Looking to improve from last year’s defense, the Giants signed former Redskin linebacker Keenan Robinson to a one-year deal. Robinson spent four seasons in Washington although his time was limited due to injuries.
In 2012, Robinson played 11 games when the Redskins won the the NFC East championship, but missed the final month with a torn pectoral muscle on the right side. Then he missed the entire 2013 season with a torn pectoral muscle on the left side. He returned for 13 games in 2014, and although he missed several weeks with a sprained knee, his team-high 108 tackles were impressive enough to win him the team’s Ed Block Courage Award. Shoulder and rib injuries kept Robinson out of four games last season but he still had 62 tackles in 12 games.
The former Redskin gets to see the Giants from a new perspective. “I thought they were always good,” Robinson said to the media on Wednesday. “The Giants – when I played with the Redskins – they gave us problems every year. I think twice on Thursday Night Football when I was on the Redskins we lost bad the Giants, so…they’ve always had a good offense. The defense has been good at times, and I think they’ve always had fits matchup wise – they’ve always had good running backs, good receivers, and obviously a good quarterback.”
That good quarterback is Eli Manning who happened to be the victim of Robinson’s first interception in the NFL. The linebacker was fortunate that the night didn’t turn into tragedy. After that Thursday night game in 2014, Robinson and his family were in a collision with a drunk driver but were unharmed.
Apparently Robinson likes to make his interceptions memorable because his other victim was Tom Brady.
For the first time as a pro, Robinson is not a Redskin but the linebacker has been adjusting well. “It’s been pretty good. I’m going on year five, so I kind of know the game,” Robinson said. “I kind of know how to be a professional and how to come into an organization and just do my part and how to learn/pick up the playbook. So for me, it hasn’t been that bad at all.”
Robinson is also enjoying the area. “I really didn’t know too much about New Jersey or New York until I got out here, because I played here but that was only four times that we played here, so I didn’t really get a feel for it,” Robinson said. “All I heard about was what people say in the media or people say traveling wise and tourist wise, so I didn’t know what to expect, but when I got here I kind of loved it. It’s very fast paced. Everybody is always in a rush, always in a hurry; but as far as things to do, places to eat, bringing my family out here, I love it.”
Once his family gets to see New York, they’ll probably be thanking him. “It’s very family friendly, and there’s a lot of stuff to do, so you don’t get bored” Robinson said. “In Virginia, you have to drive 30 minutes to the closest thing to do something with your family – go to Maryland or go to D.C., so out here there is something everywhere.”
The Giants are hoping that the oft-injured Robinson can remain healthy this season. “Coming off last season, I wasn’t as healthy as I wanted to be,” Robinson said. “I was a little bit banged up. But transitioning these few months I’ve had, I feel pretty good, and we’ll get to test it out come training camp when we put the pads on.”