Categories: Injuries
| On 10 years ago

Josh Robinson’s Injury Persists, Coach Zimmer Seems to be Losing Patience

By Lindsey Young

On Monday morning, Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press tweeted the following:

 

While it may be humorous and somewhat tongue-in-cheek, an element of [harsh] truth exists.

Cornerback Josh Robinson has been dealing with a nagging hamstring injury, and we have yet to see him in full action. It is already clear that head coach Mike Zimmer holds all his players to high standards, but he seems even more strict when dealing with the defensive backs. Zimmer has several CB’s on the roster, and his patience with Robinson’s rather slow comeback looks to be wearing thin. Robinson sits on the proverbial bubble anyway, after a inconsistent performance last season.

The young corner shows a lot of potential and could be much improved in a different defensive system; however, the longer he sits out, the more uncertain his role becomes. It is in Robinson’s best interest to return to the field as soon as possible.

Lindsey Young

Lindsey Young (Featured Columnist) is a graduate of University of Northwestern – St. Paul and is an avid Minnesota sports fan[atic]. It’s been argued females don’t know much about sports, but she begs to differ. Her work has been featured on Bleacher Report, KSTP.com, and Fox Sports North. In addition to her work with VT, Lindsey is a contributing writer for Canis Hoopus, runs a bi-monthly fan feature for Timberwolves.com and is a freelance writer for Vikings.com. You can read her blog at Making the Call and follow her on Twitter.

View Comments

  • Ouch, not a good sign for Robinson. I thought he showed some promise. Linval Joseph is back at practice today, though, so he seems to be moving along nicely.

  • Josh may be the odd man out because of his inability to play the slot.Cox & Prater have both performed well. And Prater has an advantage of playing for Zimmer before.

  • I think Robinson's time in Minny is over.Right now I have Rhodes,Munnerlyn,Cox,Prater & Price all in.I think Sherels is on the bubble because of his inconsistency.

  • It is OK that Zimmer is being a hard ass. It is his style. But Josh cannot rush back from a hamstring injury. I doubt that Spielman is going to want to give up on a 3rd round pick so soon though. That would be extremely foolish. Despite all of the criticism that Robinson receives, he still was the best player to put in the slot last year which is hardly a ringing endorsement.

    But it does beg the point about what the team was doing with his development. Why not leave him outside and let him develop there? I think moving him inside helped him out a lot. Even though the results were awful he gained a ton of experience.

    Make no mistake though. If the Vikings cut Josh Robinson he will get scooped up very quickly by another team. You cannot teach 4.29 speed, 6.55 3 cone, and 3.97 short shuttle at 5'10" 199. That is crazy.

    Josh Robinson is the EXACT candidate for Zimmer to work his supposed "magic". Zimmer is suppose to be a very good secondary coach and has a reputation for developing defensive backs. I want to see him prove it once again!

    • Keeping a guy on the roster for good combine numbers is crazy.Potential is the most wasted commodity in the NFL,and all Robinson has done so far is underwhelm.He is another Chris Cook,shows potential but doesn't deliver.

      • What got him drafted? Potential and his performance vs AJ Green in the 2010 Liberty Bowl surely opened up some eyes.

        He went in the 3rd round for a reason. I do not think it is Spielman's style to giev up on early round picks so soon.

        He probably should not have started at all his first couple of seasons. He was forced into action his first year and then had to man the slot last year.

        Fans sure are fickle. They are willing to give a QB 3 or 4 years or more to develop but md round corners get no such breaks.

        Some of you are willing to cut Robinson now which would mean he would have had less time with the team than Sherels, Sendejo, and Raymond.

        I cannot agree to such shortsightedness. It is foolish thinking really.

    • Wow! Why do I not have a surprised feeling?
      You expected a 3rd round rookie corner to do very well?
      If you have such high expectations for a 3rd round corner then I would hate to see what your expectations are for Barr, Bridgewater, Chrichton, and McKinnon?
      I suppose if they do not start then you will give them a pass no?

      Josh Robinson is a pretty good corner back prospect. He has gained a lot of experience the last two years which should help him going forward,.

      Mike Zimmer needs to coach him up!

      • Zimmer can only do so much.You can coach a guy to be in the right place,but it's up to the guy to make a play.This was one of Cooks' problems,and is the same with Sherels,they get into position and then don't make a play.
        Robinson could have a hard time if he can't shake his injury as they may only keep 5 CBs and an extra Safety.Zimmer has said countless times that he thinks finding good Corners to do what he wants to do is hard,so he prefers to put 3 Safeties on the field.
        I don't hate Robinson,but when it comes down to the tough decisions when the roster is trimmed,the guys that have been on the field have an advantage over those who can't show the Coaches what they can do.