SB Nation - Ramzee Robinson

Jamal Lewis and Brodney Pool Placed on Injured Reserve by Browns

Chris Pokorny — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:55:39 -0000

More photos » by Amy Sancetta - AP

Is Jamal Lewis' career over?

We thought our team wasn't competitive last year when Ken Dorsey was operating our offense. Imagine what things will be like the rest of the way after the injuries the Browns suffered in last week's game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

After placing Shaun Rogers on the injured reserve earlier in the week, it was announced today that S Brodney Pool and RB Jamal Lewis were placed on the injured reserve. Pool going on the injured reserve wasn't too much of a surprise. It was revealed after Sunday's game that he suffered a head injury, which wasn't good news considering his history of concussions.

Lewis going on the injured reserve came out of left field. It is being reported that Lewis, like Pool, also suffered a head injury against the Bengals. Earlier in the offseason, Lewis told the media that this would be his final season in the NFL. If he holds true to his word, then his career will not have ended on a bright spot. The Browns are currently tied for the worst record in football at 1-10, and on the season Lewis was averaging a mere 3.5 yards per carry without a single touchdown. While our quarterbacks weren't efficient enough to give Lewis enough opportunities, Lewis never appeared to hit the hole very well this season.

With the three injuries, that means there will have to be some shifts in the starting lineup this week against the San Diego Chargers. Among my predictions...

Mike Adams will move from cornerback to safety, his original position.
Brandon McDonald will move back into the starting cornerback spot.
Athyba Rubin will start at nose tackle in place of Shaun Rogers.
Chris Jennings will start at running back but almost split carries with Jerome Harrison.

Ideally, I'd love to see Harrison receive the opportunity to start again, but based on the recent events of the past few weeks, I don't think that's what Eric Mangini has in mind.

The Browns have already claimed DB Ramzee Robinson off waivers from the Philadelphia Eagles. If the name sounds at all familiar to you, then perhaps you remember him as bring the Mr. Irrelevant of the 2007 NFL Draft when the Detroit Lions selected him. Yep, we can now brag that we have an irrelevant player. He only has 24 tackles in his NFL career, but drew some laughingstock criticism last season with the Lions:

Before we get to the particulars, let me make sure you know about the player of the day. I speak, of course, of Ramzee Robinson. In the second half at Green Bay, Robinson, a Lions defensive back, was penalized for taunting. The Lions at that point were 0-15 and within sight of attaining the designation they now hold, that of worst NFL team ever. After a Green Bay incompletion, Robinson danced around, pointing at himself and taunting Packers receiver James Jones. A player for the worst-ever NFL team was called for taunting in the game in which that team reached 0-16.

-ESPN (Link)

Suit him up!

Thursday Notes: Ernie Sims Likely Out This Week

Sean Yuille — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:53:54 -0000

Ernie Sims missed practice on Wednesday because of what Jim Schwartz called a "fairly significant" hamstring injury. Sims left the Seahawks game in noticeable pain, and he said yesterday that it doesn't look like he will play against the Vikings on Sunday. Usually when Schwartz uses the word "significant" to describe an injury it means the player will miss around a couple weeks at the least, so I personally wouldn't expect Sims to be back until Thanksgiving at the earliest.
Also missing practice yesterday were Larry Foote and Dewayne White. Foote has a banged up wrist and White is dealing with an ongoing hamstring injury. There's no word yet on their status for Sunday, but I would expect a listing of probable or questionable on this week's injury report.
One piece of good news on the injury front is that Louis Delmas practiced on Wednesday. There was some concern over his health after he left the Seahawks game with a right knee injury, but based on the fact that he was on the practice field yesterday, it doesn't appear to be bothering him too much.
Gunther Cunningham is a big fan of the way DeAndre Levy plays and the way he leads on the field.
The reason for Matthew Stafford's recent struggles could be that his knee injury is still bothering him a little bit.
Brett Favre was limited in practice yesterday with what the Vikings are calling a hip injury. It's actually his groin that's injured, though.
Ramzee Robinson has been signed by the Eagles. I was always a fan of Robinson when he played for the Lions, so it's good to see him land somewhere.
Larry Johnson is officially a free agent after no teams claimed him off waivers.
Brady Quinn is once again the Browns' starting quarterback, meaning the Lions can expect to face him when they host Cleveland on November 22.

Caplan: Eagles Still Looking at Cornerbacks

Bob_Q — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 04:15:44 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

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According to NFL reporter Adam Caplan's Twitter feed, the Eagles have been continuing their search for a viable fifth cornerback in the wake of Dimitri Patterson's constant injuries:

#Eagles had former #Lions 7th rounder in 2007 CB Ramzee Robinson for a workout this week.

#Eagles tried to claim CB Jack Williams so it's obvious that they are looking for some depth there.

Of course, there's always a chance current practice squad denizen Jack Ikegwuonu could make a move to the active roster, but the lengthy search so far by the Eagles suggests otherwise. Interestingly though, both Robinson and Williams have failed to make the Detroit Lions' active roster (Williams is currently on the practice squad), which should tell you something about how desperate the Birds have become for a fifth cornerback who can actually stay on the field. I wonder how long it will be before we give Trae Williams a call?

Thursday Notes: Daniel Bullocks Could Still Be Put on IR

Sean Yuille — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:49:47 -0000

Although Daniel Bullocks was placed on the waived/injured list, that doesn't necessarily mean he will become a free agent. I have always wondered what being put on the waived/injured list meant, but thankfully Tom Kowalski outlined it in a story today.

Assuming Bullocks clears waivers, the Lions can agree to an injury settlement with him and then waive him or re-sign him in approximately four to six weeks, or they can put him on the injured reserve. If they decide to do the latter, which seems to be the most logical move, Bullocks would become a restricted free agent after the 2009 season. The Lions would still be able to re-sign him and match any offer he receives from another team if they want to bring him back.

The one thing I don't understand about all of this is why Bullocks wasn't simply put on the IR in the first place. It's not like every player who has gone on the IR had to be put on the waived/injured list first, at least not as far as I know. Maybe it is because Bullocks is entering the final year of his contract. I'm not really sure, so if anyone knows or looks up the details of going on the IR and all that, leave a comment sharing what you know/found. I will do some research today and see what I can find.

UPDATE: I missed this at first, but John Niyo explained it in his blog yesterday, saying that before the first round of roster cuts happens, players who have been in the league for less than four years have to be put on waivers prior to going on the injured reserve.
Brandon Pettigrew and Calvin Johnson for sure won't play against Cleveland on Saturday. The same likely goes for Casey FitzSimmons, who just returned to practice this week.
Jim Schwartz is going to announce the starting quarterback for the Cleveland game tomorrow. I expect Matthew Stafford to get the start. The hope is that the Lions will have a better idea of who should be the permanent starter before the third preseason game, which is usually the closest thing to a simulation of a regular season game.
There were two fights during practice this morning.
Keith Smith has returned to practice.
What was supposed to be the Lions' final open practice has been closed to the public since it was moved indoors due to bad weather.
The AP's Larry Lage wrote an in-depth piece on Ramzee Robinson.
Pride of Detroit passed 2,000,000 page views this week!

Thursday Notes: Details of Culpepper's Restructured Contract

Sean Yuille — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 11:18:04 -0000

There has been some confusion over the specifics of Daunte Culpepper's restructured contract, but it is pretty clear that the main thing that changed was his roster bonus. Here are the details:

However, the $2.5 million roster bonus has been broken into three significant parts - a smaller roster bonus that will be paid later in the off-season, incentives based on production and a workout bonus. There was no signing bonus for restructuring the deal and the new roster bonus won't be paid until some time after the middle of March.

Culpepper's incentives are believed to be based on quarterback rating, passing yards and touchdowns but the numbers are not known. The total amount of the incentive package is believed to be significantly higher than $500,000. The off-season workout bonus, which includes a weight clause, is worth $300,000.
It appears that the Lions did this to continually motivate Culpepper and to give themselves an insurance policy in a sense. Should Culpepper start and play well, he will earn much of what was once a roster bonus. Should he turn out to be a waste and not play well, chances are he won't be earning an extra $2.5 million like his roster bonus originally called for.
Jeff Backus reportedly was asked about potentially switching from left tackle to guard. That move would allow the Lions to draft a left tackle and strengthen the offensive line.
The Lions re-signed restricted free agent cornerback Ramzee Robinson, who was the last pick of the 2007 draft.
Albert Haynesworth is going to test free agency, and the Lions have more than enough cap room to sign him if they are interested.
Jim Schwartz said that the offseason workouts are going to change to make the team bigger and stronger.
Tom Kowalski raised an interesting point about who the Lions will select with the #1 pick. Basically, it is Kowalski's belief that the Lions will only use the #1 pick on someone they sign before the draft. That way there is no holdout and the Lions won't have to worry about getting a deal done. This is important to take note of because the chances of not signing a QB are much higher than a lineman or linebacker, for example. Similar to what the Dolphins did last year, the Lions very well may offer a deal to multiple players and draft the one that wants to sign first.
Hogs Haven put together a mock Wonderlic Test that is smaller version of what prospects will be taking this week at the NFL Combine. (For the record, I scored a 9 out of 10, but that is only because I ran out of time.)
Josh Freeman's father made a joke about how Dave Birkett should tell a Lions assistant he was talking with to "take that quarterback Freeman No. 1."
Another mock draft, another prediction that the Lions will draft Matthew Stafford with the #1 overall pick.
Stafford was asked about the curse of Bobby Layne, a former Lions quarterback that actually attended the same high school as Stafford. Talk about an interesting coincidence.
Scout.com's mock draft ventured outside the norm by having the Lions draft Mark Sanchez with the #1 overall pick.

Lions Release Brian Kelly, Sign Dexter Wynn

Sean Yuille — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 07:18:05 -0000

The Lions released cornerback Brian Kelly on Tuesday, despite signing him only this past March. According to Tom Kowalski, the Lions paid Kelly $4 million this season. His deal was originally set to last for three years, but he didn't even last an entire season. He had started in eight consecutive games before this past Sunday, where he did not play at all. Over the course of the season, he started in a total of ten or so games.

Kelly was brought in originally for a few reasons. He spent ten years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, so he had plenty of experience in the defense the Lions run. Similarly, Rod Marinelli and some of the defensive coaches were familiar with him from their days in Tampa, which is a big reason why a few others were signed in the last couple of years. The other big reason for signing Kelly was the fact that the Lions needed help at cornerback. It was expected that Kelly would provide that help, but he had no interceptions and only a single pass break-up (via Tom Kowalski).

With such little depth at cornerback, the Lions had to sign Dexter Wynn, who apparently is a also kick returner. Here is a more detailed bio from the Lions' press release on this signing:

Wynn (5-9, 175), a fifth-year cornerback and kick returner, arrives in Detroit after previously playing for the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles. He has played in 51 career games (41 starts) and has accumulated 26 tackles (22 solo), 1.0 sack, 13 pass defenses and five fumble recoveries on defense. As a kick returner, He has 87 kickoff returns or 1,860 yards (21.4 avg.) and 67 punt returns for 575 yards (8.6 avg.). In 2006, he was claimed off waivers November 1 by the Houston Texans after being released by the Philadelphia Eagles the day before, and played for the Texans until he was released August 29, 2008. Wynn spent his first two full seasons of his career in Philadelphia after being drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft out of Colorado State.

Cornerback Keith Smith is expected to return from injury this week, according to Dave Birkett. He and Ramzee Robinson will likely get quite a bit of playing time behind starters Travis Fisher and Leigh Bodden.

Monday Notes: Falcons Game Observations

Sean Yuille — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:00:09 -0000

Off the top of my head, Ernie Sims, Paris Lenon, and Dan Campbell left yesterday's game with injuries. Sims was actually carted off the field with an ankle injury right before halftime and was listed as questionable to return. He was really the only defensive player that wasn't having problems making tackles, so his loss definitely hurt.

Lenon hurt his knee and had it heavily wrapped on the bench and Campbell went out after re-injuring his hamstring. Campbell has been limited due to the hamstring injury and hurt it again after only one catch. I think Michael Gaines may have also been hurt, but I have not heard any details about what happened to him.

We should have an update on all of the injuries from the Atlanta game later today.
Jon Kitna was very, very frustrated in the first half of yesterday's game. He not only was yelling at teammates but actually started to get in the face of a couple offensive coaches. On two separate occasions he called a timeout and quickly went over to the sideline and started yelling at a coach. The first time it was passing coordinator Kippy Brown that felt Kitna's wrath, and the second time it was running backs coach Sam Gash.

Kitna did calm down once the Lions started to score some points, but it was pretty discouraging to see him that angry. I like that he was showing passion, but there's a fine line between being fiery and being out of line. I tend to think the latter was where Kitna was as he really had no right to get in the faces of his coaches like that.
Calvin Johnson is this team's new #1 receiver as far as I'm concerned. He caught 7 passes for 107 yards and was clearly Kitna's go-to guy. Roy Williams hauled in 3 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown and made a couple nice plays, but Johnson is the Lions' premier receiver now.
Jon Kitna shouldn't be blamed for the interception he threw at the start of the second half as it apparently was Roy Williams' fault. Roy ran the wrong route and left Lawyer Milloy by himself to make the diving interception.
Despite their improvements during the preseason, the defense was absolutely pathetic. I don't know if I've ever seen a game with more missed tackles. That was a big reason why the Falcons ended up with 318 rushing yards. Michael Turner set a single-game franchise record for rushing yards with 220 of his own. He also scored a pair of touchdowns and would have had three had it not been for a holding penalty. Even their backup, Jerious Norwood, ran for 93 yards and a touchdown.
The passing defense wasn't any better. Matt Ryan went 9/13 for 161 yards and 1 touchdown. That touchdown came on his first NFL pass as he hit Michael Jenkins for a 62-yard score. Travis Fisher looked terrible on multiple occasions and Leigh Bodden didn't look much better at times.

To make matters worse, the dominant defensive line we saw in the preseason was rarely dominant in yesterday's game. The Lions only had a single sack and never got much pressure on Matt Ryan, resulting in his nearly 70% completion rating.
Detroit did seem to get closer to becoming a balanced team offensively. They ran the ball 21 times and had 33 passing attempts. Keep in mind, if the Lions weren't playing from behind during the entire game the amount of passing attempts would have been lower. Since they were trailing, though, they had to air it out more to give themselves a chance to win.
Kevin Smith only rushed for 48 yards on 16 carries in his NFL debut, but he didn't look bad by any means. There were more than a few plays where the offensive line was blown up and Smith had literally nowhere to run. Once or twice he was able to actually gain yards despite the terrible blocking, and on plays when there was a hole open he made a play. Plus, he did score a touchdown, which is great for any rookie in their first game.
Rudi Johnson only had 3 carries for 14 yards in this game. It's not surprising he didn't get more carries as he still is learning the playbook. The announcers said he barely knew any blocking assignments for passing plays, which is probably why he went in motion to the outside on the passing plays he was in the game for.
As mentioned when discussing Kevin Smith, the offensive line did not play well. Smith was tackled right when he got the handoff a few times, and Kitna's protection wasn't that great, either.
The Lions' inactives against Atlanta were as follows: QB Drew Stanton, OG Manny Ramirez, DE Ikaika Alama-Francis, DT Andre Fluellen, DT Landon Cohen, LB Gilbert Gardner, and CB Ramzee Robinson. Alama-Francis was bumped to the inactive list by DE Cliff Avril.
Even though there are still two games tonight that will affect the opening week of fantasy football, I am in good enough shape to start bragging about how sweet of an owner I am. In all three of my leagues I am not only ahead but am destroying my opponents. In the official POD League I am currently up on Maize 'n' Blue Jays 109.70-77.16. In the POD Overflow League I control a lead of 117.88-57.40. And finally, in the league that involves bloggers from both SB Nation and the AOL FanHouse, I am up 97.00-37.90.

I wasn't expecting to have all three of my teams turn out to be this good already, but I'm pleasantly surprised. Even my poorly drafted team in the official league put up 100+ points, although the big reason for that was that I had Michael Turner starting. We all got an up close look at how great of a game he had.
As far as fantasy football goes, I plan on posting an update on the official league every Tuesday. The update will include scores from each game and a quick recap of how each team did. I will also keep you guys updated on how I do in the overflow league as well as the SBN-AOL one.
Regarding my general posting schedule for the week that I will follow throughout the season, on top of the fantasy football update, I will also do a week whatever recap every Tuesday. I haven't decided on the exact format just yet, but I will try to briefly provide a recap of each game and/or will direct you to other SBN blogs for more information.

In general, what I expect my posting schedule or routine to look like is this: On Sunday nights/Mondays, I will recap the Lions game and discuss general things from it. On Tuesday, I will update fantasy football and the NFL. Moving on to Wednesday, I will wrap up coverage on the Lions' last game and begin to look ahead to their next one. Then Thursday will be spent really looking at the Lions' next opponent, and Friday and Saturday will get you ready for Sunday. I'll still have notes every day and keep you updated on any Lions news, but that will be in addition to what I listed above.
Ex-Lions tight end Sean McHugh was signed by the Steelers.
Chad Johnson, err, Chad Ocho Cinco, wasn't allowed to wear his new last name on his jersey this week due to a dispute with Reebok over unsold merchandise. I'm sure Ocho Cinco will have no problem buying his old unsold jerseys considering his new one will have little trouble selling.
The Jets were left in a predicament against Miami after kicker Mike Nugent got hurt in the first quarter of yesterday's game. Backup QB Kellen Clemens and safety Kerry Rhodes were actually attempting kickoffs before the second half in warm-ups. Thankfully for the Jets' sake neither was needed as Nugent returned in the third quarter.

Pride of Detroit Interviews Ramzee Robinson

Sean Yuille — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:00:07 -0000

Lions cornerback Ramzee Robinson was nice enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions I had for him about making the team, being Mr. Irrelevant, the type of coach Rod Marinelli is, and much more.

The questions and answers are below, and I want to give a big thanks to Robinson for taking part in the interview.

Pride of Detroit: When you first found out that you had made the team, what went through your mind?

Ramzee Robinson: Actually, it was bittersweet at first, reason being, if you receive a call that day from player personnel its usually because your expected to be released. Well, I DID receive a call from Sheldon (Personnel) and my heart begin to beat fast, along w/short breathes, almost like I was drowning in an ocean from just answering assuming I was going to be released. Well, he informed me that I made it and he only was calling to ask me to bring DeVonte"s playbook up to the facility because D left it in my bag. Some may think that's funny, but for myself it was even more nerve wracking because I didn't sleep the entire night before waiting to see how things shape up. So, AFTER fussing at Sheldon for such a call, first thing went through my mind was "FINALLY I MADE IT" and I began to cry for only about a minute and praising God for such a blessing.

(Ed. Note -- The rest of the interview can be found after the jump)

POD: You spent quite a few weeks on the Lions practice squad last season (aside from the weeks you were on the active roster). As a rookie, how do you think your time on the practice squad helped with your development as a cornerback?

RR: My time on the practice squad was very difficult at first because you're not necessarily being "coached" anymore. The coaches are focused on those guys that are playing each week, so the type of competitor I am, I decided to take matters into my own hands and tell myself each day to find a way to improve my game no matter who's helping me or not helping. So, when lining up against Roy, Calvin, Shaun Mac, Mike, I would work on parts of my game that I felt was a weakness. In the back of my mind I would tell myself each week was game week so, I had to "be ready so I wouldn't have to get ready."

POD: From an outsider's perspective Rod Marinelli is viewed as a military type of guy that doesn't take anything from anyone. Is that an accurate description of the type of coach he is?

RR: Just know that about everyday on the practice field we work to the music of "Working on the Chain Gang" by Sam Cooke...which explains enough. He does the best and most unique job of getting his message across by utilizing visual aids. So, that is an accurate statement to make because Coach Marinelli doesn't expect anything but your BEST and then MORE.

POD: Going back to the 2007 draft, what was the feeling when all but one pick went by before your name was called? Similarly, how great did you feel after the Lions did draft you?

RR: Of course it was the worse feeling in the world sitting there watching other players get selected before you that you've either played against or seen play and even in comparison to you, you're simply athletically more gifted. So, it wasn't a very pleasant experience and to think it was the longest draft in NFL history. So, when one pick was left, (I had already stopped watching the draft during the 5th round) I was on the phone with my Agent, Andy Benedict, and Financial Advisor, Jamie Tebbe, deciding on what would be the best fit for myself as a priority free agent. Finally, I was selected LAST of course and it was almost the exact feeling when I had found out I made the team on Saturday. It was "bittersweet". "Bittersweet" -being I was so upset at the outcome but yet I was so blessed for having my name selected, called out, and knowing for a fact I was going to have an opportunity to be a part of a NFL organization.

POD: Finally, what was it like to be Mr. Irrelevant?

RR: At work, it's very difficult, because you're on the OUTSIDE looking in ALL situations simply because how you came into the league. So, one must focus only on what he can control and not on how low you're name is on the depth chart. But, away from work, it's a great thing, because I am representing all those that have been told they're not good enough which is definitely part of my drive. The Irrelevant Society people have been/were great to me. It's funny because the "Irrelevant" tag is a little bit different these days because the draft is only 7 rounds from when it was 20 something, but it's been fun.

Ask Ramzee Robinson

Sean Yuille — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 15:56:27 -0000

I'm going to be interviewing Lions cornerback Ramzee Robinson in the coming future, so if you have any questions you'd like me to ask him, submit them in the comments section. I'll pass them along and you can get your question answered by Mr. Irrelevant himself.

Ramzee Robinson Makes the Team; Dovonte Edwards Gets Cut

Sean Yuille — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:12:03 -0000

A source informed me this morning that cornerback Ramzee Robinson has made the Lions' active roster. It appears Robinson won a spot on the 53-man roster over fellow cornerback Dovonte Edwards, who has been cut according to the source.

Ramzee Robinson has been a fan favorite in Detroit ever since he was drafted because he was "Mr. Irrelevant" in 2007. That title was his as he was picked last in the 2007 draft by the Lions. He played well in the preseason a year ago, but there just wasn't room on the roster for him. However, a year later he has greatly improved and now will be on the 53-man roster for the time being. Things could obviously change depending on who becomes a free agent later today when final cuts are made, but right now Robinson is going to be a Lion as we head into the first week of the regular season.