Meet James Robinson, the Newest Member of the 1K Rushing Club
Breaking records and reaching milestones isn't foreign territory for James Robinson. He did it countless times in high school, in college, and he broke plenty of rookie records through his first 12 games with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
But on Sunday, Robinson reached perhaps his most special milestones yet. The undrafted rookie running back eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing mark on a 47-yard carry in the second half, bringing him into previously uncharted territory.
Robinson's chance to become a 1,000-yard rusher was the sole highlight of Jacksonville's 31-10 drumming at the hands of the Tennessee Titans in Week 14. And even with the bad taste of the loss fresh in the team's mouth, the Jaguars and head coach Doug Marrone acknowledged Robinson's accomplishment in the post-game locker room.
"I am grateful that he did that, and before the game was even over, all the guys were coming up to me and saying ‘Congratulations.’ And, I mean, all those guys are behind me, and we were hoping I was going to get it in the first quarter," Robinson said Sunday.
"But it’s something that could be celebrated by all of us, the offensive line, receivers, the tight ends, and I said even the defensive guys and specialists. I mean, it’s something of here’s a guy that represents so much of what’s good about competition, about playing, about humility, about keeping things in perspective," Marrone explained to media after the game.
"He’s been a great example, even though he’s a rookie free agent, he’s been a great example for everybody. So, I said that to the team after the game and they clapped for him, when there’s not a lot to clap about really."
With the accomplishment, Robinson became the fourth undrafted rookie in NFL history to total at least 1,000 rushing yards and the fastest to do so. Robinson is the third rookie running back in Jaguars history to total 1,000 yards in a season and the fourth running back overall in franchise history to rush for 1,000-plus yards.
Robinson also broke the record for most yards from scrimmage for an undrafted offensive rookie, with him now sitting it 1,361 yards from scrimmage through 13 games.
Perhaps most impressively, Robinson has done all of this while being the only glaring positive on an otherwise dreadful Jaguars team that has lost 12 in a row. He has been the heartbeat of the offense each week and it paid off on Sunday, even despite tough sledding early.
Robinson had just seven rushes for five yards at halftime as Jacksonville failed to generate a running game early. But despite this, Robinson continued to push and fight and eventually found a small sliver of space to bust out his giant run.
"Yeah, I mean, it’s a credit to him. You know, he’s been outstanding, he really has," Marrone said following the game. "He’s a little bit banged up this week, but no indication that that was going to slow him down."
"I think early on, we didn’t really have a lot going for us in the run game. We were trying to—we wanted more from the run game to help us with the play action and weigh against man coverage. That was our thought process going into the game. But it’s something that, in a season like we’re having where everybody is struggling, to have something like that happen is good. Normally, I don’t ever really talk about individual accomplishments after the game, but I did because we don’t really have a lot going for us, obviously, right now, except we have three more opportunities."
Robinson has earned the respect of his fellow teammates, his coaching staff and, more often than not, his opponents week in and week out thanks to the string of performances that has pushed him to to 1,000 rushing yard club.
Now, the Illinois State product has three more games to build upon the records and milestones he has hit. He can widen the gap between him and future undrafted offensive rookies even further. Judging by his incredibly consistent 2020 season, there is no reason to believe this won't happen, either.
"Like you said, keep fighting, that’s all it is. You don’t get drafted, it sucks, but once you get on a team, it’s still kind of the same feeling, other than not having your name called on TV," Robinson said.
"But yeah, just keep going out there and grinding and wait for your opportunity."
