Denard Robinson punishes 'Ohio team,' seizes control of Jacksonville backfield
No matter what you expected from the Jacksonville Jaguars running game entering the season, the team has no doubt disappointed you.
After six weeks, the biggest single-game rushing total delivered by any Jaguars back had been Toby Gerhart's 42-yard performance in the opener — and he'd needed 18 carries to get there.
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On Sunday, Denard Robinson set the bar a bit higher. By the end of the first quarter against Cleveland, Robinson had already rushed for 62 yards on seven carries. He would eventually finish with 127 yards on 22 attempts, with a nifty 8-yard touchdown run included. You can catch the highlights right here, if for some reason you weren't glued to the CLE-JAC clash as the drama was unfolding.
On many of Robinson's more significant gains, we should note, the Jaguars' O-line simply dominated Cleveland's defensive front, opening wide rushing lanes. For example, this was the setup on Denard's first carry...
...and it resulted in a 14-yard pickup. Too easy. I'm pretty sure Brad Evans could have picked up four or five yards right there, while carrying Funston on his shoulders, pulling Pianowski and me on a sled.
Robinson took full advantage of his opportunities on Sunday, nearly doubling his career NFL rushing output. He ran with power and patience, generally looking like a classically trained running back. Denard entered the league as a man without a well-defined position, likely a gimmick player — a guy who'd spent his collegiate career as a run-first shotgun QB. But in Week 7, against a user-friendly Browns defense, he was simply a high-quality feature back.
"Yeah, that was good to do it against an Ohio team," said Robinson in his postgame comments, because he's as Michigan as it gets.
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Moving forward, we obviously have to view Denard as a priority fantasy add now that he's atop the backfield hierarchy for the Jags. Robinson is owned in just 8 percent of Yahoo leagues at the moment. His team context isn't ideal, of course, but the schedule ahead isn't too intimidating. He also offers rare positional flexibility, as he's eligible at both RB and WR. (Nope, not a glitch. His team officially listed him as a wide receiver entering the year.)
Tre Mason is my Plan A on the wire this week, but Robinson is a solid Plan B.
Toby, you're dismissed.
