Matt Kalil and Josh Robinson probably wish they could do their jobs without any of us noticing. If you’re a left tackle or a cornerback in the NFL, anonymity is your friend. If nobody realizes you are out there, that means you are getting it done.
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The spotlight has shone on both Kalil and Robinson way more than either player would like in recent weeks. And that spotlight is on them again as we head into Sunday’s matchup with Detroit.
Kalil has been the object of intense scrutiny most of the season, and sometimes that scrutiny has gotten to be too much for him. Kalil only makes his situation worse by responding to the critics either through the media or through direct confrontation.
Kalil gave his critics plenty of fuel after his performance last time vs. Detroit. Ziggy Ansah took the former fourth overall pick to school that day, torching the him repeatedly off the edge and contributing to Detroit’s utter shredding of the Vikings’ pass protection.
The Vikings’ O-line overall was not good in that game, giving up 8 sacks, but Kalil’s mediocrity stood out. Kalil will again line up against Ziggy Ansah tomorrow and, though I’m sure the Vikings will try to give him some help, he is going to have to hold up one-on-one against Ansah a good portion of the time.
Kalil may be physically overmatched by Ansah at this point, which could lead to a long day for everyone. Speaking of guys being physically overmatched…how do you think Josh Robinson will look going up against Calvin Johnson?
Robinson and the Vikings were lucky not to face Johnson in the teams’ first matchup, but Johnson will be out there tomorrow and you have to believe Detroit will try to line up him against Robinson as often as possible.
Robinson has been an effective player at times this year but he’s had some bad games when matched up against bigger, taller, stronger receivers. This was especially true in the Bears game where he was owned over-and-over by Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall.
Detroit will almost surely try to exploit Johnson’s size-and-power advantage over Robinson. The Vikings have elected to leave Robinson in one-on-one coverage even when he’s totally overmatched, and I don’t see that approach changing tomorrow. Mike Zimmer likes to show trust in his corners and leave them out there on an island even if they’re losing the battle.
Some have suggested that the Vikings should shadow Johnson with Xavier Rhodes, who has been performing at an elite level in recent weeks, but Zimmer has shot down that idea. Josh Robinson is going to have to cover Calvin Johnson one-on-one and how Robinson holds up in those situations could go a long way toward determining the outcome of the game.
Both Kalil and Robinson will have to perform better than they have in recent weeks if the Vikings are going to pull off the win against Detroit and move their record to 7-7. Like it or not, all eyes will be on those two players come Sunday afternoon.