Darius Robinson smiles. A lot.
The Cardinals defensive lineman smiles when things are good. He often smiles even when things are not good. And to be fair, the good was in short supply this past season, certainly as a team and more than Robinson wanted on a personal level.
At one point, after the loss in Tampa in early December, he said postgame "I'm not who I thought I was." And he acknowledged earlier in the season, when "I wasn't seeing the results I wanted to see," fun was hard to come by.
But Robinson was praised by coaches for his intangible efforts, and his run defense, and he doesn't necessarily need to see stats to feel right. He'll smile through the journey.
"I am process-driven," Robinson said. "The results don't matter as much, because we're also not winning. So the process, how much I can go and the alignments we play and how much I can get better and do my job.
"We will have a long offseason to reflect. I want to give myself something positive to think about."
Robinson had only one sack – "I have to affect the quarterback way more than I have the last two years" – and four tackles for loss over 43 tackles in 15 games, and as a first-round pick he knows that isn't enough.
"I can be so much better, and I will be better," he said.
After a lost rookie season because of a calf injury, Robinson's second season was about the learning curve. He was helped with a close relationship with veteran Calais Campbell (he called Campbell his best friend on the team) and the wisdom Campbell would frequently impart.
Robinson played better later in the season, when defensive coordinator Nick Rallis noted how Robinson's confidence had clearly grown.
"There is no time to think up front," Rallis said. "As soon as those techniques become second nature to him … the more comfortable he gets and the faster he plays, the more violent he can play. He will utilize his skillset and he'll just keep getting better."
With a new head coach incoming and a new defense to learn, Robinson's role – and his trajectory – is now in a sort of limbo. But with the way he operates, he will smile through whatever changes come his way.
As the season came to a close, Robinson said he was unlikely to go home to Michigan. He wanted to decompress somewhere warm. And far away.
"I am going to want to fast forward," Robinson said. "We didn't earn the right to be in the playoffs. It gives me a lot of time to reflect on my game and how I can come back in Year 3. It's crazy it went this fast."
