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Nobody wants to be remembered solely for a single sound bite, especially a comment made in frustration.
That’s not entirely what happened to Darius Robinson, the defensive lineman for the Arizona Cardinals, but it’s what captured the most attention last year during his second season with the franchise.
The moment occurred after the Cardinals’ Week 13 loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was Arizona’s fourth straight defeat and ninth in the past 10 games, dropping the team to 3-9 in what would become a 3-14 nightmare season.
"We've only won three games since September," Robinson told reporters after the game. “That's terrible. That starts with myself. I'm not who I thought I was."
That last line seemed to hang in the air and follow the former first-round pick like a cloud of uncertainty. Entering his third season, perhaps no Cardinals player is under greater scrutiny to perform and shed labels in 2026 than the 27 overall pick in 2024 from Missouri.
Robinson shared some insight on that memorable sound bite while meeting with reporters at the Cardinals’ Tempe training facility on Tuesday, July 7, and it helped reshape the narrative two weeks before he and the team report to training camp at State Farm Stadium.
“That was tough because we hadn’t won a game in I don’t know how long and I feel like really good players think about, ‘How can I affect the game and win the game for my team?’” Robinson explained. “I obviously didn’t do enough because we didn’t win any games during that time, so I just put it on myself because I know I can be better and I know who I am.”
It’s all about accountability, Robinson said. The more accountable a player is to his team, he added, better actions should come as a result. It didn’t help the Cardinals win any more games, but “Individually,” Robinson said, “I know I definitely made strides as the season went along.”
That much is true. After basically a washed-out rookie season that saw him appear in just six games (six total tackles, one sack) because of a nagging calf injury and the sudden loss of his mother, Robinson re-emerged in 2025, appearing in 15 games (12 starts) and finishing with 43 tackles, four for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.
Expectations are tame for the 2026 Cardinals, but a great deal of their fortunes will be pinned on how the defense handles its business. And it all starts up front on the defensive line, where Robinson is expected to start opposite fellow defensive end Walter Nolen III, with Roy Lopez back in Arizona to handle the nose tackle spot and Josh Sweat and a slew of hopefuls looking to generate a solid pass rush on the outside.
Robinson has thought long and hard about how to embrace his third NFL season and become the best player he can be for the Cardinals. He’s been working behind the scenes on how to improve and generate more explosiveness as a quarterback disruptor, in addition to fine-tuning his skills as a run stuffer.
“It’s knowing, ‘OK, what am I good at, what am I not good at?’” he said, adding, “What I’m not good at, I’ve got to pour into that bucket as fast I can and what I am good at, keep pouring as well so I can be the player I want to be to help this team.”
Robinson said he’s liked everything he’s heard from new head coach Mike LaFleur, that he’s already bonded with new position coach Pete Kwiatkowski and is thankful Nick Rallis is back for his fourth season as defensive coordinator.
“It means everything,” he said, “because I don’t really have to think too much now. It’s my third year in our defense and during OTAs, I didn’t really think about anything; I just played, and I feel like that’s going to be a big help for me this year.”
Robinson’s bouts with adversity might have made him stronger, but he is also reminding himself more often that playing football is supposed to be fun.
“The only thing is — just play,” he said. “And that’s something I feel like going into Year 3, I’m not thinking about anything anymore. Like JG (former head coach Jonathan Gannon) used to say all the time, ‘Alignment, assignment, key technique’ and really that’s the only thing going through my mind.
“It’s each play and just play and just have fun, honestly. Having fun is half the battle, right? When everybody’s all tensed up and stressing about stuff, you’re not playing fine, you’re not playing fast. You’ve just got to make sure you have that on your mind.”
Robinson was asked if he’d term the 2026 season as a reset year for himself or a prove-it moment.
“Yeah, no,” he said. “It’s just Year 3. This is my third year in the NFL and I’m super excited for the opportunity. I’m just excited to see how it can grow from my first two years. I’m just excited. It’s been a lot of different adversities we’ve had to face, but I’m excited for this year.”
If he has any personal goals, Robinson didn’t share them on July 7.
“I’m just expecting to be a good teammate, be smart, be accountable each and every day and really just let the tape do the talking. I don’t want to put any goals or things out there. Just watch the tape. I’m excited to see what I can put on there.”
Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM) and every Thursday on the Doug Franz Unplugged podcast via Apple or Spotify.
Sign up for our free newsletters at https://profile.azcentral.com/newsletters/manage/ for complete coverage.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals Darius Robinson revisits, analyzes famous sound bite
Continue reading...
That’s not entirely what happened to Darius Robinson, the defensive lineman for the Arizona Cardinals, but it’s what captured the most attention last year during his second season with the franchise.
The moment occurred after the Cardinals’ Week 13 loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was Arizona’s fourth straight defeat and ninth in the past 10 games, dropping the team to 3-9 in what would become a 3-14 nightmare season.
"We've only won three games since September," Robinson told reporters after the game. “That's terrible. That starts with myself. I'm not who I thought I was."
That last line seemed to hang in the air and follow the former first-round pick like a cloud of uncertainty. Entering his third season, perhaps no Cardinals player is under greater scrutiny to perform and shed labels in 2026 than the 27 overall pick in 2024 from Missouri.
Robinson shared some insight on that memorable sound bite while meeting with reporters at the Cardinals’ Tempe training facility on Tuesday, July 7, and it helped reshape the narrative two weeks before he and the team report to training camp at State Farm Stadium.
“That was tough because we hadn’t won a game in I don’t know how long and I feel like really good players think about, ‘How can I affect the game and win the game for my team?’” Robinson explained. “I obviously didn’t do enough because we didn’t win any games during that time, so I just put it on myself because I know I can be better and I know who I am.”
It’s all about accountability, Robinson said. The more accountable a player is to his team, he added, better actions should come as a result. It didn’t help the Cardinals win any more games, but “Individually,” Robinson said, “I know I definitely made strides as the season went along.”
What Darius Robinson can give the Cardinals in 2026
That much is true. After basically a washed-out rookie season that saw him appear in just six games (six total tackles, one sack) because of a nagging calf injury and the sudden loss of his mother, Robinson re-emerged in 2025, appearing in 15 games (12 starts) and finishing with 43 tackles, four for loss, a sack and a fumble recovery.
Expectations are tame for the 2026 Cardinals, but a great deal of their fortunes will be pinned on how the defense handles its business. And it all starts up front on the defensive line, where Robinson is expected to start opposite fellow defensive end Walter Nolen III, with Roy Lopez back in Arizona to handle the nose tackle spot and Josh Sweat and a slew of hopefuls looking to generate a solid pass rush on the outside.
Robinson has thought long and hard about how to embrace his third NFL season and become the best player he can be for the Cardinals. He’s been working behind the scenes on how to improve and generate more explosiveness as a quarterback disruptor, in addition to fine-tuning his skills as a run stuffer.
“It’s knowing, ‘OK, what am I good at, what am I not good at?’” he said, adding, “What I’m not good at, I’ve got to pour into that bucket as fast I can and what I am good at, keep pouring as well so I can be the player I want to be to help this team.”
Robinson said he’s liked everything he’s heard from new head coach Mike LaFleur, that he’s already bonded with new position coach Pete Kwiatkowski and is thankful Nick Rallis is back for his fourth season as defensive coordinator.
“It means everything,” he said, “because I don’t really have to think too much now. It’s my third year in our defense and during OTAs, I didn’t really think about anything; I just played, and I feel like that’s going to be a big help for me this year.”
Turning tough times into an advantage for Cardinals
Robinson’s bouts with adversity might have made him stronger, but he is also reminding himself more often that playing football is supposed to be fun.
“The only thing is — just play,” he said. “And that’s something I feel like going into Year 3, I’m not thinking about anything anymore. Like JG (former head coach Jonathan Gannon) used to say all the time, ‘Alignment, assignment, key technique’ and really that’s the only thing going through my mind.
“It’s each play and just play and just have fun, honestly. Having fun is half the battle, right? When everybody’s all tensed up and stressing about stuff, you’re not playing fine, you’re not playing fast. You’ve just got to make sure you have that on your mind.”
Robinson was asked if he’d term the 2026 season as a reset year for himself or a prove-it moment.
“Yeah, no,” he said. “It’s just Year 3. This is my third year in the NFL and I’m super excited for the opportunity. I’m just excited to see how it can grow from my first two years. I’m just excited. It’s been a lot of different adversities we’ve had to face, but I’m excited for this year.”
If he has any personal goals, Robinson didn’t share them on July 7.
“I’m just expecting to be a good teammate, be smart, be accountable each and every day and really just let the tape do the talking. I don’t want to put any goals or things out there. Just watch the tape. I’m excited to see what I can put on there.”
Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @azbobbymac and listen to him live every Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. on Roc and Manuch with Jimmy B on ESPN 620 (KTAR-AM) and every Thursday on the Doug Franz Unplugged podcast via Apple or Spotify.
Sign up for our free newsletters at https://profile.azcentral.com/newsletters/manage/ for complete coverage.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona Cardinals Darius Robinson revisits, analyzes famous sound bite
Continue reading...
