FANNING BIG BLUE FLAMES
Keenan pumps up mates
KEENAN ROBINSON can’t wait to face his former team.
So it’s no surprise the linebacker — who spent his first four seasons in Washington before signing with the Giants in March — gave an impassioned speech to the Big Blue defense Friday that aimed to keep his teammates focused on their short-team goals: a 3-0 start to the season and a win over a division opponent Sunday at MetLife Stadium.
“I just speak from the heart, man,” Robinson said of his speech. “Every day, we have to come to work, no matter if we’re 0-2 like they are or 2-0. We have to make sure we put in the work, because every team in the NFL will come ready to play.
“We have to make sure we never overlook anybody.”
Earlier this week, Robinson was stirring the pot ahead of the Giants’ clash with Washington. Amid reports of fractures in the Washington locker room, Robinson offered insights from his own experience. “When I was there, three out of four years, it was the same thing,” he said. “Once they get down, they start pointing fingers.”
That didn’t go over well in Washington. For one, DeAngelo Hall told reporters he didn’t even know Robinson was playing for the Giants.
“I didn’t know he was on that team. You can print that,” Hall said, via ESPN. “That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”
It’s yet another trash-talking storyline in a week full of them for these two teams. Obviously, Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman’s ongoing feud has received most of the attention. But Giants cornerback Janoris Jenkins and Washington receiver DeSean Jackson have traded barbs as well.
The buzz is palpable. And Robinson is itching to take the field and back up his words. According to defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, Robinson has been giving coaches and teammates pointers in the meeting room about what Washington likes to do on offense — bits of information he picked up during his time in D.C.
“He’s all jacked up this week,” Spagnuolo said of Robinson, who saw his defensive snap count increase from 30 plays in Week 1 to 52 plays in Week 2 as he’s proven himself to the Giants coaching staff and carved out a role in nickel coverage and other sub packages. “He’s been really good that way.”
That Robinson gave the speech to the defense Friday is a bit of an abnormality. He’s only been with the organization for a few months.
But coaches nonetheless asked him to speak. And it truly is a testament to the trust the staff has in all the new free-agent defensive additions, who’ve already proved themselves as genuine leaders inside the Giants locker room.
Last week, Damon (Snacks) Harrison gave the speech to the defense before Big Blue took down the Saints. And secondary coach Dave Merritt Sr., who’s been with the Giants organization since 2004, also specifically mentioned defensive end Olivier Vernon and Jenkins as leaders for the Giants.
“The guys we’ve signed here that can step up and actually are not afraid to speak and say what’s on their mind,” Merritt said Friday, “that’s very comforting.”
Robinson said “it’s weird” that new guys have been the ones delivering the speeches and emerging as the vocal front men. But he credits the coaching staff for creating a culture in which that quirk can be a benefit.
“They still consider us leaders and guys that can step up and make an impact or step up and feel like they have a presence on this team,” Robinson said. “And that just shows how much they respect us, whether we’ve been here or not.”