Growing up in Detroit, Allen Robinson watched the Lions players come and go.
In 2009, Robinson St. As a youngster at Mary’s Prep High, the Lions chose Matthew Stafford as the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.
“While I was watching Detroit Lions football, no one threw the ball as close as he did in Detroit,” Robinson said.
Thirteen years later, Robinson will receive passes from Stafford for the Rams, who are preparing to run for the second Super Bowl title in a row.
But you will have to wait a while. The Aries, which has been volunteering offseason since April, began its organized team activities at Thousand Oaks on Monday.
Stafford took blows, but did not pass, and probably will not be until the opening of the training camp in July.
Stafford, 34, confirmed that he had a needle in his right elbow after a season-long problem.
On Monday, he was asked if he would drop the passes during OTA or the minicamp, or wait until the training camp in July.
“I don’t know yet,” he said, “I’m still working on it.”
Coach Sean McVay said it was difficult for Stafford to go to team training before the training camp.
“The goal and the thought process was that as we get closer to the training camp, it will start to increase,” McVay said.
Robinson is a high-profile addition to the changing corps after the Aries defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium. In March, Aries signed Robinson and replaced veteran Robert Woods with the Tennessee Titans. Aries offered Odell Beckham Jr. a new contract, but he remains a free agent.
NFL attacking player of the year Cooper Kupp, Robinson, third-year specialist Van Jefferson, second-year specialist Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek and Jacob Harris, and Brandon Powell return to lead the team.
Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp (left) and midfielder Matthew Stafford celebrate after beating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 at the Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Kupp aims to build one of the most historic performances in NFL history. In his fifth NFL season, Kupp led the league with 145 catches and 16 touchdowns for 1,947 yards, earning the so-called triple crown.
According to Overthecap.com, Kupp is expected to earn $ 18.7 million this season. With buyers’ salaries rising sharply over the past few months, Kupp is ready to extend his contract, which could make him one of the highest paid players in his position.
Robinson joins the Rams after four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and four seasons with the Chicago Bears. He won the Pro Bowl in 2015 and covered 1,000 yards three times.
“Working with A-Rob was incredible,” Kupp said Monday. “It was just his mental ability to do things he could already understand and just be able to have a dialogue with him and see how the game was really entertaining.”
Versatile 6-foot-2 Robinson elite jumping ball is considered a controversial catch receiver. Robinson is expected to provide weapons to coach Sean McVay, attack coordinator Liam Cohen and Stafford throughout the field, and especially within the 20-yard line.
“It’s a chance to take our crime to the next level,” Tyler Higbee said of Robinson’s addition.
Robinson used off-season training to get used to the Aries system. He builds chemistry with Stafford – not at the reception, but in the meeting room and at the meeting.
“He’s a very modest guy, despite everything he’s got in the league,” Robinson said of Stafford. “He’s a friend of mine who gets up, and when you play with kids like that, it really makes things a little easier.”
Stafford said: “His professionalism, his attention to detail, all of these things, he fits perfectly into the group we have and is looking forward to him doing his job.”
Robinson said he has not yet experienced the LA moment because he was “crushed” while learning a new system. He is well aware of the sports and entertainment scene in the region.
“My main focus now is to make sure I’m connected to what my task is,” he said. “Some of these practices will fail.”
Jefferson, a sophomore, met Robinson: They weren’t teammates, but they went to the same high school for two years.
He welcomes Robinson’s arrival.
“He has precise routes, he catches the ball, he runs after catching it – I think he’ll fit in perfectly,” Jefferson said. “There are things in his game that I will try to implement in myself.”
Jefferson was impressed as a teenager in 2020, increasing production last season to 50 assists and six touchdowns for 802 yards.
Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson tries to catch the ball while defending by Bengals cornerback Eli Apple during the Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
After four passes in the Super Bowl, a Rams manager on the pitch told Jefferson that Jefferson’s wife, Samaria, had labor pains during the game.
“I had two other kids there with me, so they wanted to celebrate being more in their candy because they were so small,” Jefferson said. “But hey, we have to go.”
Jefferson said he kept in touch via FaceTime when his wife gave birth to a son named Champ.
“It was a crazy experience, but it worked perfectly,” he said. My husband always said I knew the baby was coming to the Super Bowl, and I said, “Oh, I don’t think so.”
“He was right.”
As Kupp, Robinson and Jefferson strengthen as the first three buyers, there will be competition for other roles.
Atwell, who was drafted for the second round in 2021, seemed to be relaxed near the middle of the season. He then suffered a shoulder injury against the Houston Texans at the end of the season.
Skowronek, the seventh round pick in 2021, has impressed special teams and also risen as a receiver with 11 assists for 133 yards.
6-5 Harris was prepared for a difficult ending, but he took on a host role when he suffered a knee injury at the end of the season during the defeat to the Tennessee Titans.
Brandon Powell, who returned the blow, is also a receiver.
However, the question is whether Beckham will sign a new contract with Rams.
The three-time Pro Bowl player joined the Rams in the middle of the 2021 season and starred during the Super Bowl. He caught two assists in 52 yards and one touchdown in the Super Bowl before suffering a knee injury that required surgery. Beckham is not expected to be ready to play until the middle of the season.
Rams has offered Beckham a contract, but he is expected to investigate the NFL landscape before deciding on his next move.
Regardless, Rams buyers and their teammates are preparing for another possible Super Bowl run. No team has repeated the Super Bowl title since the 2004 New England Patriots.
“You want to relive that feeling – as much as you can,” Jefferson said. “So I think everyone has that desire to go back to that moment and relive that moment.”
RAM RECEPTIONS
Take a look at the best Rams buyers as they begin their organized team activity workouts.
Name, Age, Ht., Weight, Number of salary *
Cooper Kupp, 28, 6-2, 208, $ 18.7 million
He may be the first to receive a triple crown for two years in a row.
Allen Robinson, 28, 6-2, 210, $ 4.3 million
Versatile route run and elite holder consisting of 50-50 wholesalers.
Van Cefferson, $ 25, 6-1, $ 200, $ 1.5 million
Third year professional team – the best 16 yards per catch in 2021 on average.
Tutu Atwell, 22, 5-9, 165, $ 1.3 million
An opportunity to show that you can cope with new struggles and injuries.
Ben Lark, $ 24, 6-3, $ 224, $ 846,000
As a new player, he proved that he can be more than a staple of special teams.
Brandon Pawell, 26, 5-8, 181, $ 895,000
Necessary special teams were shaken as the punt and kick returned.
Jacob Harris, $ 25, 6-5, $ 211, $ 950,000
The second year pro, prepared as a tight end, comes out of knee surgery.
* For Overthecap.com