Fred Robbins

[Lughead]

2006 Recap: DT Fred Robbins

Seven-year lineman enjoyed breakout season.

By Aron Angel, Giants.com

 

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March 7, 2007

 

 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Professional football offers spectators the opportunity to watch unusually large men perform seemingly impossible feats. So on the rare occasion that a 300-pound defensive lineman gets his hands on the football in the open field, it truly becomes a sight to behold.

 

The sight of defensive tackle Fred Robbins rumbling down the left sideline against the Redskins, ball in hand, is one of those images that Giants fans will certainly savor from a roller coaster 2006 season.

 

Robbins enjoyed a career season in 2006 with 5.5 sacks and two interceptions. �It�s those kinds of plays that you remember,� said rookie defensive tackle Barry Cofield, who, along with Robbins, started all 16 of the Giants regular season games in 2006.

 

The play, setting up a 34-yard Jay Feely field goal, was crucial to establishing early momentum in the Giants� favor in their 34-28 win over the Redskins in Week 17.

 

On Washington�s first possession of the game the Redskins were efficiently moving the ball down the field, having moved 55 yards in 10 plays and needing only one third down to do so. On second-and-four from the Giants� 18, Redskins running back Ladell Betts broke through the Giants� defensive line, only to be met by the helmet of linebacker Brandon Short, whose hit sent the football flying into the offense�s backfield.

 

With the ball just sitting on the turf, Robbins was the first on the scene.

 

�I saw (Brandon) Short come up and get the hit,� Robbins said. �The guy just fumbled the ball. I just wanted to pick it up and make a big play. There was nobody around me and the ball was just sitting there, bouncing around. It was a pretty good opportunity to just pick it up and go.�

 

Scooping up the ball, Robbins raced 67 yards before being brought down at the Redskins� 12-yard line.

Click here to watch Robbins return a Ladell Betts fumble for 67 yards.

 

�As a defensive lineman, you�re just happy to see the other guys make plays,� said Cofield. �That was one of the big momentum and field position shifting plays. You could definitely see him get tired. I got tired just screaming and watching him.�

 

It was the kind of play that Robbins�a 6-4, 317-pound defensive tackle�had been making all year long. In his seventh season in the NFL, Robbins stepped up to become one of the Giants� key playmakers on defense, finding himself more often than not in the right place at the right time.

 

�You�ve got totake advantage of those plays,� said Robbins. �They don�t come so often, so when they (do) you�ve got to take advantage of them and make big plays.�

 

Most defensive tackles are resigned to racking up numbers in the tackle column, stuffing the run and occasionally rushing the passer when the opportunity arises. Defensive tackles are not supposed to get all the glory, instead making the holes for the agile linebackers to penetrate and make the big hits. Which is why Robbins� five and a half sacks (second on the team to defensive end Osi Umenyiora�s six), three fumble recoveries and two interceptions are all the more remarkable.

 

Robbins was constantly in the face of Bears quarterback Rex Grossman in Week 10. Robbins finished the regular season with 39 tackles�second only to rookie defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka on the defensive line. His 5.5 sacks were the sixth-most amongst defensive tackles in the NFC and his two interceptions were tied for most amongst all NFL defensive linemen (Kiwanuka also had two). His numbers would appear to have been worthy of a Pro Bowl berth, though a post season vacation in Hawaii will have to wait until next year.

 

�It�s always a dream,� said Robbins about making the Pro Bowl. �I work hard. But it�s more motivation for me next year to come out and contribute more. Just keep working hard and it will eventually pay off. It�s another goal I have next year.�

 

A look back at some of Robbins� best moments of the 2006 season:

 

Week One, September 10: Colts 26, Giants 21

Robbins: Five tackles, one sack.

Robbins started the season off right, dropping Colts quarterback Peyton Manning for a four-yard sack in the first quarter of the Giants season-opener.

Click here to watch Robbins sack Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.

 

Week Two, September 17: Giants 30, Eagles 24 (OT)

Robbins: Three tackles.

The following week, Robbins stuffed Eagles running back Correll Buckhalter for no gain in the fourth quarter, helping the Giants send the game into overtime and eventually come out on top.

Click here to watch Robbins stuff The Eagles� Correll Buckhalter for no gain.

 

Robbins puts a hit on Saints running back Reggie Bush in Week 16. Week Three, September 24: Seahawks 42, Giants 30

Robbins: Five tackles, one interception.

Robbins recorded his first interception of the season in the fourth quarter against Seattle. Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was hit on the right arm by defensive end Michael Strahan as he threw a pass over the middle, allowing Robbins to reach up and bring the ball down for an interception.

Click here to watch Robbins intercept Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

 

Week Five, October 8: Giants 19, Redskins 3

Robbins: One tackle, one sack.

Robbins was part of a pass rush that kept the Redskins out of the endzone the entire day. Robbins contributed a 6-yard sack on Washington quarterback Mark Brunell.

Click here to watch Robbins sack Redskins quarterback Mark Brunell.

 

Week Six, October 15: Giants 27, Falcons 14

Robbins: One tackle, .5 sack.

Against Atlanta, the Giants recorded a season-high seven sacks. In the fourth quarter Robbins teamed with rookie defensive tackle Barry Cofield to take down Falcons quarterback Michael Vick for an eight-yard loss.

Click here to watch Robbins and Cofield sack Falcons quarterback Michael Vick.

 

Week Seven, October 23: Giants 36, Cowboys 22

Robbins: Two tackles, one sack, one interception.

Robbins had one of his most impressive performances in the first of the Giants� two appearances on Monday Night Football. In the fourth quarter Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo�playing for the first time all season�attempted a screen pass while being taken down by Kiwanuka. Romo�s throw, intended for running back Julius Jones, was off target and ended up in Robbins' hands for his second interception of the season. Later in the same quarter, Robbins sacked Romo for a four-yard loss and deflected a pass intended for Terrell Owens on consecutive plays.

Robbins takes down Titans quarterback Vince Young in Week 12.

Click here to watch Robbins intercept Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

 

Week Eight, October 29: Giants 17, Buccaneers 3

Robbins: One tackle, one fumble recovery.

Robbins landed on a Bruce Gradkowski fumble when the Tampa Bay rookie quarterback attempted to pitch the ball backwards to running back Carnell Williams. Williams was unable to gain control of the pitch, sending the ball bouncing to the ground and directly into Robbins� grasp.

Click here to watch Robbins recover a Bruce Gradkowski fumble.

 

Week 10, November 12: Bears 38, Giants 20

Robbins: Six tackles, one sack.

The Giants suffered a tough loss to the Bears in Week 10, but not before Robbins left his mark, recording six tackles, one sack and a quarterback hurry that led to Kiwanuka�s 32-yard interception of Chicago quarterback Rex Grossman. Later, in the fourth quarter, Robbins took down Grossman for a nine-yard sack.

Click here to watch Robbins force Bears quarterback Rex Grossman into a bad throw.

Click here to watch Robbins sack Grossman.

 

Week 12, November 26: Titans 24, Giants 21

Robbins: Six tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery.

Rookie quarterback Vince Young appeared to do little wrong against the Giants, but on one of the few occasions that he did, fumbling a handoff to running back LenDale White, Robbins was there to recover the ball. The play eventually led to a four-yard touchdown run by Brandon Jacobs that gave the Giants a 21-0 lead.

Later, Robbins sacked Young for a nine-yard loss in the fourth quarter.

Click here to watch Robbins recover a Vince Young fumble.

Click here to watch Robbins sack Young.

[Treehugger]

:worshippy:

 

Thanks for posting that dude.

 

I'm happy with our D-Line's growth last year. Hopefully Joseph can have a break-out season this year.

[RaginCaucasian]

:worshippy:

 

Thanks for posting that dude.

 

I'm happy with our D-Line's growth last year. Hopefully Joseph can have a break-out season this year.

I'm as big a fan of players from the U as can be but I think that after his contract is up we may have seen the last of Joseph..... we have been waiting for him to take his job away from many people for at least 3 years now. I fear that time will soon be coming for him as Cofield looked so impressive as a rookie..... one can only wonder how much better Cofield will get with more playing time. Joseph was drafted with lots of expectations and promise and has fulfilled very few of them, barring a major breakthrough this year might be his last.

[TaylorBanksCarsonVanPelt]

I'm as big a fan of players from the U as can be but I think that after his contract is up we may have seen the last of Joseph..... we have been waiting for him to take his job away from many people for at least 3 years now. I fear that time will soon be coming for him as Cofield looked so impressive as a rookie..... one can only wonder how much better Cofield will get with more playing time. Joseph was drafted with lots of expectations and promise and has fulfilled very few of them, barring a major breakthrough this year might be his last.

Ragin ... was The Hammer (Keith Hamilton) this slow to development when he came in...I don't remember?

[*SDMF*]

Troy Aikman called him "Fabulous" Fred Robbins last year. Remember that? I think Troy fell asleep after that

[RaginCaucasian]

Ragin ... was The Hammer (Keith Hamilton) this slow to development when he came in...I don't remember?

Ehhh, up for debate..... he really didn't hit his stride until around 1998 but was a every down DT starting in 1999 and was very effective until 2002. He was also another guy who changed positions coming out of college, he was drafted as a DE and played a number of games earlier in his career at that spot but really excelled when he was moved to the interior.

 

One thing about the Hammer was that once he was given a shot at the starting postion he went out and grabbed it by the throat and didn't let go. Joseph has been given a shot each of the last 3 years and has split time with everybody and nobody, so far he hasn't been effective playing every down & hasn't been effective in a rotation. He was known coming from Miami that he had the physical skill but it was debatable as to if he had the desire to continue to grow and get better at the pro level, in his defense I will say that many of the U lineman draftees from that draft have become sub-par NFL players (McDougle, Joseph, A. Williams, J. Green & M. Walters) so it might just be that the most effective players from that Miami defense that won the national championship the year before were the LB's & secondary players, or it could have been Miami's scheme/coaching.

 

Either way I will just say that I am NOT trying to trash Joseph like the asswipes that used to frequent this board, he just might be running out of time to keep a spot on this team without a truly standout season.