|
From Chagrin Falls to Columbus to Cleveland, Browns wideout Brian Robiskie has a pretty good idea of what playing football in Ohio is like.
One short year ago, Robiskie was completing a brilliant career as an Ohio State Buckeye, a career that earned for him the honor of being picked in the second round (35th overall pick) by the Cleveland Browns.
Sunday afternoon, there was a Robiskie sighting at Heinz Field in a game that saw the Browns drop a 27-14 verdict to the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers, but for Robiskie, it was a day to remember.
Although Robiskie and the Browns came out on the short end of the final score, it was a milestone day for the former OSU wideout as he caught his first-ever pass in a regular season NFL game, a 23-yard toss from quarterback Derek Anderson.
“It was just a standard in-cut and I pushed it up trying to find a zone,” explained Robiskie. “The O-line did a great job protecting and D.A. (quarterback Derek Anderson) made a great throw. As it turned out, it opened up just like we would draw it up on the board.”
Like many other young athletes, Draft Day was filled with some anxious, but exciting, moments for Robiskie.
“It was just an exciting day because it is something that you dream about your whole life,” he said. “For it to finally happen made it a big day for me.”
For Robiskie, football seemed like a natural thing to do. His father played collegiate and professionally and is currently an assistant coach for the Atlanta Falcons, handling the Falcon wide receivers.
“In terms of somebody helping me with things on the field and off the field, he was always there,” said Robiskie. “He has been through everything that I am going through so that makes it easy for him to relate to me as to what to expect in my career. There could be no better person than him to take me through it (the experiences).”
While growing up in the Cleveland area, Robiskie had his first real taste of the NFL as a ball boy for the Browns, and little did he know that later in his football career, he would wind up playing for that same team.
“It was a great experience for me because it gave me the opportunity to see guys work and practice their game,” he said. “I just tried to take a little from them and apply it to my game. I have always been the guy who sits behind and watches what the other guys are doing, so for me, it was a good opportunity in my career.”
Like any athlete moving up from one level of play to another, Robiskie had to make some adjustments. However, although he realizes that adjustments must be made, he also feels that he has to continue doing what got him to where he is now, and that is to learn something new every day.
“Just learning every day” said Robiskie. “For a rookie coming into (the NFL), it is a big learning curve and the biggest thing for me is not to get comfortable and to continue to grow and learn every day. If I continue to do that, things should turn out OK for me.”
|
