THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – As an external observer, Allen Robinson was impressed with the Rams' culture. Now joining the team on a three-year deal, it was one of the biggest draws in making Los Angeles his new NFL home.
"Feels great man, feels great," Robinson told theRams.com after arriving at and touring the team's facility. "Obviously from the outside looking in, you can kind of see the culture and also feel the culture that the Rams have created and established. And also playing with some of my former teammates and kind of talking to them whether it's in the offseason, or before game or after the game about how it is playing in Los Angeles, I've always heard nothing but great things. So to be a part of it, I'm excited."
The veteran wide receiver arrives after spending the four seasons with the Bears, where he maintained a reputation for making contested catches and being a reliable target. Three of those four seasons overlapped with quarterback Matthew Stafford's final three seasons with the Lions, from whom he will now be catching passes from.
"Everything excites me about it," Robinson said of the opportunity to work with Stafford. "I mean, we saw the special year that he put together this year, but he's had a special career, from even back to the years with him and Megatron (Calvin Johnson). He's been able to definitely get receivers activated in many different ways – down the field, short stuff, redzone, he has a feel for everything."
That aligns well with Robinson's self-described versatile skillset between his route-running ability and ability to make contested catches, which Stafford described Monday as "the best of both worlds."
"I think some of the areas that becomes such an advantage is probably down in the redzone," Stafford said. "There's just less field for defenders to defend, therefore, it's a little bit easier to cover guys and guys are body on body a whole lot more. His ability to go up and make catches over guys, around guys, whatever it is, is really special. I've seen it up close and personal. But at the same time, for a guy his size, I think he does a great job of separating too. There's quite a few times where he's doing a great job, whether it's at the line of scrimmage at the top of this route, where he's transitioning and doing a great job of creating space for the quarterback as well."
It's not just the arm talent of Stafford that Robinson is looking forward to in this new partnership, but the possibilities in Rams head coach Sean McVay's system as well.
"For me, being able to bring my contested play ability also with a great scheme," Robinson said. "Being able to create separation, being able to get some run-after-the-catch opportunities and being able to take my game to another level."
Joining a Super Bowl-winning team made the Rams a great fit for Robinson. Now he's determined to help them run it back.
"The thing I'm looking forward to most is to help this team go on another Super Bowl run," Robinson said. "They got their ring, and I'm definitely looking forward to getting mine. If I can be a part of running this thing back, that's what I'm here for."
Check out photos of the Los Angeles Rams' newest wide receiver Allen Robinson arriving to the Rams' facility, signing his contract and meeting players & coaches.