One of the more surprising success stories of the 2011 regular season was Cowboys wide receiver Laurent Robinson.
Robinson was signed off the street a week into the season after failing to make the Chargers in training camp and wound up catching 54 passes for 858 yards and 11 touchdowns. He became Tony Romo’s favorite target in the red zone and helped the Cowboys remain in contention for a playoff spot while Miles Austin missed time during the season.
Robinson’s biggest problem coming into this season was remaining healthy. He only played 21 games for the Falcons after they selected him in the third round of the 2007 Draft and got into just 17 contests after a trade sent him to the Rams in 2009. Health wasn’t a problem this season, though, and Robinson made the most of his chances.
That kind of production could make Robinson a hot commodity as a free agent this offseason, but it doesn’t sound like he’s looking to head to another team. During a Friday radio interview, Robinson said that his first priority is staying with Dallas.
“I think I fit in good here, you know, getting along good with the guys,” Robinson said, via Carlos Mendez of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “This is where I want to be. It doesn’t matter if I’m the No. 1, 2 or 3. I feel like I have a good fit here. Money doesn’t drive me to play this game. I play because I like to have fun. I think I have a good fit here with the Cowboys. Got a good group of receivers. Great QB. Witten. The o-line and defense. I think I fit in good here.”
Robinson is wise to keep fit in mind when making a decision like this. While money and the chance to be the man hold obvious allure,there have been many receivers who jumped to new teams and found they couldn’t replicate their success in a new offensive scheme.
Keeping Robinson around would enable the Cowboys to spend the offseason focused on more troubling areas. The offensive line and defense qualify, despite what Robinson had to say on Friday.
