UHPOG, Week 2: Alton Robinson gets the job done

/God bless you please, Alton Robinson

/Coach should love you more than this, you know

/Whoa whoawhoawhoa.

Not remotely sorry to have gone there, because the tune worms itself into your ear with the same indefatigability that Robinson harnesses to worm his way into the backfield.

Certain things did not go right for the Seahawks in Week 2’s clash with the Titans; certain star players for Seattle did not show up on the stat sheet in ways that would’ve helped; the defensive and offensive efforts were uneven and maddening, and not in the video game way, either. All those unfortunate events coincided but Robinson was one of the few things that went right. He’s the UHPOG.

(UnHeralded Player Of the Game. It’s a weekly award. Do try to keep up.)

On a day the offense turtled into a 2011 version of itself down the stretch, Robinson made the biggest defensive play of all.

The Seahawks scored two plays later on a Chris Carson run up the gut. How badly did this field position swap help? On Sunday the offense committed five (five!) three-and-outs, didn’t sustain a drive longer than eight plays, and needed every last one of its 30 points just to force an overtime that felt ill-fated from the coin flip,

(Heady play by Kerry Hyder Jr., too, who may well get his chance at an UHPOG before season’s end.)

Okay, back to the incessant complaining that makes a good column. It’s not like Pete Carroll and Ken Norton Jr. have given Robinson much of a chance to make much of an impact, either.

Is 82.9 good? Asking for the rest of the d-linemen.

Whether it was five or six snaps is immaterial. There were 88 defensive snaps up for grabs Sunday. (That impossibly high number represents another problem that another post can address.) Smith, who is an essential follow on Twitter for anyone afflicted with a terminal case of Seahawks fandom, goes on to explain that Robinson in 2021 has accumulated:

• Three pressures
• Two tackles
• One sack
• One forced fumble

all in the space of 11 pass rushing snaps. Like, a quarter’s worth of plays.

Today’s not pick on Carlos Dunlap day, but in 26 snaps he didn’t record a single pressure, hurry, QB hit, sack, or tackle. It’s not pick on Tre Flowers day, but he lost Julio Jones more than once, then wasted his favorable position to tackle Derrick Henry on the long touchdown run. It’s not even pick on Jordyn Brooks day, but he got benched after a personal foul late hit and a stumble that should’ve allowed Jones to score, if only Julio didn’t wear size 14 shoes.

In eight defensive snaps Alton Robinson outplayed them all. It’s a mystery why he’s buried that far on the depth chart when all he’s done in 2021 is produce. Robinson, you’ll remember, because we remember such things, even cleaned up in the preseason, leading the team in sacks.

It’s unclear what Robinson still has to do to prove himself. In the meantime, this extremely meaningful UHPOG virtual trophy can occupy his mantle.