Zac Robinson's college head coach famously proclaimed “I’m a man! I’m 40!”
Now, the newest Rams staffer works for a head coach who won't turn 40 years old until 2026.
We'll have more time to reminisce with Robinson about Mike Gundy's rant during #RamsCamp later this summer. (I happened to be in the press room that night.) Before we get to that, I wanted the assistant quarterbacks coach to share his initial impressions of Jared Goff, following OTAs and mini-camp.
Following his playing days in Stillwater, Robinson spent four seasons with four NFL teams. More recently, he thrived as a senior analyst with Pro Football Focus, dating back to 2016. This spring, the stars aligned for Robinson to land his first coaching gig, something to which he's always aspired.
"It's awesome," Robinson says of relocating to Los Angeles. "I'm learning so much from all these guys. Playing a lot of catch-up, learning the offense, trying to get to a level of ownership. The culture of this place is pretty special; it's unlike any place I've ever been."
As for how his PFF perception of Goff meshes with the reality of working with the Pro Bowl quarterback in person?
"I've always been such a fan of his game, dating back to college. Seeing him grow in the NFL, he's obviously so talented. Seeing the way he works up close… You never really know until you see a guy. Seeing his attention to detail and how fundamentally sound he is every single day, and how competitive – and how he likes to work – it makes sense why he's had so much success, and why he's going to just keep getting better."
Robinson also offered a bit of insight into how Goff is handling the transition from veteran center John Sullivan to redshirt freshman Brian Allen.
"[Goff's] already taken a lot of ownership in terms of protections and things like that. Allen, he's been so on point with everything. He studies his butt off; he knows exactly what to do. Obviously, Sullivan had so much experience seeing that stuff in games. But gosh, those two (Goff and Allen) working together has been pretty cool to see.
"Jared – like any player going into their fourth year – you just see different looks and you understand what they're trying to do," Robinson continued. "Because our defense, they're throwing a ton of stuff at us right now. And he's done a great job handling looks and understanding where to go with the ball."
Though this is his first coaching opportunity, Robinson could be well-positioned to ascend quickly. In just two seasons, Sean McVay has already developed a coaching tree that includes Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur (by way of Tennessee) and Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. Current Rams coordinator Shane Waldron interviewed in the last cycle, as well.
One final tidbit on Robinson's college days that could make for a fun conversation in training camp: In the fourth quarter of a November 10, 2017 game between Kansas and Oklahoma State, a Jayhawk named Aqib Talib intercepted Robinson to cement a KU win at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Looking forward to getting Talib's take on that memory.
