," Robinson said Monday during a video call with reporters. "I wouldn’t have wanted to go out there told the coaching staff and (General Manager) Joe (Schoen) and them that I was ready to go if I didn’t feel confident. It felt good to get back out there, and feeling even better after I got out there. Just continue to get the confidence."

Robinson, the Giants' second-round draft last season out of the University of Kentucky, appeared in just six games for the Giants. He missed Weeks 2-5 with a knee issue, but when he returned, he went on to catch 22 of 30 pass targets for 222 yards and one touchdown, including his first career 100-yard receiving game in Week 10 against the Detroit Lions, the game in which he suffered his season-ending ACL tear.

Robinson spent the entire spring, training camp, and the preseason on the PUP list as he continued rehab. He was a surprise activation from the PUP list during the training camp roster cuts. While he hoped to be ready to go full speed for the Week 1 season opener against Dallas, Robinson was inactive for the first two games.

"It’s definitely a little difficult (to be on a pitch count), but I’m just following the plan," he said of his Week 3 debut in which he only played 11 snaps, all from the slot.

"There’s a plan in place with the training staff and the coaching staff just with me coming nine months off an ACL. I’m just going to follow the plan and continue to get better daily; just let my knee get stronger."

As he gets stronger, Robinson hopes to have a bigger role in helping the Giants offense, which has the pieces in place to be an explosive unit if it can clean up some of the pass protection issues that have put a crimp in such plans.

"We can make the most of our opportunities," Robinson said. "I feel like as an offense as a whole, we all have to work together. It’s not just one unit; all of us have to work together. It works with the offensive line, quarterbacks, running backs, and receivers.

"I mean, not everything’s going to be perfect at all times, and we just have to make things work sometimes. Obviously, we still believe in our o-line, and obviously, we’re missing some pieces. Getting people healthy will help, but we just have to keep working and pushing forward and go out to practice every day, and everything will come."

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