Urban Meyer Details His Approach With James Robinson, Who He Wants To See Return to Top-5 Status
Days after the Jacksonville Jaguars coaching staff failed to get running back James Robinson involved against the Los Angeles Rams -- essentially benching Robinson following a first-quarter fumble -- head coach Urban Meyer has met with Robinson and detailed his approach with his leading rusher.
"Yeah. We have taken a very positive approach," Meyer said on Wednesday when asked about his meetings with Robinson.
The approach for Meyer as he attempts to bring his offense's most productive player back into the fold after just eight carries in last week's 37-7 loss? Show Robinson that in Meyer's eyes, Robinson was one of the NFL's best running backs before his injury in Week 8 -- a version of Robinson that Meyer wants to see Robinson return to.
"Myself, I’m a different duck but I watched that video and it’s hard for me to eat solid food and actually breathe after watching that second half against the Rams. Then I start my preparation for the Titans and the offense was actually starting to move at a high level in that game. We didn’t win but that’s a very good defense and we’re a young offense," Meyer said.
"You start watching the execution, you watch the ball security, you watch James [Robinson] at that point was one of the top five running backs in the league at that time. I mean knee drive, ball security, rip his shoulder pad, pad level, offensive line pushing, screening off the ball."
The meeting with Robinson included Meyer breaking down exactly what made last year's 1,000-yard rusher one of the NFL's best and most productive backs during the middle portion of the season.
After a week in which Robinson sat for three series after fumbling the ball on the second offensive snap of the game, Meyer took to using the tried and true method of film to show Robinson what he is capable of.
"I watched that and then all of a sudden, I took a deep breath and I’m like, ‘Play that again, play that again.’ Then I went and had one of our quality control guys make a cut-up of James and then I had James come in and we watched it. He was one of the top five backs in the league and then that heel [injury] happened in Seattle," Meyer said.
"Here’s one of the toughest guys on our team, one of the best players on the team that hasn’t been the same and it’s because he hasn’t been able to practice the fundamentals of lock it, clamp it, and all the things. So, not a good meeting, [it was] a fantastic meeting, and then I made a decision that we’re going to do that at all positions."
Robinson's usage has become the leading story for the 2-10 Jaguars. The second-year running back and the team's top rusher was benched for a few series after fumbling the ball on his second touch of the day, resulting in Robinson missing most of the first half as veteran running back Carlos Hyde took his place in the backfield.
While Meyer attempted to state that Robinson wasn't benched and it was more of a matter of Robinson's heel/knee injury playing a role, Robinson himself conceded on Monday night that he viewed it as a benching. The fact that Robinson carried the ball three times in the final two minutes of a 37-7 loss points to this as well.
For Robinson, it was the second week in a row in which he missed snaps following a fumble. Robinson has fumbled twice in the last two games after zero fumbles in his first 23 games.
“We’ve had three fumbles in the last 25 carries, the running backs, three fumbles. I guess I don’t worry so much about that, I always go to the why, and the why is, fundamentally, we’re not doing the same things that were early in the year," Meyer said on Wednesday.
"We have a very distinct way and it’s great. If you want to go watch the Tennessee game, it’s as good as I’ve seen. It’s pad-level, we always call this clamp it, coming over the ball. We don’t do that anymore, so that stopped. I don’t worry about that other stuff. I go right to the film and here’s how to become one of the top five backs in the league and let’s get back to that. The great conversation was, ‘I can’t wait to get back to that.’
"So, whatever else is whatever else. There’s an answer to everything; take care of the ball. That’s the game of football long after you’re gone, long before I’m gone or after I’m gone, whatever it is. I have to resay that. Long before I coached, long after I’ve coached, I’m going to stay away from that because who knows. Taking care of the football is premium.”
Robinson has rushed for 678 yards on 137 carries (4.9 yards per carry) and seven touchdowns this year, along with 28 catches for 209 yards (7.5 yards per catch). Robinson's eight carries for 24 yards in Week 13 was the third-fewest carries and the lowest yardage total Robinson has ever totaled in an NFL game, while Carlos Hyde rushed nine times for 24 yards, along with a two-yard touchdown.
With that in mind, Hyde did have a fumble himself in the third-quarter but returned on the very next drive, While this is inconsistent, Meyer did note on Wednesday that this was an area of Sunday's game he wasn't as plugged in with due to other factors.
“Yeah, I should be more aware of rotation of running backs and who’s at receiver. I should be and I am to a degree, but at the same time, Tyson Campbell had a hip [injury]. I remember I was thinking, we were down corners, like close to none," Meyer said. "So, I remember a lot of my focus was on, ‘Can we get Tyson Campbell back in time?’ and then a lot of stuff happens on the sideline.”
“I can’t tell you the exact time he went back in. We have to communicate that better on the sideline, but there’s no something behind door number two why we kept him out.”
For the Jaguars' Robinson saga, Wednesday was at least a step closer to some clarity on why the team's star running back wasn't on the field for the bulk of what was another bad offensive day for a struggling Jaguars team. As Meyer noted, the fumble and lack of ball security from Robinson played a major role, even if there wasn't a true answer for why Hyde didn't face the same punishment.
"You bench yourself. If you lay the ball on the ground, you come out for a few plays and then it’s up to the position coach, whoever to put you back in whenever that’s time," Meyer said.
"That’s not James [Robinson], that’s whoever. When the ball goes on the ground, you come back. [WR Laquon] Treadwell made a great play on Sunday, and he was loose with the ball. Remember that great run he had after the catch and all that? I almost took him out of the game because it got away from him. But he was right next to the sideline, I grabbed him, I said, ‘Lock the ball.’ He said, ‘You’re right, Coach. You’re right. Lock the ball, lock the ball.’ So, it’s just a refocus, reframe your mind and make sure that the soundbites are buzzing through your head as you touch the football.”
