A’Shawn Robinson was built for Coach Henny’s #Dawgwork

A second chance

If A’Shawn Robinson had ever played for a positional coach like LA Rams DL Coach Eric Henderson, it hadn’t shown. Coach Henny has a unique approach to coaching players. He is willing to help any player in his unit to become their best version of themselves. But he is a straight shooter. What he saw in A’Shawn Robinson was a defensive lineman who could become a perennial Pro Bowler. But some things had to change.

And so they did. He dropped weight, modified his diet, and he added flexibility exercises like Pilates and Yoga. He even hired a chef to prepare meals for himself that would not only be nutritious and tasty but also would help him achieve his weight goals.

And that all came about because the LA Rams did not only see the player who arrived at the team, but also saw the player that Robinson could become.  And that was the exact opposite approach from that A’Shawn Robinson had experienced in Detroit.

The power of positive thinking

if you have ever been around someone who sees the best in you, you will eventually become the best version of yourself. That is how the LA Rams continue to succeed, continue to find gems in free agency and in the NFL Draft. It truly does not come down to the insights of persons in the Rams organization have about the players they add to the Rams roster. Rather, it is the Rams organization’s culture that feeds that desire in each player to compete, to get stronger, smarter, and more capable.

Before arriving at the LA Rams, the most sacks A’Shawn Robinson had ever put up were 2.0 quarterback sacks in one season. The most tackles? 53. But in 2021, he tied his career-high total of quarterback sacks with 2.0 and bested his highest tackles total by putting up 67 tackles. Well sure, it was a longer 17-game season, why wouldn’t he be better.

Until you look at his defensive snap count of 516 defensive snaps, which was only the third-most snaps of his career.