JAKE AND STACY
Seahawks rookie DE Alton Robinson recalls first sack, shares expectations
Oct 3, 2020, 3:53 PM
Seahawks rookie DE Alton Robinson recorded his first NFL sack in Week 3. (Getty)
(Getty)
Not much has gone right for the Seahawks on defense in 2020, as the team is allowing the most yards per game in the NFL by a wide margin and the pass rush is again a concern, but when it comes to getting after opposing quarterbacks, Seattle may have found a new weapon in this most recent NFL Draft.
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After sitting out for the first two games of the regular season as a healthy scratch, fifth-round defensive end Alton Robinson made his NFL debut in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys and quickly showed he’s ready to be a pro. Robinson had three tackles, two tackles for loss, a quarterback hit and a sack.
The sack came at a critical time for the Seahawks, as the Cowboys were driving down the field looking to either tie the game or take the lead with under a minute to go. Robinson, however, sacked Dak Prescott and forced Dallas to burn its final timeout. Prescott threw the game-ending interception on the very next play.
In the final seconds of the game, rookie Alton Robinson records his first NFL sack! 👏
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/4y2IQoveWP
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 28, 2020
“It feels amazing to be able to get out there in my first game and make a play like that (at the moment) that I made it,” Robinson said Thursday afternoon on The Huddle with 710 ESPN Seattle’s Tom Wassell, Jake Heaps, Stacy Rost and Dave Wyman. “It was amazing.”
Robinson attributed much of his early success to the work he put in with Seahawks legend Cliff Avril, a defensive end who starred for Seattle for multiple years, including its two Super Bowl runs in 2013 and 2014.
“Throughout the draft process, me and Cliff worked together and he just shared tidbits … that just helped me throughout the game when I’m out there, just giving me certain things to look for and things like that,” he said.
Avril isn’t the only Seahawks player, current or former, that Robinson said has helped him thus far. He pointed to veteran defensive linemen like Jarran Reed and Benson Mayowa, as well as younger defensive ends Rasheem Green and L.J. Collier and veterans like linebackers Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright and safety Jamal Adams.
“Just any type of advice I can get from those guys I try to hold it tight.”
And it was clear from the interview that Robinson thinks very highly of his veteran teammates based on what his expectations are as a rookie.
“My expectation of myself right now is just to keep earning the respect of my older guys to where they feel comfortable with me going out there,” he said. “That was just one game, but I heard from a great coach once upon a time that anybody can do it once. My goal is to just keep proving myself to the older guys.”
In addition to getting his first NFL sack, Robinson showed great awareness, helping blow up a double reverse the Cowboys ran. He didn’t get the tackle on the play, and making plays like that is part of what he wants to do going forward.
“Just not to leave any plays out there if I’m fortunate enough to be suited up again. I just don’t want to leave any pays out there,” Robinson said. “You guys had mentioned the reverse play. To me, that’s a play I should have made. I feel like I left that one out there and that’s my biggest goal is to not leave anything out there.”
Listen to the full interview at this link or in the player below at the 36:07 mark.
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