10 questions with Allen Robinson, Chicago Bears wide receiver

Share

We've asking your favorite Chicago athletes 10 questions about what they're doing during the COVID-19 related stay at home orders.

This week we have Chicago Bears wide receiver and overall good dude Allen Robinson on the hot seat.

David Kaplan: How are things being hunkered down right now with what everyone is dealing with?

Allen Robinson: I’m doing well. Things are a little bit different you know again for me. Just trying to continue getting as much working out in as possible. You know again with organized team training suspended until we’re not really sure when. Just trying to continue to stay in as much shape as possible.

Kap: Who are you hunkered down with?

ARob: Right now I’m just with my family. Just trying to take it easy everybody staying safe. Trying to practice all the safe measures we can.

Kap: If you had to be locked up with one teammate, who would it be and who would it not be?

ARob: I probably would say Tarik Cohen. He’s a gamer like myself so I definitely could see us just sitting around playing video games and doing stuff like that. Teammate it would not be, that’s tough to say. I’d probably say one of the linemen. I don't know which, but I'd probably say one of the linemen. We’d have to make a lot of grocery store runs. Having to be quarantined I don’t think you should be going out the house that much so I think they would require a lot of going to get food.

Kap: Which teammate have you been staying the most in touch with?

ARob: I’ve been touch with the receivers, Anthony Miller and Javon Wims. Again with us all coming into this organization around the same time, we’ve really gained a special bond with each other. Just checking up on each other, seeing how everything is going, seeing what dudes are doing as far as workout wise and things like that.

Kap: In terms of workouts because you said everything’s suspended but you make your living being in the best possible shape you can be. How are you working out and do you have any tips for us weekend warriors?

ARob: It’s tough to say. I would say for me I have a workout area in my house so I'm able to do a lot of stuff with that as far as weight wise. The biggest thing is not being able to get as much running in as I may want to get. For everyone else I would say practice safe social distancing but getting out there and getting a jog. The weather is starting to break a little bit and it’s been warm so being able to get outdoors isn’t too bad. There’s been a lot of warm days so far.

Kap: Have you tried to learn a new hobby? Cooking, guitar, is there something you want to try?  

ARob: I have not. I probably will, seeing that they pushed it to at least April 30th. So i’ll probably think of something if anybody has anying, tips or anything they think I should try, hit me up on Instagram or Twitter, I’m definitely open to that.

Kap: Are you a cook? Are you carrying out? Are you getting food delivered? How are you eating?

ARob: I like to get on the grill. My dad is a big griller so I’ve been able to take stuff from him and whenever I’m able to I'll go grab food. But I pretty much can try to throw everything on the grill. Chicken, burgers, steaks, hot dogs and typically will last a good amount. I really enjoy grilled food as well.

Kap: As you look around your home, what is your most treasured career keepsake? Do you display it or do you keep it?

ARob: All my most treasured sports things in general are at my parents home in Detroit. That’s tough to say but I’d probably say at the moment it’d be something from Penn State or probably my Pro Bowl jersey from 2015, I think that was a pretty awesome experience and that’s probably one of my higher accolades that I’ve had... I take that back, I would say my Richter - Howard award from the Big Ten Receiver of the Year Award. I’d say that’s pretty big and I won it back to back years, 2012-2013 at Penn State. I probably would say that those two are the most prized things.

Kap: Is there anything you left at the “office” over at Halas Hall that you say, Oh man I can’t get in there and I want that back?

ARob: Fortunately nothing. During the season I keep a lot of things in my locker but that’s the number one thing once the season is over or once it breaks is that they have to get all their essentials back. Just because guys are traveling so much and things like that. Whether it’s a pair of workout sneakers that you really like or a pair of cleats that are comfortable to workout in. Or whatever that prized kind of possession is, I feel like the number one offseason thing after the season is over is to grab that out of your locker.

Kap: Is there a go to quarantine meal that you say, I’m not working out today, I’m going to eat whatever I want and it’s gonna make me happy. What would that meal be?

ARob: Typically it’s pizza. It’s been hard to get you know with everything just kind of staying put so I guess I’m going through a pizza withdrawal but typically it’s pizza. Actually my three favorite foods I would tell everybody, If I was stranded on an island my three favorite foods that I would have to have with me would be pizza, tacos, and french fries and I would be good.

Kap: Are you a deep dish guy?

ARob: I am, but for the deep dish is a little bit different. And it’s actually funny because I know Chicago people would kill me. But Detroit style pizza, have you ever heard of it?

Kap: I have. I’ve had it, absolutely.

ARob: It’s actually very, very good. That’s my favorite style of pizza, Shoutout to Jet’s. I grew up on Jet’s pizza and anytime that I go get pizza here in Chicago, typically it’s Jet’s. I’ve had Chicago style and I like it but born and raised on Detroit style for me that’s definitely the go to.

Kap: Alright. Let’s talk a little bit about movies and tv shows. Have you started binging? Like I never watched Breaking Bad and now I’m about to finish season two, I’m also three episodes into Tiger King, Anything you’re watching?

ARob: I watched Tiger King i did, I’m actually into the last episode of Ozark so that’s been a pretty good episode. I actually watched Breaking Bad in college. I didn’t get a chance to finish it so I may double back to that. Also I want to start watching the show All-American I hear that that’s pretty good as well on Netflix.

Kap: How about social media, you have a presence on it, have you found podcasts, are you all over Twitter or social media doing anything or trying to disconnect?

ARob: Well I’m pretty active on Twitter, always. Podcasts wise, I like it’s a podcast done by Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson from the NBA, “All the Smoke Podcast.” I like that one. I’m trying to think if there’s any other kind of sports podcasts I listen to. That’s the one I’m listening to right now. I’ve been going back and forth, I haven’t yet finished it. I’ve been watching the Shannon Sharpe interview that they had with him over the past couple days. So I want to get around to finishing that one. It seems pretty good.

Kap: Do you have any toilet paper to spare? I’m sure there’s people out there that can use.

ARob: I actually do. Ironically before I left I want to say a few weeks ago, typically how my offseason goes is I’ll spend it in New York. I’ll train up there but you know with everything going on I really didn’t get the chance to. I trained up there for about a week and that’s kind of when everything started to hit the fan. And then normally for the secpnd offseason I’ll train in South Florida. But for whatever reason before I left Chicago I got a ton of toilet paper. Ironically, this is before everything kind of went down. And when I first came back, you know, I have a workout area here so if I wasn’t going to be able to do it in New York, I figured I’d come back here. I have some stuff at the house so during quarantine I could still workout. And when I got back I looked in the cupboard and lo and behold it’s a ton of toilet paper so I was definitely pleased to that. Actually two things that I had plenty of was toilet paper and water.

Kap: Alright, so there has been a lot of talk. Bears made a lot of moves. Nick Foles is in here, I would think it’s an open competition at quarterback now but we’ll see. But the thing people keep saying to me on my radio show and on tv, Are we getting Allen Robinson locked up long term, how do you answer that?

ARob: You know, again I definitely understand as far as this is not my first kind of contract going into a new contract and things like that. Things definitely do take time and I understand the business of it. And for Bears fans I love the city of Chicago from the day I signed here I said I wanted to retire a Bear so everyone knows where I stand with that. At the end of the day I definitely think that’s something that has the possibility of getting done but at the end of the day it’s a business and there’s a lot that goes into it so we’ll see.      

Kap: Allen, Ten Questions With. And please tell us about your charity you’re very very good. I said to you before we started this, you’re a hell of a football player but you’re an even better person, I know people who know you. And I sit here and watch how you act and work within our community. Tell us about your foundation and what you’re doing right now with COVID-19.

ARob: My foundation, “The Within Reach Foundation” we’re partnering with the Greater Chicago Food Depository right now who is also partnering with CPS. We’re trying to provide food for families. That’s kind of where we’re at with it right now. $12 in food provides 20 pounds of food to a family. Our original goal was 12 thousand and that is a number that I’m going to match. And we’re almost at that goal and that’s also with some donations that haven’t officialy come in yet that we’re projected to have. And for sure that number of matching for me has a good chance of going up. I have to talk to the people in my foundation just kind of see where everything is at. Right now we’re in a good spot, we’re able to raise a lot of money to help families. A lot of kids since they’re not going to school now, that’s how they typically how they have their meals. From breakfast to lunch and into after school standpoint as far as programs and things that like that schools have for them. And it’s also been a burden for some families with people being laid off and things like that and having that source of income, that source of revenue that they’re used to on a day to day basis. We’re trying to help all those families out because again with it being a tough time with people being sick and things like that it’s also a very tough time with people just needing food.

More 10 questions:

- White Sox starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel sits down with our own Chuck Garfien
- Chicago Bears punter Pat O'Donnell sits down with Laurence Holmes
- Chicago native and comedian Sebastian Maniscalco

Contact Us