JACKSONVILLE – Allen Robinson has something this week he hasn't had in a while. Downtime.
That's welcome stuff for the Jaguars' second-year wide receiver, and it has meant a chance to look back on a hectic few weeks. He also said he realizes something else:
Soon, it will be time to get back to work.
And soon enough, he will start looking forward to that.
"We're at unique stage," Robinson said Thursday afternoon. "We've had some success, but we still see the direction we're going. We're not even close to being at the peak of things. We still have a lot to accomplish, and I think for us that's what keeps us so excited."
Robinson, speaking by telephone, said he and quarterback Blake Bortles soon will start working together in Jacksonville along with other Jaguars players. They'll do so away from EverBank Field to comply with NFL offseason rules; Robinson said before that happens, he'll start doing some running and yoga – as well as studying in detail other top NFL receivers.
"When it comes time here in a few weeks, I'll really put a game plan in place about the direction I want to take myself," he said.
For now, there's resting to do – not only from a rookie season in which he took a significant step toward joining the rankings of the NFL's elite receivers, but from a whirlwind two weeks in which he reaped off-field rewards from that season.
Robinson spent the last week of January in Honolulu, Hawaii. That was his first Pro Bowl appearance, and yes, Robinson said being in the game – being among the NFL's best players – was as meaningful and impactful as he expected.
"Being around the elite receiving corps we had, seeing how everybody practiced … even though it's the Pro Bowl, everybody has those competitive juices at practice," Robinson said. "They talk about how they practice during the season, and you hear how guys hate to miss practice. It really shows you why a lot of those guys are there and why those guys are perennial Pro Bowlers."
Asked who stood out on that front, Robinson listed Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman and Bengals cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones.
"You just see how those guys compete and lead," Robinson said, adding, "The biggest thing, talking to all of those guys, is they take practice seriously. I do the same myself, but hearing those guys talk – practice, the small things like that … it's why you get to where you get.
"It's not about waking up on Sundays and being able to go out there and do it. Few have that capability. When you go out and go against your teammates that really gets you better through the course of the season."
Robinson the following week traveled to San Francisco for the Super Bowl. He appeared on Radio Row the week before the game, and attended the game Sunday. He said while he may do the mid-week festivities again, he'll only attend the game again under one circumstance.
"I may show myself at some of the events, but I think I'm all done going to the game if we're not playing," he said. "It just hurts not to be playing. That's the biggest thing."
And make no mistake:
Robinson believes the Jaguars have the capability to make the playoffs, and to compete once they're there – not in the distant future, but next season.
"Seeing the direction we can go, experiencing everything – the Pro Bowl, everything … that pushes me even more to want to consistently play at that level," Robinson said. "We're at a unique place. We have the talent across the board. This year, myself and Blake, we have to take it up a notch as far as on the field, being leaders … everybody has to go out and play the next level.
"We can't just want to say, 'I want to play well.' We have to play well and inspire each other to play well throughout the course of the game, throughout the course of the season … we have to push each other even more."
