Chop Robinson – May 10, 2024
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Friday, May 10, 2024
LB Chop Robinson
(Can you take us through what the process has been like for you? Coming here, getting this opportunity, obviously, it’s a big moment, right?) – “Of course. Just coming in, a dream come true of course. I celebrated the moment after it happened, but now it’s time to put in the work. We got here yesterday and had physicals and other medical things. Really just getting down to first install and take it out to practice today and just compete.”
(What’s it like inside the locker room? I know all you guys are coming in looking for an opportunity or looking to impress, getting to know each other. What is it like?) – “I mean it’s great energy, because all the guys are chasing the same thing. You’re going through this whole thing together so everyone is trying to also compete and also make each other greater. It’s great energy in the locker room. We’re about to get to know each other, know their stories and everything. It’s great.”
(You’re the first-round pick. Do you feel there’s more pressure on you from outside people looking at you? Do you feel the expectations are higher for you?) – “I don’t really pay attention to it, because I know what type of player I am. I just go to work every day, compete, give everything I got and control what I can control.”
(How did you handle that in college? Because obviously everybody was focused on you and your pass rush and stopping you. How much did that weigh on you? And how much were you able to just relax and play your game? I don’t mean weigh on you heavily, but the research and prep and film work and extra practice. Tell me about that and how did you stay focused on football?) – “Honestly, just focus on ball, that’s the main thing. There really is no big message to it. Just hang with my guys, keep my mind off of it. I had a good d-line coach at Penn State, so I was just able to get better every day and find something to do to get one percent better.”
(Has Miami been everything it’s cracked up to be thus far? I’m sure you’ve heard the stories about South Florida. Have you enjoyed any action since you’ve been here outside of just the facility?) – “No, I just got here yesterday so it’s been all ball since. But I hope to have a good time soon when it’s all done.”
(What’s it been like getting settled here and getting things started? You’re in uniform. How does it feel?) – “It feels great. This is a dream come true, but I’m just ready to work now. That’s the biggest thing.”
(I got a question for you in regards to your bench press. You never did it at the Combine, you never did it at your Pro Day. Was there a reasoning why?) – Honestly for me, it was just by choice. There wasn’t a big reason. It was just my choice not to do it.”
(What do you say to the rest of this rookie class? Obviously, you’re the first-round pick, so people expect you to be the leader of the rookie crop in terms of the impact that you guys hope to have for this team.) – “Everyone is just here to compete. Our main thing is to control what you can control, do our job and do what’s best for the team. Everybody knows that message. Everybody is just here to be great.”
(What is Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver’s first message to you since you became a Dolphin in terms of how excited he is to have you here and what he thinks you could do?) – “Honestly just come in and be the player I am, be myself. Don’t try to change into anything or put pressure on myself. Just be the player I am and the person I am, results will happen.”
(So there’s no extra pressure being a high draft pick like that?) – “No, it’s been what I’ve been working for. I know what I got to do and I know how to handle it. So it’s no big pressure for me.”
(What flavor Capri-Sun was that on draft night?) – “It was raspberry. Raspberry Capri-Sun.”
(Do they have some here for you?) – “I hope so. They don’t have it yet.”
(What do you know about the legacy of Miami Dolphins pass rushers?) – “Really with Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips, I’ve been watching those guys since I was in high school. I know what type of player they are since they were in college. So I’ve just been watching them for a long time, followed behind them. I know they want greatness every day, so that’s what I’m chasing too.”
(How about further back? Guys like Jason Taylor, Cam Wake, guys like that?) – “Yeah, I know a few of those guys. I haven’t really watched them, they’re not in my kind of similar play style. I just kind of watch the guys that play my type of style in the pass rush.”
(Former Penn State Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz was very complimentary of your skillset coming here to Miami. How did playing for him prepare you for the NFL?) – “Honestly, I would say with his defense. He was aggressive on the edges, just wanted to get vertical, get to the quarterback. So having that with Manny Diaz and coming here is kind of like the same thing. I think it’ll be beneficial for me.”
(You mentioned some inconsistencies with using your hands as a pass rusher. I was wondering where you were at with that right now and is there anybody you’re studying right now to try to mimic them?) – “Honestly, I’ve been working on myself. Every week been watching the guys. I still watch Nick Bosa, TJ Watt, guys like that. I know it’s more than just watching the players; I have to put in the work. So that’s what I’ve been doing the whole offseason, just working and ready to put it to show.”
(Have you seen a lot of improvement though yet?) – “Yeah, 100 percent. All muscle memory now.”
(Have you communicated with former Penn State Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz since you’ve been drafted? Did he say anything to you about Miami and what to expect?) – “I mean, he didn’t really talk about Miami specifically, but he was just really happy for me. He told me to keep the same mindset that I had in college and to keep pushing every day.”
(You played a lot of positions on that d-line at Penn State. Do you think they are going to maybe start you at one here and then build? Or do you think, ‘Hey, Weav, I can play anywhere you want on the defensive line early on?’) – “I mean honestly, I can play wherever he puts me. I’m not really sure where I’m going to end up at. But wherever he puts me, I’m going to make the best of it.”
(How would you describe these days as you start getting into your NFL career?) – “So yesterday was the first day. It was really just a big medical day being inside, getting the first install. It was really long, but we’re used to those long days just like college. Today is the first day of practice and I’m just ready to compete.”
(Is it kind of hitting you that you are now an NFL player?) – “Kind of, a little bit it’s hitting me. But I’m just ready to work. So I think that’s why it hasn’t really hit me yet. It’ll probably hit me when I get a break or something like that this summer, but right now I’m just ready to work.”
(Your impressions of Defensive Coordinator Anthony Weaver so far? Have you spent much time with him?) – Yeah, we talked. I know he was at the Ravens, so I know we had a familiar kind of bond with being in Maryland and everything like that. And then the defense he runs, the way he uses edges and everything, I’m just ready. I can’t wait for it.”
(It’s a little different here than it is in Happy Valley maybe, correct?) – “Oh yeah, 100 percent. The heat is definitely different. But it’s what I wanted, so I can’t wait for it.”
(Are you planning to be here all summer? Or will you train up north?) – “No, I’m staying here. I’ll probably go home for a little bit, but I’m planning on staying here.”
(Has anybody talked to you/warned you about how crazy the heat is going to get between now and even August and September?) – “They say when it hits training camp, it’s going to get super hot. But I wanted the warm weather, that’s what I asked for. I’ll be ready for it.”
(Your first step quickness is something that everyone knows stands out about your game, but I’m curious to hear from you. What do you think that does to help you as a pass rusher? How does that set you up for success as a pass rusher?) – “Honestly, when you get off the ball really quick, it’s hard for the offensive lineman to react. Because you’re closing the space on the offensive lineman so fast, he has to react quicker than he normally does. So having that first step is a blessing.”
(How does the approached change because I know you rush from the mugged up spots in the A-gap a lot last year. How does that approach change from there versus off the edge?) – “Honestly, on the edge, you kind of have more time, and when you’re interior, it’s right away. The guards and centers are shooting their hands so quick, so you have to react fast. So I’d say it’s just a different reaction time being on the edge than being on the interior.”
(You mentioned LB Bradley Chubb and LB Jaelan Waddle. Have they had you over for dinner or something like that? Have you guys hung out yet?) – “No, I just got here yesterday, but we’re definitely going to make a plan to have that happen.”
(Have they had any communication with you since the draft?) – “Yeah, we talked. I talked to Bradley (Chubb) today, actually. I saw him in the locker room. I talked to Jaelan (Phillips) all the time through text. So we communicate here and there.”
(What’s been their message?) – “Honestly, just work. Just come in, put your head down and grind. That’s it.”
(I believe it was General Manager Chris Grier who said your whole focus is just football. What does that look like during your daily life?) – “I mean honestly, everything is just ball. If I’m not in the facility, if I’m not watching football, I’m probably playing video games. That’s about it. But most of the time I’m just watching ball or doing it.”
(Do you use the Dolphins on Madden?) – “I started using them. First it was the Ravens because I was hometown kid, but I started using the Dolphins now.”
(I wanted to ask you about the whole sacks versus pressures topic that fans like to talk about. I know General Manager Chris Grier says he prioritizes the pressures as much as the sacks. Do you do as well? Because you were top three in the country in pass-rush win rate last year?) – “Of course I wanted sacks, but I controlled what I could control. I try to affect the quarterback as much as possible, and if my teammate gets a sack, I’m just as happy for him as if I get a sack. If I’m not getting there, I know my teammates getting there. That’s fine with me.”
(From experiencing all the pressures you had, and you had a ton of them these last couple years, do you remember specific plays, not to name them, but do you remember a lot of plays where you feel like your pressuring the quarterback led to an incompletion? Might not have led to a sack but led to something positive for the Penn State defense?) – “Yeah, I feel like a lot of times I got back there and I didn’t get to the quarterback but affected the quarterback, whether it was an interception, a PBU or another my other defensive end getting a sack. So I just feel like me getting back there and doing my job caused a lot of affection on the defense.”
(Do you feel, not the weight, but the understanding of being a first-round pick and what that legacy might hold?) – “Yeah, I don’t put pressure myself. I just come in and keep my head down, be humble and just work. Be confident, humble and work. That’s my main thing. Don’t change who I am. Be the player I am and be the guy I am, because I won’t change who I am for nothing.”
(I know you’ve had the nickname for a long time, but have you though about Chop is a pretty darn good nickname for a guy going after a quarterback?) – “(laughter) Yeah, I feel like that’s the best name. It naturally happened and I feel like that’s the best name for sure.”
(Have you heard from Dallas LB Micah Parsons since you’ve been with the Dolphins?) – “No, not really. I’ve just been focused on this and everything, and he’s focused on everything he’s doing. But I’ll probably hear from him soon.”
(Are you familiar at all with Cam Wake?) – “Cam Wake? I’ve heard that name before.”
(Have you watched his game at all?) – “No.”
(He’s kind of like your build a little bit. Your get off is a little similar. He had a ton of success here. I was just wondering if it was like the next Cam Wake coming through here.) – “No, I’m going to look that up for sure.”
(Are you familiar with Paul Posluszny?) – “No.”
(So after we last spoke to you, Dolphins drafted LB Mo Kamara. What do you think of him as an edge rusher?) – “Mo (Kamara) is a special guy. I feel like a lot of people talk down on his size and everything, but he can pass rush, he can stop the run. He can do everything that you’ve seen on tape. He put it on tape so you can see it. I was training with Mo down in Arizona, so we already have a bond, a brotherhood going through that whole process. So we’re just going to stick together here and just bring everybody along.”
(He’s a little chatty, isn’t he?) – “No, he’s not that chatty.”
(I know on the call with us after he got drafted, he seemed like he liked talking a little trash.) – “Oh, he always talks trash. Everything we were doing in training, whether it’s the get offs, or the slip, or we in the weight room, he always wants to compete. That’s just him competing. I was fine with it, because it’s pushing me and pushing him.”
(The process of getting No. 44 from LS Blake Ferguson, what did you have to do for him?) – “I mean, I just talked to him and said how much 44 meant to me. We had a man-to-man, grown man conversation and he just gave the number to me, so I appreciate him for that.”
(Did you get him some shoes or something?) – “No, we just talked. We just talked.”
(How do you feel like you’re setting in South Florida at all yet? Have you made that move yet?) – “I mean, I just came in here yesterday. So I’m just adjusting, getting the install, finished all the medical things that we did yesterday. First day of practice is today, so I’m ready to compete.”
(So much of when you’re preparing for the draft in these offseasons after your done with the college season is built around training – speed, get off and training for the Combine. How excited are you to get back to football?) – “I’m very excited. You don’t have to worry about being a track star this offseason. It’s back to ball, now just do what you normally do and what you get paid for.”
