How can LA Rams reboot A’Shawn Robinson this season

Stop the run

One of the basic requirements of a Fangio/Staley defense is the utter dependence upon a trio of strong and fresh defensive linemen. Robinson was not one of the three starters in 2020. But in his 36 playoff snaps, Robinson was directly involved in six tackles. A rotational player, who is barely involved in a game, walks away with 16.6% of the tackles of the entire defense?

The moment was not lost on Robinson. Despite few opportunities to will the outcome of the game in his favor, he was a huge and mighty presence on the offensive line. Larger offensive linemen were unable to push him off the mark. That, in turn, allowed him to be in the right position to bring down unsuspecting running backs who got too close to his long-armed tackles.

Robinson doesn’t budge

Unlike many who line up in a 3-4 defensive front, Robinson does not whither or wilt in the face of a strong double team. In fact, he rises to the challenge, digging in deeply with the knowledge that the offense wants him out of the way. How did that appear to the analysts at Pro Football Focus? Well, that six-tackle effort also included one forced fumble. While his regular-season effort resulted in a ho-hum grade of 45.6, his post-season grade almost doubled to an eye-popping grade of 76.5. In fact, he was the LA Rams most effective defensive lineman in the playoffs.

Only Greg Gaines, another big strong defensive lineman, showed dramatic improvement when the Rams entered the playoffs. The reason? Well, teams attempted to play a far more balanced offense against the LA Rams in the playoffs. And with Aaron Donald at less than 100 percent, the Rams defense benefitted tremendously from a run stopper like Robinson. Robinson is a proven run-stopper. Now, he must prove that he can bring that ability in up to 17 games.